Interactive Effects of Sex and Psychosocial Interventions on Work Pace and Accuracy in a Self-Paced Product-Assembly Task

Abstract

This study was designed to assess the effect of participants' sex and two performance-enhancing interventions on performance in a laboratory-based product-assembly task. The task environment simulated dispensing medications as in a pharmacy. 33 men and 39 women worked in the simulation, completing four sets of orders totaling 114 products. Participants either worked with no interventions, with a copy strip to aid in data entry, or with both the copy strip and bottle sleeves to aid in stimulus selection during assembly. Analysis indicated that accuracy and pacing improved during the task as a function of the number of interventions available. Also, these improvements were not subject to effects of sex. It was concluded that the interventions tested in this study to aid in performance during product-assembly tasks like filling prescriptions are equally beneficial to both men and women. Ideas for research are discussed.