Task Taxonomy: Two Ignored Issues

Abstract

This paper focuses on two major issues concerning task taxonomies which to date have been ignored. The first issue involves the development of a set of criteria for the evaluation of existing and future task taxonomies. A set of criteria is proposed and several major existing taxonomies are evaluated. The second issue concerns the relation of empirical data, provided by field and laboratory research, to the development of the task taxonomy. Three approaches are cited which seem to encompass the relation between the taxonomy and the empirical data used in the development of task taxonomies. It is suggested that one of these approaches appears to be better suited for the development of a taxonomy to predict operator performance in any system.

Elderly People and the Environment

“…The essential goal of task analysis is systematically to define the relevant points of transaction between the human operator and the environment in ways which specify what is being accomplished and what purpose it serves. Although such analyses most often involve observation and classification of behavior in terms of some schema, there is no single universal approach used for task analysis (Companion & Corso, 1977;Fleishman, 1982).…”

“…This taxonomy can then be used to develop frequency distributions indicating the number of times in a meal preparation the person accomplished a discrete task. This stage of the system admittedly violated Companion and Corso's (1977) point regarding generalizability of descriptors. However, activity-specific content in descriptors was needed to help judges define the tasks as a precursor to second phase characterization of them in more generalizable terms.…”

“…This illustrates a reasonable attempt to compromise the wider applicability of rational methods with the greater precision of empirical approaches to derive schemes for classifying tasks and developing taxonomies. Companion and Corso (1977) offer a useful discussion of issues in task analysis and suggest criteria for judging the effectiveness of a task taxonomy, however it might be derived. According to them, task taxonomies should 1. simplify the description of tasks in the system; 2. be generalizable and not system-specific; 3. be compatible with terms used by others; 4. be complete and internally consistent; 5. be compatible with the theory or system to which it is being applied; 6. help to predict operator performance; 7. have some utility vis-a-vis understanding the phenomena examined; 8. be cost-effective; and 9. provide a framework around which all relevant data can be integrated.…”

Psychophysiological effects of aging--developing a functional age index for pilots: III. Measurement of pilot performance.

“…It was observed that the 14 factors, identified by our tax)nomic survey do meet the basic criteria of thcorctical and operational applicability in regard to the assessment of aviator proficiency (7).…”