Peripheral Polar-Graphic Displays for Signal/Failure Detection

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Abstract
The object of this series of studies was to examine the utility of multivariate polar-graphic iconic displays, placed in the parafoveal or near-peripheral regions of the visual field, for the presentation of multiple indices of subsystem performance in an aircraft system context. Results of the first study suggest that (a) such a display, circumscribed about a primary flight instrument, could be used readily to detect performance deviations that exceeded defined "normal" bounds; and (b) polygons arc more effective than polar histograms. The second study was used to examine the hypothesis that the superior performance obtained with polar formats was not merely a function of reductions in visual scanning requirements but stemmed from the organization and symmetry found in the iconic display. In addition, index markings lacking in the first study were added to the polar histogram to determine if these would materially affect speed and accuracy of judgments. Performance using polar histograms in the second study was found superior to that obtained using needle indicators of similar spatial distribution, polar-graphic iconic displays ranking between the other two display types. The results suggest that order of merit of displays may be altered by small format changes and that the performance benefits of polar-graphic iconic displays stem from factors beyond the simple physical proximity of the component indicators.

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