Task complexity: A review and conceptualization framework

International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics

Volumn 42, Issue 6, 2012, Pages 553-568

  Liu, Peng ^a   Li, Zhizhong ^a  

^a TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY   (China)

Author keywords

Conceptualization; Human performance; Task complexity

Indexed keywords

CONCEPTUALIZATION; HUMAN PERFORMANCE; IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS; RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS; TASK COMPLEXITY; TASK MODELS;

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING; ERGONOMICS;

BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH;

ARTICLE; BEHAVIOR; CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK; COPING BEHAVIOR; HUMAN; HUMAN COMPUTER INTERACTION; PREDICTION; PRIORITY JOURNAL; SKILL; TASK PERFORMANCE; WORK ENVIRONMENT;

EID: 84866849776     PISSN: 01698141     EISSN: 18728219     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.ergon.2012.09.001     Document Type: Article

References (136)

1. Abdolmohammadi M., Wright A. An examination of the effects of experience and task complexity on audit judgments. The Accounting Review 1987, 62(1):1-13.
2. Ajzen I. The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 1991, 50(2):179-211.
3. Asare S.K., McDaniel L.S. The effects of familiarity with the preparer and task complexity on the effectiveness of the audit review process. The Accounting Review 1996, 71(2):139-159.
4. Aula, A., Khan, R.M., Guan, Z., 2010. How does search behavior change as search becomes more difficult? In: CHI 2010, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
5. Babbie E. The Practice of Social Research 2007, Wadsworth, Belmont, CA. eleventh ed.
6. Baccarini D. The concept of project complexity-a review. International Journal of Project Management 1996, 14(4):201-204.
7. Bailey N.R., Scerbo M.W. Automation-induced complacency for monitoring highly reliable systems: the role of task complexity, system experience, and operator trust. Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science 2007, 8(4):321-348.
8. Bainbridge L., Lenior T.M.J., Van Der Sciiaaf T.W. Cognitive processes in complex tasks: introduction and discussion. Ergonomics 1993, 36(11):1273-1279.
9. Bedny G.Z., Karwowski W., Bedny I.S. Complexity evaluation of computer based tasks. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction 2012, 28(4):236-257.
10. Bell D.J., Ruthven I. Searcher's assessments of task complexity for Web searching. Advances in Information Retrieval 2004, 57-71. Springer, Berlin. S. McDonald, J. Tait (Eds.).
11. Bettman J.R., Johnson E.J., Payne J.W. A componential analysis of cognitive effort in choice. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 1990, 45(1):111-139.
12. Blocher E., Moffie R.P., Zmud R.W. Report format and task complexity: interaction in risk judgments. Accounting, Organizations and Society 1986, 11(6):457-470.
13. Block, C.J., 1991. A Contingency Approach to Goal Setting: Taking Task Complexity into Account. Unpublished dissertation. New York University.
14. Boag C., Neal A., Loft S., Halford G.S. An analysis of relational complexity in an air traffic control conflict detection task. Ergonomics 2006, 49(14):1508-1526.
15. Bonner S.E. A model of the effects of audit task complexity. Accounting, Organizations and Society 1994, 19(3):213-234.
16. Braarud P.Ø. Complexity Factors and Prediction of Crew Performance (HWR-521) 1998, OECD Halden Reactor Project, Halden, Norway.
17. Braarud P.Ø. Subjective task complexity and subjective workload: criterion validity for complex team tasks. International Journal of Cognitive Ergonomics 2001, 5(3):261-273.
18. Braarud P.Ø., Kirwan B. Task complexity: what challenges the crew and how do they cope. Simulator-Based Human Factors Studies Across 25 Years: the History of the Halden Man-Machine Laboratory 2011, 233-251. Springer, London. A.B. Skjerve, A. Bye (Eds.).
19. Brown T.M., Miller C.E. Communication networks in task-performing groups: effects of task complexity, time pressure, and interpersonal dominance. Small Group Research 2000, 31(2):131-157.
20. Bui, T., Sivasankaran, T.R., 1990. Relation between GDSS use and group task complexity: an experimental study. In: Proceedings of the 23rd Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Kailua-Kona, HI, USA.
21. Byström, K., 1999. Task complexity, information types and information sources: examination of relationships. Unpublished dissertation. University of Tampere.
22. Byström K., Järvelin K. Task complexity affects information seeking and use. Information Processing & Management 1995, 31(2):191-213.
23. Campbell D.J. Task complexity: a review and analysis. The Academy of Management Review 1988, 13(1):40-52.
24. Campbell D.J. Goal levels, complex tasks, and strategy development: a review and analysis. Human Performance 1991, 4(1):1-31.
25. Campbell D.J., Gingrich K.F. The interactive effects of task complexity and participation on task performance: a field experiment. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 1986, 38(2):162-180.
26. Carey J.M., Kacmar C.J. The impact of communication mode and task complexity on small group performance and member satisfaction. Computers in Human Behavior 1997, 13(1):23-49.
27. Chu P.C., Spires E.E. The joint effects of effort and quality on decision strategy choice with computerized decision aids. Decision Sciences 2000, 31(2):259-292.
28. Cummings M.L., Sasangohar F., Thornburg K.M. Human-System Interface Complexity and Opacity. Part I: Literature Review (HAL2010-01) 2010, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
29. Daft R.L., Macintosh N.B. A tentative exploration into the amount and equivocality of information processing in organizational work units. Administrative Science Quarterly 1981, 26(2):207-224.
30. Darisipudi, A., 2006. Toward a Generalized Team Task Complexity Model. Unpublished dissertation. Louisiana State University.
31. de Koning, L., van Maanen, P.-P., van Dongen, K., 2008. Effects of task performance and task complexity on the validity of computational models of attention. In: Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 52nd Annual Meeting, New York, NY, USA.
32. Dekker S.W.A., Nyce J.M., Winsen R.v., Henriqson E. Epistemological self-confidence in human factors research. Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making 2010, 4(1):27-38.
33. Driver M.J., Streufert S. Integrative complexity: an approach to individuals and groups as information-processing systems. Administrative Science Quarterly 1969, 14(2):272-285.
34. Endsley M.R., Bolte B., Jones D.G. Designing for Situation Awareness: an Approach to User-Centered Design 2003, Taylor & Francis, London, UK.
35. Evangelisti D., Whitman T., Johnston M.B. Problem solving and task complexity: an examination of the relative effectiveness of self-instruction and didactic instruction. Cognitive Therapy and Research 1986, 10(5):499-508.
36. Farina A.J., Wheaton G.R. Development of a Taxonomy of Human Performance: the Task Characteristics Approach to Performance Prediction (AIR-726/2035-2/71-TR7) 1971, American Institute for Research, Washington, DC, USA.
37. Funke J. Solving complex problems: exploration and control of complex systems. Complex Problem Solving: Principles and Mechanisms 1991, 185-222. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale, NJ, USA. R.J. Sternberg, P.A. Frensch (Eds.).
38. Funke J. Complex problem solving: a case for complex cognition?. Cognitive Processing 2010, 11(2):133-142.
39. Gardner D.G. Task complexity effects on non-task-related movements: a test of activation theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 1990, 45(2):209-231.
40. Gill T.G. Expert systems usage: task change and intrinsic motivation. MIS Quarterly 1996, 20(3):301-329.
41. Gill T.G., Cohen E. Research themes in complex informing. Informing Science: the International Journal of an Emerging Transdiscipline 2008, 11:147-164.
42. Gill T.G., Hicks R.C. Task complexity and informing science: a synthesis. Informing Science: the International Journal of an Emerging Transdiscipline 2006, 9:1-30.
43. Gill, T.G., Murphy, W.F., 2011. Task complexity and design science. In: 9th International Conference on Education and Information Systems, Technologies and Applications (EISTA 2011), Orlando, FL, USA.
44. Gonzalez C., Vanyukov P., Martin M.K. The use of microworlds to study dynamic decision making. Computers in Human Behavior 2005, 21(2):273-286.
45. Greitzer, F.L., 2005. Toward the development of cognitive task difficulty metrics to support intelligence analysis research. In: Proceedings of the IEEE 2005 International Conference on Cognitive Informatics, Irvine, CA, USA.
46. Gwizdka J. Assessing cognitive load on Web search tasks. The Ergonomics Open Journal 2009, 2:114-123.
47. Gwizdka, J., Spence, I., 2006. What can searching behavior tell us about the difficulty of information tasks? A study of Web navigation. In: Proceedings of the 69th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T), Austin, Texas, USA.
48. Hackman J.R. Toward understanding the role of tasks in behavioral research. Acta Psychologica 1969, 31:97-128.
49. Hackman J.R. Tasks and task performance in research on stress. Social and Psychological Factors in Stress 1970, 202-237. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York, NY, USA. J.E. McGrath (Ed.).
50. Ham D.-H., Park J., Jung W. A framework-based approach to identifying and organizing the complexity factors of human-system interaction. IEEE Systems Journal 2011, 5(2):213-222.
51. Ham D.-H., Park J., Jung W. Model-based identification and use of task complexity factors of human integrated systems. Reliability Engineering & System Safety 2012, 100:33-47.
52. Hartley A.A., Anderson J.W. Task complexity and problem-solving performance in younger and older adults. Journal of Gerontology 1983, 38(1):72-77.
53. Harvey, C.M., 1997. Toward a Model of Distributed Engineering Collaboration. Unpublished dissertation. Purdue University.
54. Harvey C.M., Koubek R.J. Cognitive, social, and environmental attributes of distributed engineering collaboration: a review and proposed model of collaboration. Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing 2000, 10(4):369-393.
55. Hendy K.C., Liao J., Milgram P. Combining time and intensity effects in assessing operator information-processing load. Human Factors 1997, 39(1):30-47.
56. Ho T.-H., Weigelt K. Task complexity, equilibrium selection, and learning: an experimental study. Management Science 1996, 42(5):659-679.
57. Huntley M.S. Task complexity and serial performance under steadily increasing input rates. Human Factors 1972, 14(1):65-75.
58. Jacko J.A., Salvendy G., Koubek R.J. Modelling of menu design in computerized work. Interacting with Computers 1995, 7(3):304-330.
59. Jacko J.A., Ward K.G. Toward establishing a link between psychomotor task complexity and human information processing. Computers and Industrial Engineering 1996, 31(1-2):533-536.
60. Jiambalvo J., Pratt J. Task complexity and leadership effectiveness in CPA firms. The Accounting Review 1982, 57(4):734-750.
61. Jiang Z., Benbasat I. The effects of presentation formats and task complexity on online consumers' product understanding. MIS Quarterly 2007, 31(3):475-500.
62. Johnson D.S., Kanfer R. Goal-performance relations: the effects of initial task complexity and task practice. Motivation and Emotion 1992, 16(2):117-141.
63. Jonassen D.H. Toward a design theory of problem solving. Educational Technology Research and Development 2000, 48(4):63-85.
64. Kerstholt J.H., Passenier P.O., Houttuin K., Schuffel H. The effect of a priori probability and complexity on decision making in a supervisory control task. Human Factors 1996, 38(1):65-78.
65. Kieras D., Polson P.G. An approach to the formal analysis of user complexity. International Journal of Man-Machine Studies 1985, 22(4):365-394.
66. Kim C., Khoury M. Task complexity and contingent information processing in the case of couple's decision making. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 1987, 15(3):32-43.
67. Kim, J., 2006. Task as a Predictable Indicator for Information Seeking Behavior on the Web. Unpublished dissertation. The State University of New Jersey.
68. Kim J. Perceived difficulty as a determinant of Web search performance. Information Research 2008, 13(4). (Paper 379).
69. Lazzara, E.H., Pavlas, D., Fiore, S., Salas, E., 2010. A framework to develop task complexity. In: Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 54th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, USA.
70. Leplat J. Task complexity in work situations. Tasks, Errors and Mental Models 1988, 105-115. Taylor & Francis, London. L.P. Goodstein, H.B. Andersen, S.E. Olsen (Eds.).
71. Li K., Wieringa P.A. Understanding perceived complexity in human supervisory control. Cognition, Technology & Work 2000, 2(2):75-88.
72. Li Y. Exploring the relationships between work task and search task in information search. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 2009, 60(2):275-291.
73. Li Y., Belkin N.J. A faceted approach to conceptualizing tasks in information seeking. Information Processing & Management 2008, 44(6):1822-1837.
74. Liu, J., Gwizdka, J., Liu, C., Belkin, N.J., 2010a. Predicting task difficulty for different task types. In: Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
75. Liu, J., Liu, C., Gwizdka, J., Belkin, N.J., 2010b. Can search systems detect users' task difficulty? Some behavioral signals. In: Proceeding of the 33rd International ACM SIGIR Conference on Research and Development in Information Retrieval, Geneva, Switzerland.
76. Liu P., Li Z. Toward understanding the relationship between task complexity and task performance. Internationalization, Design and Global Development 2011, 192-200. Springer, Berlin. P.L.P. Rau (Ed.).
77. Locke E.A., Shaw K.N., Saari L.M., Latham G.P. Goal setting and task performance: 1969-1980. Psychological Bulletin 1981, 90(1):125-152.
78. Lussier D.A., Olshavsky R.W. Task complexity and contingent processing in brand choice. The Journal of Consumer Research 1979, 6(2):154-165.
79. Marshall T.E., Byrd T.A. Perceived task complexity as a criterion for information support. Information & Management 1998, 34(5):251-263.
80. Mascha M.F., Miller C.L. The effects of task complexity and skill on over/under-estimation of internal control. Managerial Auditing Journal 2010, 25(8):734-755.
81. Maturana H., Varela F. Autopoiesis and Cognition: the Realization of the Living 1980, D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Netherlands.
82. Maynard D.C., Hakel M.D. Effects of objective and subjective task complexity on performance. Human Performance 1997, 10(4):303-330.
83. McCracken J.H., Aldrich T.B. Analyses of Selected LHX Mission Functions: Implications for Operator Workload and System Automation Goals (ASI479-024-84) 1984, U.S. Army Research Institute, Fort Rucker, AL.
84. McDaniel L.S. The effects of time pressure and audit program structure on audit performance. Journal of Accounting Research 1990, 28(2):267-285.
85. McDowd J., Vercruyssen M., Birren J.E. Aging, divided attention, and dual-task performance. Multiple-Task Performance 1991, 387-414. Taylor & Francis, London. D.L. Damos (Ed.).
86. Molloy R., Parasuraman R. Monitoring an automated system for a single failure: vigilance and task complexity effects. Human Factors 1996, 38(2):311-322.
87. Mumaw R.J., Roth E.M., Vicente K.J., Burns C.M. There is more to monitoring a nuclear power plant than meets the eye. Human Factors 2000, 42(1):36-55.
88. Nadkarni S., Gupta R. A task-based model of perceived website complexity. MIS Quarterly 2007, 31(3):501-524.
89. Nembhard D.A., Osothsilp N. Task complexity effects on between-individual learning/forgetting variability. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 2002, 29(5):297-306.
90. O'Donnell E., Johnson E.N. The effects of auditor gender and task complexity on information processing efficiency. International Journal of Auditing 2001, 5(2):91-105.
91. Park J. The Complexity of Proceduralized Tasks 2009, Springer, London.
92. Payne J.W. Task complexity and contingent processing in decision making: an information search and protocol analysis. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance 1976, 16(2):366-387.
93. Payne J.W., Bettman J.R., Johnson J.E. Behavioral decision research: a constructive processing perspective. Annual Review of Psychology 1992, 43:87-131.
94. Quesada J., Kintsch W., Gomez E. Complex problem-solving: a field in search of a definition?. Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science 2005, 6(1):5-33.
95. Rasmussen J., Lind M. Coping with Complexity (RISØ-M-2293) 1981, Risø National Laboratory, Roskilde, Denmark.
96. Rescher N. Complexity: a Philosophical Overview 1998, Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
97. Robinson P. Task complexity, task difficulty, and task production: exploring interactions in a componential framework. Applied Linguistics 2001, 22(1):27-57.
98. Rothrock L., Harvey C.M., Burns J. A theoretical framework and quantitative architecture to assess team task complexity in dynamic environments. Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science 2005, 6(2):157-171.
99. Rouse W.B., Rouse S.H. Measures of complexity of fault diagnosis tasks. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics 1979, 9(11):720-727.
100. Sasangohar F., Cummings M.L. Human-System Interface Complexity and Opacity. Part II: Methods and Tools to Assess HSI Complexity (HAL2010-03) 2010, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
101. Schlindwein S.L., Ison R. Human knowing and perceived complexity: implications for systems practice. Emergence: Complexity and Organization 2004, 6(3):27-32.
102. Schraagen J.M. Dealing with unforeseen complexity in the OR: the role of heedful interrelating in medical teams. Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science 2011, 12(3):256-272.
103. Schroder H.M., Driver M.J., Streufert S. Human Information Processing: Individuals and Groups Functioning in Complex Social Situations 1967, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York, NJ, USA.
104. Schwab D.P., Cummings L.L. A theoretical analysis of the impact of task scope on employee performance. The Academy of Management Review 1976, 1(2):23-35.
105. Schwarzwald J., Koslowsky M., Ochana-Levin T. Usage of and compliance with power tactics in routine versus nonroutine work settings. Journal of Business and Psychology 2004, 18(3):385-402.
106. Segal U.A. The cyclical nature of decision making: an exploratory empirical investigation. Small Group Research 1982, 13(3):333-348.
107. Silvia P.J. Self-efficacy and interest: experimental studies of optimal incompetence. Journal of Vocational Behavior 2003, 62(2):237-249.
108. Simnett R. The effect of information selection, information processing and task complexity on predictive accuracy of auditors. Accounting, Organizations and Society 1996, 21(7-8):699-719.
109. Simnett R., Trotman K. Auditor versus model: information choice and information processing. The Accounting Review 1989, 64(3):514-528.
110. Simon H.A. The architecture of complexity. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 1962, 106(6):467-482.
111. Sintchenko V., Coiera E.W. Which clinical decisions benefit from automation? A task complexity approach. International Journal of Medical Informatics 2003, 70(2-3):309-316.
112. Smith R.E., Buchholz L.M. Multiple resource theory and consumer processing of broadcast advertisements: an involvement perspective. Journal of Advertising 1991, 20(3):1-7.
113. Speier C. The influence of information presentation formats on complex task decision-making performance. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies 2006, 64(11):1115-1131.
114. Speier C., Vessey I., Valacich J.S. The effects of interruptions, task complexity, and information presentation on computer-supported decision-making performance. Decision Sciences 2003, 34(4):771-797.
115. Steinmann D.O. The effects of cognitive feedback and task complexity in multiple-cue probability learning. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance 1976, 15(2):168-179.
116. Sweller J., Chandler P. Why some material is difficult to learn. Cognition and Instruction 1994, 12(3):185-233.
117. Tan H.-T., Ng T.B.-P., Mak B.W.-Y. The effects of task complexity on auditors' performance: the impact of accountability and knowledge. Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory 2002, 21(2):81-95.
118. Te'eni D. Determinants and consequences of perceived complexity in human-computer interaction. Decision Sciences 1989, 20(1):166-181.
119. Topi H., Valacich J.S., Hoffer J.A. The effects of task complexity and time availability limitations on human performance in database query tasks. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies 2005, 62(3):349-379.
120. Tushman M.L. Technical communication in R & D laboratories: the impact of project work characteristics. The Academy of Management Journal 1978, 21(4):624-645.
121. Tversky A., Kahneman D. The framing of decisions and the psychology of choice. Science 1981, 211(4481):453-458.
122. Vakkari P. Task complexity, problem structure and information actions: integrating studies on information seeking and retrieval. Information Processing & Management 1999, 35(6):819-837.
123. Vessey I. Cognitive fit: a theory-based analysis of the graphs versus tables literature. Decision Sciences 1991, 22(2):219-240.
124. Walker G.H., Stanton N.A., Salmon P.M., Jenkins D.P., Rafferty L. Translating concepts of complexity to the field of ergonomics. Ergonomics 2010, 53(10):1175-1186.
125. Wickens C.D. Engineering Psychology and Human Performance 1984, Harper Collins, New York, NY, USA. first ed.
126. Wickens C.D., McCarley J. Applied Attention Theory 2008, Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton, FL, USA.
127. Williams T.M. The need for new paradigms for complex projects. International Journal of Project Management 1999, 17(5):269-273.
128. Wood R.E. Task complexity: definition of the construct. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 1986, 37(1):60-82.
129. Wood R.E., Mento A.J., Locke E.A. Task complexity as a moderator of goal effects: a meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology 1987, 72(3):416-425.
130. Woods D.D. Coping with complexity: the psychology of human behaviour in complex systems. Tasks, Errors and Mental Models 1988, 128-148. Taylor & Francis, London. L.P. Goodstein, H.B. Andersen, S.E. Olsen (Eds.).
131. Xiao Y., Hunter W.A., Mackenzie C.F., Jefferies N.J., Horst R.L. Task complexity in emergency medical care and its implications for team coordination. Human Factors 1996, 38(4):636-645.
132. Xu S., Li Z., Song F., Luo W., Zhao Q., Salvendy G. Influence of step complexity and presentation style on step performance of computerized emergency operating procedures. Reliability Engineering & System Safety 2009, 94(2):670-674.
133. Xu S., Song F., Li Z., Zhao Q., Luo W., He X., Salvendy G. An ergonomics study of computerized emergency operating procedures: presentation style, task complexity, and training level. Reliability Engineering & System Safety 2008, 93(10):1500-1511.
134. Zhang Y., Li Z., Wu B., Wu S. A spaceflight operation complexity measure and its experimental validation. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 2009, 39(5):756-765.
135. Zhao, B., 1992. A Structured Analysis and Quantitative Measurement of Task Complexity in Human-Computer Interaction. Unpublished dissertation. Purdue University.
136. Zigurs I., Buckland B.K. A theory of task/technology fit and group support systems effectiveness. MIS Quarterly 1998, 22(3):313-334.