The Effect of Time Display Format on Cognitive Performance of Integrated Meteorological Radar Information

TL;DR

This study examines how different time display formats affect pilots' ability to process meteorological radar information and make safe flying decisions.

Contribution

The study compares digital and analog time displays in simulated flight scenarios to determine their impact on cognitive performance.

Findings

Analog clocks outperform digital displays in processing varying time differences.

Analog clocks improve cognition of radar information under time pressure and without it.

Longer delay times make time cognition and radar information understanding more difficult.

Abstract

A proper time display format is essential for pilots to understand integrated meteorological radar information, thereby making informed flying decisions and steering clear of hazardous weather. Previous studies on time display format supported the advantages of digital format, while some studies found that analog clock format is superior to digital format. This study explored the effect of time display format on the cognitive performance of integrated meteorological radar information through two experiments. Experiment 1 first examined the effects of digital and analog clock displays on the timing of individual processing advance or delay changes in a general scenario. Then, Experiment 2 was conducted in a simulated flight scenario to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of digital and analog clock display in delay time processing with and without time pressure. The results showed the following: (1) Analog clock has more advantages than digital display format in processing the varying time difference. (2) Whether with or without time pressure, analog clock is more conducive to individual cognition of integrated meteorological radar information than digital time display. (3) The length of delay time is an important factor affecting individual time cognition, and it can also affect the cognition of radar information. The longer the delay time, the more difficult it is to identify the time and understand the information. These findings provide a certain reference for the design of the integrated meteorological radar information display interface.

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