The Display of Multivariate Information : the Effects of Auto and Cross - Correlation , Reliability , and Heterogeneity

Process control systems typically involve many variables that can be intercorrelated with each other (cross-correlated), correlated with themselves over time (auto-correlated), and that are represented by displays possessing varying degrees of reliability. This study examined these factors in an information integration task which compared the relative advantages of integral and separable displays (pentagons and staggered bargraphs). The degree of cross-correlation between the cues and the heterogeneity of cue reliability (equal or differing values between the cues) was varied factorially between subjects; the input dynamics (auto-correlated or random over time) and display (pentagon or bargraph) were varied factorially within subjects. Results indicated an advantage for cross-correlated information and for the integral display, and also showed a surprisingly strong benefit for the integral display given uncorrelated, randomly-varying information. The results are interpreted within the framework proposed by Wickens and his colleagues of the "display proximity advantage".