The relationship between cue utilisation, state anxiety and prospective memory on performance during a novel task

Abstract

The ability to extract, utilise and apply environmental cues is a key component of expert performance. In addition to the capacity for cue utilisation, prospective memory (remembering to do something in the future) is also a critical skill for operators working within these dynamic and multi-tasked environments. Due to the nature of the environment, state anxiety (transient anxiety occurring during a stressful environment) would also impact task performance. In the present study, 30 participants undertook an assessment of cue cutisation and state anxiety, along with prospective memory tasks and a rail control simulation. The appearance of trains in the simulation followed a consistent but undisclosed pattern. The findings from this study suggested that there was no relationship between cue utilisation and state anxiety on task and prospective memory performance. However, the study was hampered by a small sample size. Implications for selection and training were discussed.