Understanding and Managing Flight Deck Workload

CAP 737 Chapter 6 focuses on workload in aviation, defining it as the mental effort required to process information and highlighting its complexity and links to other cognitive functions. The chapter explores factors that directly influence workload, such as task difficulty, multitasking, serial tasks, and time constraints, as well as indirect factors like fatigue. It examines the effects of high workload, including attentional narrowing, task shedding, reduced situation awareness, and increased error potential. The text provides practical advice for managing workload, emphasizing time management, crew resource management, and awareness of workload drivers. Finally, the chapter discusses the application of workload knowledge in training, both in the classroom and simulator, and its integral relationship with other aviation competencies.