Impact of Multi-tasking Situations on the Dismounted Soldier's Cognitive Load

The increased complexity of the dismounted combatant's equipment can result in a strain on the various senses (e.g., visual, auditory) that can exceed an individual's limited information processing abilities. The combatant may thus be cognitively overloaded in multi-tasking operational situations. There has been a great deal of research conducted on cognitive load. A battery of multitasking tests has been developed in the field of aeronautics, but, to our knowledge, no measurement of cognitive load specifically dedicated to combatants has been conducted yet.