Instrument reading. I. The design of long-scale indicators for speed and accuracy of quantitative readings

Abstract

97 USAF pilots and 79 college men read 12 settings each on 9 experimental altitude indicators to evaluate speed and accuracy of quantitative readings. Results indicate that (1) instruments that combine the indications from two or more pointers or rotating subdials are conducive to large reading errors; (2) indicators on which the digits are already combined in the proper sequence are more easily read; (3) speed and accuracy of instrument reading are positively correlated; (4) college men and USAF pilots showed virtually the same pattern of results. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)