Resources, confusions, and compatibility in dual axis tracking: Displays, controls, and dynamics

Dual axis compensatory tracking was investigated as a function of whether error displays were integrated or separated, whether axis controls were integrated into one stick or remained separate, and whether the control dynamics on the two axes were the same or different. Tracking error increased and control activity decreased as a function of the summed difficulty of the two control dynamics. Integrated displays and integrated controls both led to increased confusions between tracking axes although error was unaffected. Importantly, performance was also affected by whether the integrality of displays matched that of controls. These results suggest that dual axis tracking is subject to separate effects of resource competition, confusions, and Wickens' compatibility of proximity principle.