Simple stimulus–reaction experiments show that multitasking performance is influenced by the stability–flexibility dilemma of cognitive control, reflecting the opposing demands of shielding tasks against distractions (cognitive stability) while flexibly switching between tasks with minimal switching costs (cognitive flexibility). While this phenomenon has been extensively studied in cognitive psychology, its relevance and implications in aviation psychology remain underexplored, despite the fact that multitasking in the cockpit is critical to flight safety. This dissertation investigates whether the effects of the stability–flexibility dilemma on multitasking behaviour are transferable to flight tasks and how they manifest in aviation-relevant settings. To this end, a series of experiments was conducted in a low-fidelity flight environment and a higherfidelity virtual reality flight simulator. Across all experiments, cognitive control modes (stable vs. flexible) were manipulated via task prioritisation. In this context, additional factors such as the presence of an assisting co-pilot and variations in automation reliability were also examined. Furthermore, this dissertation explores whether and how the stability–flexibility dilemma can be integrated in adaptive assistance systems designed to enhance pilot performance. Results show that the dilemma significantly influences task performance and visual attention distribution in both flight environments, highlighting its relevance for understanding and predicting multitasking behaviour in the cockpit. In addition, cognitive control modes can be classified with high accuracy and precision using eye-tracking metrics, which emphasises their potential for use in adaptive systems aimed at supporting multitasking in aviation.     «

Simple stimulus–reaction experiments show that multitasking performance is influenced by the stability–flexibility dilemma of cognitive control, reflecting the opposing demands of shielding tasks against distractions (cognitive stability) while flexibly switching between tasks with minimal switching costs (cognitive flexibility). While this phenomenon has been extensively studied in cognitive psychology, its relevance and implications in aviation psychology remain underexplored, despite the fact...     »