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From: mullins@pitt.UUCP (Paul M. Mullins)
Newsgroups: comp.cog-eng
Subject: task taxonomies
Message-ID: <4496@pitt.UUCP>
Date: 23 Jan 89 15:37:28 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Dept., Univ. of Pittsburgh
Lines: 68

In case anyone was waiting for a summary, this was the only response I
received concerning task sets:

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In article <4390@pitt.UUCP> you write:
>
>What is the most general (all-inclusive) published task taxonomy you
>are aware of?  
>
>Thanks in advance,
>Paul

Paul -

I'd suggest that you spend an afternoon slogging through the book
"Taxonomies of Human Performance" by Edwin A. Fleishman & Marilyn K.
Quaintance, Academic Press, 1984, isbn 0-120260450-4
	[It took more than an afternoon, but was worth it. PM]

Here are the 15 chapter titles:

1. The Need for Taxonomic Development in the Field of Human Performance
2. Role of Taxonomies in Scientific Development
3. Conceptual Bases for Classifying Human Task Performance
4.  Methodological Issues in Developing and Evaluating Classificatory Systems
5.  Classificatory Systems for Describing Human Tasks: Behavioral Description
6.  Classificatory Systems for Describing Human Tasks: Behavior Requirements
7.  Classificatory Systems for Describing Human Tasks: Abilities and 
    Task Characteristics
8.  Data Bases and Taxonomic Development
9.  The Criterion Measures Approach
10. The Information-Theoretic Approach
11. The Task Strategies Approach
12. The Ability Requirements Approach
13.  The Task Characteristics Approach
14.  Taxonomic Developments in Related Areas
15.  Conclusion

This little, 500 page book is loaded with citations to the original source
literature, in addition to providing a fair overview.

You might also want to check out some of the chapters in Salvendy's Handbook
of Human Factors, Wiley, 1987, and see if you can glean any further ideas.

   ____    ______   _____      _____=====        Bill Hefley
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Paul Mullins		UUCP:      psuvax1!pitt!mullins or {allegra,cadre}!...
Univ. of Pittsburgh		   mullins@pitt.uucp
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