Glossary

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Mental Workload(also: Cognitive Load, Cognitive Workload)

The amount of cognitive effort and mental resources required to complete a task. In accessibility contexts, mental workload is an important measure of how demanding an interface is to use — an interface may be technically functional but impose excessive cognitive burden on users…

Model Human Processor(also: MHP, Human Processor Model)

A cognitive architecture developed by Card, Moran, and Newell (1983) that models human information processing as three interconnected subsystems: perceptual, cognitive, and motor processors, each with characteristic cycle times. The perceptual processor (~100ms) handles sensory…

Motor Function Time(also: Motor Response Time, Motor Cycle Time)

The time required to execute a physical action such as pressing or releasing a key, clicking a mouse button, or moving a pointing device. In the Model Human Processor, motor function time for able-bodied users averages approximately 70 milliseconds per action. For motor-impaired…

Motor Skills(also: Motor Abilities, Motor Function)

The learned abilities to perform movements with accuracy, speed, and coordination. Motor skills are typically divided into gross motor skills (large muscle movements like walking, jumping, balance) and fine motor skills (small muscle movements like writing, grasping, buttoning).…

Multiple Resource Theory(also: Wickens Multiple Resource Model)

A cognitive psychology theory proposed by Christopher Wickens that explains how humans allocate attention across concurrent tasks. The theory posits that humans have separate pools of cognitive resources for different modalities (visual vs. auditory), processing stages…

Muscle Fatigue(also: Motor fatigue)

A decline in the capacity of a muscle or muscle group to generate force or sustain activity after prolonged or repeated exertion. In human-computer interaction, muscle fatigue is a central concern for input modalities requiring sustained or repetitive motion — notably mid-air…

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