Unfortunaltely I do not have a direct answer, or at least not a complete one.
More years ago than I would like to remember, I attended a Flight Safety
Officer's course at the University of So. Calif. One of the professor was a
Dr. Chater Mason, a psychologist. He quoted from several studies that in fact
there was substantial evidence that the "say, look, touch" theory did improve
human performance, particularly during periods of stress. He pointed out that
during stress a number of physiological changes occur. We get stronger, reach
further, and act faster than we think. So the "say, look, touch" procedure is
a natural way for an aircrew member to combat the adverse effects of stress,
distractions, etc. So there is your partial answer.
My problem is that I do not remember, nor do I have the documentation to
support my memory or Dr. Mason's comments. However, "say, look, touch" is a
technique that we teach crew members in the use of checklists.
Hope this gives you a lead . . .
Dave Wilson
HTI