Debra Jones

Overcoming Representational Errors in Complex Environments

Errors in situation awareness (SA) can degrade the decision process. One particularly troublesome SA error is the representational error, which reflects problems with the misinterpretation of information based on a persons current mental model of a situation. This study investigates whether the schema-relatedness of information affects the likelihood that a person will fall prey to a representational error. Using a high-fidelity simulation of an air traffic control task, two hypotheses were examined: (a) Schema-bizarre information will affect SA more than schema-irrelevant information, and (b) schema-unexpected information will impact SA more than the absence of schema-expected information. The results supported the first hypothesis but not the second. These results provide an indication of the types of information that affect SA. Enhancing SA by emphasizing the type of information to which an operator is naturally less inclined to respond is one approach to improving system design and thereby performance.

Use of Real-Time Probes for Measuring Situation Awareness

This study examined the validity of real-time probes as measures of situation awareness (SA). Real-time probes are verbal queries (derived from an SA requirements analysis) posed to the operator concurrent with operations. Mixed results were obtained. A weak but significant correlation was found between real-time probes (both accuracy and latency measures) and Situation Awareness Global Assessment Technique queries, indicating that real-time probes were measuring some facet of SA. However, correlations with workload were also found, and this correlation needs to be investigated further. Although real-time probes show promise, more research is needed to assess the utility of real-time probes as a metric of SA.

Situation Awareness Oriented Design: From User's Cognitive Requirements to Creating Effective Supporting Technologies

Situation awareness is a fundamental construct driving human decision making in complex, dynamic environments. By creating designs that enhance an operators awareness of what is happening in a given situation, decision making and performance can improve dramatically. The Situation Awareness-Oriented Design process provides a means to improve human decision-making and performance through optimizing situation awareness. This method has been used to develop and evaluate system design concepts in aviation, medical and information intelligence operations. It features three main components: SA Requirements Analysis, SA-Oriented Design Principles, and SA Measurement and Validation. This design process is user-centered, and derived from a detailed analysis of the goals, decisions and situation awareness requirements of the operator derived through a Cognitive Task Analysis methodology called Goal-Directed Task Analysis. The development of tool suites for supporting high levels of situation awareness in military command and control are presented to illustrate the use of the SA-Oriented Design process for translating the results of cognitive task analyses into to user-centered system designs.

Using Goal Directed Task Analysis with Army Brigade Officer Teams

A greater understanding of team cognitive processes can be facilitated by identifying the individual goals of the team members and their situation awareness (SA) requirements. In some environments, such as military operations, the shear complexity, size, and composition of the team make this research quite challenging. Using a form of cognitive task analysis, we have developed an approach to address some of these team issues. In this paper we discuss the use of goal directed cognitive task analysis (GDTA) to obtain an accurate depiction of the SA requirements and key goals for several brigade officers. We further discuss how this information is being used to address team issues such as designing systems for enhancing team performance and decision making with Army brigade officers.

Disruptions, Interruptions and Information Attack: Impact on Situation Awareness and Decision Making

This paper presents a model of depicting the ways in which disruptions, interruptions and information attack can effect situation awareness and decision making in a variety of contexts. Those effected in military aviation include not just those in the cockpit, but also forward air controllers, ground based air traffic controllers and those in intelligence and support functions. The model incorporates the ways in which information attacks can effectively disrupt human decision making at various points in information processing. By carefully examining not just what cues might depict an attack to information systems, but also how human observers will be effected by such cues, more robust systems for protecting against disruptions and information attack can be developed.

The Designer's Situation Awareness Toolkit: Support for User-Centered Design

Designing systems to support SA involves three phases: an analysis of SA requirements, the application of SA-oriented design principles, and the measurement of SA during design evaluation. The Designers Situation Awareness Toolkit (DeSAT) provides support to the designer for each phase of this process through both tutorials and application specific tools. The tutorials cover the Goal Directed Task Analysis (GDTA) methodology for delineating SA requirements, SA oriented design principles, and the Situation Awareness Global Assessment Technique (SAGAT) methodology. The application specific tools include a tool for documenting GDTAs, a Checklist tool to assist designers in evaluating how well a design concept has met the relevant SA requirements, a Design Guidance application, and a tool for creating and administering SAGAT queries (Super SAGAT). Through these tools, DeSAT provides a comprehensive approach for improving the designers ability to create designs based on sound SA oriented design principles.

Improving Sa: Training Challenges for Infantry Platoon Leaders

Novel applications of digital technologies promise to revolutionize the battlefield of the Infantry Warfighter by expanding the information available to all echelons through enhanced acquisition, faster access and wider distribution. The integration of this information into a coherent picture is the essence of the Warfighters Situation Awareness (SA), which provides the basis for sound decision-making and enhanced performance. This study investigates areas of SA that are considered problematic by the soldiers who train new Infantry Platoon Leaders, identifying strategic target areas for future training efforts. The number and variety of items identified as significant problem areas for SA support the concept of the multidimensional nature of SA within the Infantry arena. This research provides a framework for development of targeted training programs to better equip our fighting forces to establish and maintain superior levels of SA in the challenging environment of Infantry operations.

Dealing with Complexity

Across all industries, large projects have a higher risk of failure than small projects. Their sheer size is a major contributing factor to their internal complexity, causing also infrastructure and communication to become more complex. With many factors combined and interrelated, smaller disturbing effects get out of control and the project refuses to be manageable. At the same time, complex systems are the natural friends of highly qualified engineers. If the problem at hand was trivial, it would not require experts to solve it. The latest project is typically more complex than the ones we have already completed.

Current Perspectives on Cognition and Decision Making in Aviation

The intent of this symposium is to discuss the most recent research trends with respect to cognition and decision-making in aviation. Participants in the symposium will present several different perspectives on current issues being investigated. Phil Smith will discuss issues involving information management to support collaborative decision making in the national airspace system. Judith Orasanu will present ongoing NASA work looking at pilot risk assessment. Mica Endsley will discuss a recent model developed to examine the effect of disruptions on Situation Awareness and decision making in Air Traffic Control as well as in the cockpit. Kathleen Mosier will present Coherence/Correspondence, Intuition -< Analysis as theoretical frameworks within which to discuss cognition in the automated cockpit. Together, these presentations will provide an overview of the most current developments and perspectives on cognitive processes and decision making in the aviation domain.