This study tests the effectiveness of a training strategy to improve situational awareness skills. The training approach suggested by this study is to expose subjects initially to only those cues relevant to the task. When other extraneous cues are added, these subjects should be better at extracting those familiar cues relevant to the task than subjects who are first exposed to both relevant and irrelevant cues. Subjects trained with only the relevant cues were able to identify a significantly higher percentage (60%) of patterns than subjects trained in the cluttered environment (43%). The results support the use of the proposed training strategy for situational awareness. Signal detection theory and state-dependent learning theory are discussed in relation to the findings.
Increasingly detailed planning is addressing a range of human factors considerations associated with the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). The practice of human factors program management for NextGen poses complex opportunities and challenges. Relationships between human factors research programs and their elements and with other programs and portfolios are identified and aligned using a human system integration roadmap. Effective planning that addresses human factors issues associated with transitions of new NextGen technologies, automation and procedures will facilitate realization of intended benefits from NextGen involving increased throughput, efficiency, and safety in the National Airspace System.
Data communications (DataComm) is one of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) key technologies supporting the transition to the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). As communication on the flight deck changes from voice clearances to clearances sent via datalink, human factors experts have anticipated potential implementation challenges, particularly for the data communications that may not be integrated with the flight management system (FMS) and which requires the flight crew to read the DataComm message, interpret it, and then make the appropriate FMS input. Even fully integrated DataComm and FMS flight deck systems could prove challenging for flight crew use in the Trajectory Based Operations context. For example, textual clearances that provide complex 4D trajectory information may be difficult for pilots to interpret in a timely and efficient manner without error. To address this challenge, flight deck displays with graphics, hybrid text and graphics, and other formats integrated with existing navigation displays may enable pilots to more easily identify, understand, and quickly respond to air traffic clearances and instructions. To support FAA Aircraft Certification Service and Flight Standards Service evaluation of new DataComm flight deck technologies and associated procedures for Trajectory Based Operations and other key NextGen applications, this paper describes a method that allows rapid evaluation of new and modified DataComm displays in the cockpit. Our method uses a variety of complex data communications, including the use of concatenated messages to obtain rapid pilot feedback and performance in a part-task, scenario-based simulation. Average data values from an initial study evaluating pilot interpretability measured as percent errors and response time to text-based clearances are presented.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.