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While emergency response actions are known to range from conventional to improvised, less is known about the thinking processes that underlie these actions. This paper presents a statistical analysis of cognition and behaviour reported by police personnel who responded to two significant US disasters: the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City and the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City.The results suggest the prominence of conventional behaviour coupled with cognitive processes closely tied to recognition, and of improvised behaviours that are linked to more explicit reasoning processes. The results underscore the value of exploring cognitive foundations of both conventional and improvised behaviours to enrich understanding of human response to disaster.

In two studies, effects of training on solution of insight problems were investigated. Two kinds of instruction were emphasized. One directed subjects to work on reformulating their initial view of the problem in order to avoid unnecessary assumptions about it; another called for careful visualization of problem components. Training subjects received one or both of these types of instruction repeatedly in combination with practice on insight problems. Results indicated that reformulation instructions contributed to performance, but visualization instructions did not. It is suggested that a program that integrates instruction and practice can improve student proficiency with insight problems.

The use of micro-unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in military operations is rapidly increasing. However, limitations in the design of their human-machine interfaces (HMI) can limit their effectiveness. We propose that presenting the HMI of a micro-UAV through a head-mounted display (HMD) device is a viable alternative to using a flat screen display, however, factors such as simulator sickness and discomfort may reduce their usability. The present experiment compared participants’ target detection performance, usability ratings, and levels of simulator sickness when using either a HMD or a flat screen display in a micro-UAV simulation. Overall, there was no significant difference in performance between the two display conditions. However, participants reported significantly higher levels of mental workload, physical discomfort, and simulator sickness when using the HMD. Further, previous experience with virtual reality devices or video games did not reduce the levels of mental workload or simulator sickness experienced during the task. The results demonstrate that, at present, HMDs may not be suitable display devices for performing visual search tasks whilst flying micro-UAVs in urban environments.

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