Probe techniques for measuring situation awareness (SA) vary in whether scenarios are paused and displays visible while questions are presented. We examined which technique is least intrusive on workload and performance in air traffic control, and which is most sensitive at capturing differences in SA when automation varies. We also tested predictions from the situated SA theory, which holds that operators offload specific and low-priority information onto displays to limit internal processing. To accomplish these goals, Experiments 1 and 2 manipulated whether radar displays were visible and scenarios paused during queries. Experiment 2 also manipulated the amount of automation by varying the percentage of aircraft equipped with NextGen tools. We found all probe techniques were equally sensitive at capturing SA differences for different levels of equipage, but those that paused scenarios were least intrusive. Moreover, consistent with situated SA, blanking displays impaired ability to answer questions about specific but not general information. Experiment 3 recorded eye gaze frequency and duration during queries when scenarios were visible and not paused and, as predicted by situated SA, found participants were more likely to look at radar displays while answering specific and low-priority questions than general and high-priority questions.
Research on potential NextGen technology has shown that advanced conflict detection and resolution tools can increase air traffic controllers' performance and decrease their workload. However, use of NextGen tools can change the way controllers represent and manage their sector. Kraut et al. (2011) found that when NextGen tools failed in a simulated environment, experienced controllers were able to recover from the error and revert back to manual air traffic management techniques. One question is whether students would be able to recover from failures of technology if they were trained to rely on NextGen tools during acquisition of their air traffic management skills. To answer this question, we performed a simulation in which students were trained over 16 weeks to manage a sector consisting of both NextGen equipped and unequipped aircraft. Reliance on manual skills versus NextGen tools was induced by varying the percentage of equipped aircraft, being mostly NextGen equipped aircraft (75% vs. 25%) or mostly nonequipped aircraft during the first 8 weeks of learning. After the 16 weeks of training, participants were tested under nominal and failure conditions. Results showed that under nominal conditions, the training type was not an important factor. Instead, the percentage of equipped aircraft was the important factor: More equipped aircraft led to better performance and lower workload. However, when comparing the same scenario in which there was a failure of NextGen tools, the group trained to rely more on manual skills early in training performed better than the group trained to rely more on NextGen tools early in training. Implications of these findings are discussed.
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