Weather-related crashes continue to account for a significant proportion of general aviation (GA) accidents. In the present study, the decision-making performance and information acquisition strategies of inexperienced, intermediate, and experienced pilots were examined from a cognitive skill perspective. Data were obtained from information search patterns and verbal protocols during a series of 6 computer-based simulated flight scenarios. The results revealed both quantitative and qualitative differences between the strategies of experienced and inexperienced pilots. The implications of these results are discussed in terms of weather-related decision-making training and the validity of a cognitive skill model of aeronautical decision making.
Skilled performance has been characterised, in part, by the capacity to accurately identify and respond to patterns as cues in the environment. The outcome is a reduction in cognitive load and a greater residual capacity to undertake concurrent tasks. The present study was designed to examine the relationship between cue utilisation and temporal pattern recognition in the context of a simulated, rail control task. Sixty-one university students undertook an assessment of cue utilisation and engaged in a rail control simulation. The appearance and movement of trains followed a consistent but implicit (undisclosed) pattern. Throughout the second half of the rail task, a secondary task was included. The results indicated that participants with relatively higher cue utilisation were more likely to identify the implicit pattern of rail movements, were more accurate and responded more rapidly under increased workload conditions. The results suggest that a propensity to identify patterns as cues may provide an opportunity to reduce cognitive demands, thereby facilitating performance in a novel task. Implications for selection and system design are discussed. Practitioner Summary: This study was designed to explain differences in the way in which people learn, particularly when tasks involve recurring patterns. Using simulated rail control, the results indicated that participants who display behaviour that is indicative of the utilisation of cues also recognise patterns in the movement of simulated trains. This enables them to manage trains more effectively, even while undertaking other tasks.
This study was designed to examine whether differences in cue utilization were associated with differences in performance during a novel, simulated rail control task, and whether these differences reflected a reduction in cognitive load. Two experiments were conducted, the first of which involved the completion of a 20-min rail control simulation that required participants to re-route trains that periodically required a diversion. Participants with a greater level of cue utilization recorded a consistently greater response latency, consistent with a strategy that maintained accuracy, but reduced the demands on cognitive resources. In the second experiment, participants completed the rail task, during which a concurrent, secondary task was introduced. The results revealed an interaction, whereby participants with lesser levels of cue utilization recorded an increase in response latency that exceeded the response latency recorded for participants with greater levels of cue utilization. The relative consistency of response latencies for participants with greater levels of cue utilization, across all blocks, despite the imposition of a secondary task, suggested that those participants with greater levels of cue utilization had adopted a strategy that was effectively minimizing the impact of additional sources of cognitive load on their performance.
Objective: The present study investigated whether performance across a range of cue-based cognitive tasks differentiated the diagnostic performance of power control operators into three distinct groups, characteristic of novice, competence, and expertise. Background: Despite its increasing importance in the contemporary workplace, there is little understanding of the cognitive processes that distinguish novice, competent, and expert performance in the context of remote diagnosis. However, recent evidence suggests that cue acquisition and utilization may represent a mechanism by which the transition from novice to expertise occurs. Method: The study involved the application of four distinct cue-based tasks within the context of power system control. A total of 65 controllers, encompassing a range of industry experience, completed the tasks as part of an in-service training program. Results: Using a cluster analysis, it was possible to extract three distinct groups of operators on the basis of their performance in the cue-based tasks, and these groups corresponded to differences in diagnostic performance. Conclusion: The results indicate assessments of the capacity to extract and utilize cues were able to distinguish expert from competent practitioners in the context of power control. Application: Assessments of the capacity to extract and utilize cues may be used in the future to distinguish expert from nonexpert practitioners, particularly in the context of remote diagnosis.
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