Eliciting Knowledge from Helicopter Pilots: Recommendations for Revising the ACTA Method for Helicopter Landing Tasks

The task of landing helicopters on ships is cognitively complex and is bounded by several limitations for safe operation. To design technologies to support helicopter pilots in shipboard operations, a better understanding of cognitive processes underlying helicopter piloting in shipboard landing maneuvers is required. Limitations in prior work on ship-based helicopter pilots motivate more studies to better understand how pilots compensate for difficulties associated with ship motion, air turbulence among other factors. We report a preliminary study that used the Applied Cognitive Task Analysis (ACTA) method. We interviewed three participants who have ground-based helicopter piloting experience. The results indicate that ACTA can be used in eliciting knowledge from helicopter pilots. However, we have identified several caveats with the use of the method for this application. The revised method will be used to interview helicopter pilots with shipboard landing experience. Our study has identified a number of cognitive elements in the task which are associated with task management, divided attention, and noticing anomalies.

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An Analysis of Cognitive Demands in Ship-Based Helicopter-Landing Maneuvers

Journal of the American Helicopter Society ◽

10.4050/jahs.65.042009 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 65 (4) ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Dev Minotra ◽

Karen M. Feigh

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Task Analysis ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

Critical Role ◽

Cognitive Task Analysis ◽

Cognitive Demands ◽

Helicopter Landing ◽

System Requirements ◽

Quantities Of Interest ◽

Shipboard Landing

Rotorcraft pilots face a number of unique challenges in shipboard-landing maneuvers. Even very experienced rotorcraft pilots find such maneuvers to be challenging and delicate, as they require the pilot's undivided attention. To minimize risk, these maneuvers are conducted within well-defined boundaries associated with weather and visibility. To expand the envelope of safety, technological aids that augment decision-making capabilities and reduce pilot workload are being proposed. Our paper reports a cognitive task analysis, which involved interviews with five rotorcraft pilots experienced in shipboard-landing maneuvers. Our results reveal cognitive elements in which expertise plays a critical role. We have articulated our understanding on why pilots are faced with difficulties during these critical points, which led us toward design recommendations and system requirements for technological aids and their displays. We have also identified a number of system limitations and quantities of interest, which may be useful in safety evaluations.

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Estimating Cognitive Complexity and the Need for Cognitive Task Analysis

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/154193129403801607 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 38 (16) ◽

pp. 1023-1027 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Michael J. DeVries ◽

Sallie E. Gordon

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Processes ◽

Cognitive Complexity ◽

Task Analysis ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

Cognitive Task Analysis ◽

Types Of Knowledge ◽

Different Types ◽

Computer Based ◽

Multiple Domains ◽

Specific Project

Because an increasing number of systems are being developed to support complex cognitive functioning, task analysis is commonly being augmented with cognitive task analysis, which identifies cognitive processes, knowledge, and mental models relevant to task performance. Cognitive task analysis tends to be lengthy and time-consuming, so designers frequently ask how they might know if it is actually necessary for a specific project. In this paper, we assume that much of the need for cognitive task analysis depends on the inherent “cognitive complexity” of the task. We present a model of cognitive complexity, and show how it was used to develop a computer-based tool for estimating relative cognitive complexity for a set of tasks. The tool, Cog-C, elicits task and subtask hierarchies, then guides the user in making relatively simple estimates on a number of scales. The tool calculates and displays the relative cognitive complexity scores for each task, along with subscores of cognitive complexity for different types of knowledge. Usability and reliability were evaluated in multiple domains, showing that the tool is relatively easy to use, reliable, and well-accepted.

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Helicopter Pilots’ Tasks, Subjective Workload, and the Role of External Visual Cues During Shipboard Landing

Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making ◽

10.1177/1555343420948720 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 242-257

Author(s):

Martin Tušl ◽

Giuseppe Rainieri ◽

Federico Fraboni ◽

Marco De Angelis ◽

Marco Depolo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Visual Cues ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

Visual Cueing ◽

Helicopter Pilots ◽

High Workload ◽

Unstable Environment ◽

Accurate Reading ◽

Relevant Factors ◽

Shipboard Landing

Helicopter shipboard landing is a cognitively complex task that is challenging both for pilots and their crew. Effective communication, accurate reading of the flight instruments, as well as monitoring of the external environment are crucial for a successful landing. In particular, the final phases of landing are critical as they imply high workload situations in an unstable environment with restricted space. In the present qualitative study, we interviewed ten helicopter pilots from the Italian Navy using an applied cognitive task analysis approach. We aimed to obtain a detailed description of the landing procedure, and to identify relevant factors that affect pilots’ workload, performance, and safety. Based on the content analysis of the interviews, we have identified six distinct phases of approaching and landing on a ship deck and four categories of factors that may significantly affect pilots’ performance and safety of the landing procedure. Consistent with previous studies, our findings suggest that external visual cueing is vital for a successful landing, in particular during the last phases of landing. Therefore, based on the pilots’ statements, we provide suggestions for possible improvements of external visual cues that have the potential to reduce pilots’ workload and improve the overall safety of landing operations.

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Using Goal Directed Task Analysis with Army Brigade Officer Teams

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/154193120204600354 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 46 (3) ◽

pp. 472-476 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Cheryl A. Bolstad ◽

Jennifer M. Riley ◽

Debra G. Jones ◽

Mica R. Endsley

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Team Performance ◽

Cognitive Processes ◽

Situation Awareness ◽

Task Analysis ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

Cognitive Task Analysis ◽

Military Operations ◽

Team Members ◽

The Individual

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.

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P128: The novel application of eye-tracking for the cognitive task analysis of expert physician decision-making while leading real-world traumatic resuscitations

CJEM ◽

10.1017/cem.2017.330 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 19 (S1) ◽

pp. S121

Author(s):

M. White ◽

D. Howes ◽

R. Egan ◽

H. Braund ◽

A. Szulewski

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Eye Tracking ◽

Cognitive Processes ◽

Task Analysis ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

Cognitive Task Analysis ◽

Cued Recall ◽

Multidisciplinary Teams ◽

The Novel ◽

Physician Decision Making

Introduction: Resuscitation is a dynamic, complex and time-sensitive field which encompasses management of both critically-ill patients as well as large multidisciplinary teams. Expertise in this area has not been adequately defined, and to date, no research has directly examined the decision-making and cognitive processes involved. The evolving paradigm of competency-based medical education (CBME) makes better defining expertise in this field of critical importance to aid in the development of both educational and assessment methods. The technique of cognitive task analysis (CTA) has been used in a variety of fields to explicate the cognitive underpinnings of experts. Experts, however, often have limited insight and incomplete recall of their decision-making processes. We hypothesized that the use of eye-tracking, which provides the combination of first-person video as well as an overlying gaze indicator, could be used to enhance CTA to better understand the defining characteristics of experts in resuscitation. Methods: Over an 18-month period a sample of 11 traumatic resuscitations were obtained, each led by one of four pre-selected expert physicians outfitted with the Tobii Pro Eye-Tracking Glasses. After each resuscitation, the participant was debriefed using a cued-recall, think-aloud protocol while watching his or her corresponding eye-tracking video. A subsequent qualitative analysis of the resulting video and debrief transcript was performed using an ethnographic approach to establish emerging themes and behaviours of the expert physicians. Results: The expert participants demonstrated specific, common patterns in their cognitive processes. In particular, participants exhibited similar anticipatory and visual behaviours, dynamic communication strategies and the ability to distinguish between task-relevant and task-redundant information. All participants reported that this technique uncovered otherwise subconscious aspects of their cognition. Conclusion: The novel combination of eye-tracking technology to supplement the CTA of expert resuscitationists enriched our understanding of expertise in this field and yielded specific findings that can be applied to better develop and assess resuscitation skills.

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