Man-Machine Systems: Information, Control, and Decision Models of Human Performance

Vigilance is one of the most thoroughly researched areas of human performance. Volumes have been written concerning vigilance performance in both laboratory and real-world settings, and there is a clear trend in the literature toward an increasing emphasis on the study of operational task behavior under environmental conditions that are common to real world jobs. Although a great deal of this research has been designed to test various aspects of the many theories of vigilance, there is a general belief that vigilance research is relevant and applicable to the performances required in real-world monitoring and inspection tasks. Indeed, many of the reported studies are justified on the basis of their apparent relevance to vigilance requirements in modern man-machine systems, industrial inspection tasks, and military jobs. There is a growing body of literature, however, which suggests that many vigilance studies are of limited applicability to operational task performance. For example, Kibler (1965) has argued that technological changes have altered job performance requirements to the extent that laboratory vigilance studies are no longer applicable to real-world jobs. Many others have simply been unable to reproduce the typical “vigilance decrement” in field situations. This has led Teichner (1974) to conclude that “the decremental function itself is more presumed than established.”

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Some Problems in the Measurement of Human Performance in Man–Machine Systems

Human Factors The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society ◽

10.1177/001872086400600611 ◽

1964 ◽

Vol 6 (6) ◽

pp. 687-700 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Alan D. Swain

Keyword(s):

Human Factors ◽

Human Performance ◽

Data Bank ◽

Data Models ◽

Performance Data ◽

Machine Systems

Quantification of human performance in man–machine systems is receiving more and more attention in human factors work. Obstacles to such quantification include: (1) complexity and subjectivity of available quantification methods, (2) grossness of assumptions behind these methods, and (3) resistance of some psychologists. Research is needed (1) to develop an improved human performance data bank, (2) to develop improved models and methods, and (3) to validate quantification data, models and methods. Some research is being done in these areas.

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The Case for Micro-models

Proceedings of the Human Factors Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/154193128903301813 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 33 (18) ◽

pp. 1228-1232 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Floyd Glenn

Keyword(s):

Human Performance ◽

Body Movement ◽

General Purpose ◽

Simulation Software ◽

Attentional Resource ◽

Body Parts ◽

Attention Model ◽

The Status ◽

Machine Systems ◽

Model Components

This paper examines the appropriate role of human performance micro-models in simulations of human-machine system operations. Requirements for general human micro-models are considered relative to the objectives of simulation studies, the conditions under which simulations are constructed and used, the status of human performance data bases and models, and the features provided with general-purpose simulation software. This investigation focuses particularly on a new simulation tool for simulating human-machine systems; it is known as the Human Operator Simulator – Version V (HOS-V). A general design principle of HOS-V has been to provide embedded human performance micro-models for the basic performance processes that seem most pervasive and interactive with other processes. These include representations for processes of body movement, cognition, and attention. Key to these representations are the substructures in each area. Body movement models describe locations of body parts and constraints on their movement. Cognition models describe how the human processes information through perception, memory, decision-making, and action initiation. The attention model describes how a limited attentional resource is allocated to the various body movement and cognition processes, each of which has a defined attentional requirement. Plans for implementation of micro-model components of HOS-V are discussed.

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