Requirements for Computational Approaches to Analyzing Resilience in Human-Machine Teams

Human-machine teams (HMTs) in complex work domains need to be able to adapt to variable and uncertain work demands. Computational modeling and simulation can provide novel approaches to the evaluation of HMTs performing complex joint activities, affording large-scale, quantitative analysis of team characteristics (such as system architecture and governance protocols) and their effects on resilience. Drawing from literature in resilience engineering, human-automation interaction, and cognitive systems engineering, this paper provides a theoretical exploration of the use of computational modeling and simulation to analyze resilience in HMTs. Findings from literature are summarized in a set of requirements that highlight key aspects of resilience in HMTs that need to be accounted for in future modeling and evaluation efforts. These requirements include a need to model HMTs as joint cognitive systems, the need to account for the interdependent nature of activity, the temporal dynamics of work, and the need to support formative exploration and inquiry. We provide a brief overview of existing modeling and simulation approaches to evaluating HMTs and discuss further steps for operationalizing the identified requirements.

Evaluating Impacts of Head Worn Displays on Teamwork in Emergency Response: Review of Challenges for the Field

Head Worn Displays (HWDs) are increasingly used to support mobile workers across diverse domains. However, little is known about how HWDs affect teamwork in safety-critical contexts. We conducted a narrative review examining the effects of HWDs on teamwork performance and team processes of situation awareness, communication, and coordination for emergency response. HWDs appear to improve the quality of team performance but increase time to perform under some conditions; effects on team processes are also mixed. It is difficult to compare results across studies due to the diverse technologies, contexts, and measures used. Successful design, evaluation, and deployment of HWDs in emergency response contexts may require a stronger foundation of theory-driven and process-based research. Perspectives such as joint cognitive systems, distributed cognition, and common ground may help researchers uncover mechanisms by which HWDs shape teamwork processes and how team processes affect team performance over time.

Intelligent Fighter Pilot Support for Distributed Unmanned and Manned Decision Making

This chapter highlights important aspects of an intelligent fighter pilot support for distributed unmanned and manned decision making. First the background is described including current trends within the domain, and characteristics of a decision support system are discussed. After that a scenario and example situations are presented. The chapter also includes reflections of an intelligent fighter pilot support for distributed unmanned and manned decision making from the joint cognitive systems view, regarding human interoperability, and function allocation.

Making Brittle Technologies Useful

Across a wide variety of systems, from aviation and ground transportation to energy and financial systems, there continues to be a move toward introducing more powerful technological support. Research and practice have clearly demonstrated that, for these complex systems, human centered designs are critical, especially when anomalous scenarios arise. As a result, one important focus of research in cognitive systems engineering has dealt with understanding how brittle technologies influence joint cognitive system performance. This panel will address three issues: 1) What do we know about how system design affects human performance when the competence envelope for the incorporated technology is exceeded? 2) What guidance is available for the design of joint cognitive systems so that they are robust or resilient when these competence envelopes are exceeded? 3) What important research questions need to be addressed to further extend our understanding regarding how to design and integrate cognitive tools into the work environment and to translate this understanding into effective system designs.

The Role of Operationally Distinct Options in Supporting Joint Human-Automation Planning

We describe a prototype cognitive work aid for airlift mission allocation and scheduling. A key design challenge was how to generate and visualize multiple operationally distinct options to broaden the set of alternative plans that Mission Planners consider, increasing overall efficiency and effectiveness of the mission planning organization. We first describe the distributed nature of the mission planning domain, where key considerations arise across different organizational boundaries, come in over time and dynamically change. We describe techniques we developed for generating and displaying multiple operationally distinct mission planning solutions, to facilitate contingency planning and collaboration across organizatinal boundaries. This work is part of a longer term program to develop and demonstrate concrete techniques for more effective joint cognitive systems.

Electronic information systems in human service organizations: Using theory to inform future design

The problems with current forms of electronic information systems (IS) implemented in human service organizations have been well documented and attention is now focussed on how they might be redesigned for the future. The aim in this article is to demonstrate how previous research and theory can provide useful insights into these problems, which, in turn, can provide guidance for future research-based approaches to redesign. Ideas from ‘cognitive systems theory’ (CSE) and more specifically ‘joint cognitive systems’ (JCS) are explored in relation to the main problems that have been identified with current forms of IS.

Intelligent Fighter Pilot Support for Distributed Unmanned and Manned Decision Making

This chapter highlights important aspects of an intelligent fighter pilot support for distributed unmanned and manned decision making. First the background is described including current trends within the domain, and characteristics of a decision support system are discussed. After that a scenario and example situations are presented. The chapter also includes reflections of an intelligent fighter pilot support for distributed unmanned and manned decision making from the joint cognitive systems view, regarding human interoperability, and function allocation.