Examination of Complex Human-Machine System Performance under Multiple Levels and Stages of Automation

摘要

The introduction of automation into highly complex systems has occurred under several guiding principles. The application of these principles has often resulted in tenuous interactions with regard to human performance within complex systems. With advances in technology increasing, it is no longer applicable to look at single automated tools but rather at how several automated tools fit together and affect system performance. A common framework utilizing a model of human interaction with automation based on simple human information- processing stages was used in the design and analysis of 4 experiments. The first 3 experiments utilized a visual search paradigm and varied the stage the automation was present and the reliability of the automation that was used. For these studies, the automation that helped the operator locate the potential target demonstrated a clear advantage over automation that recommended a course of action when the automation was perfectly reliable. The 4th study examined all of the possible combinations of manual and automated aiding for the 4 stages in an air-to-ground search and destroy mission that was carried out in a high fidelity combat flight simulator. By utilizing separate stage metrics, it was demonstrated that the automation in 1 stage influenced performance in subsequent stages and throughout the entire mission.