Psychiatry and Psychology Commons^™

Looking For Chuck And Pt: An Evidence-Based Approach To Assessing Helicopter Pilots, Paul Dickens

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

This paper describes the use of an evidence-based approach to the assessment of commercial rotary-wing pilots. Following the four category protocol set out by Briner and Rousseau (2011), a robust psychological assessment process was developed covering intellectual ability, mental wellbeing, the Big 5 personality dimensions and critical incident analysis. Findings from each component are discussed, particularly the findings on the personality characteristics using the Big 5 dimensions. Findings of high Conscientiousness and very low Neuroticism were shown to mirror similar findings in the literature, while a higher than expected incidence of social withdrawal needs more investigation. Implications for future assessment …

Perceptual And Adaptation Implications With Display 3-D Spatial Location: Retrofit Of Hud On A Tactical Airlift Platform, Steven D. Harbour, Jeffery A. Hudson, Gregory F. Zehner

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

The retrofitting of a cockpit with a Head-Up-Display (HUD) raises potential accommodation and perceptual issues for pilots that must be addressed. For maximum optical efficiency, the goal is to be able to place every pilot’s eye into the HUD Eye Motion Box (EMB) given a seat adjustment range. Initially, the Eye Reference Point (ERP) of the EMB should theoretically be located on the aircraft’s original cockpit Design Eye Point (DEP) while horizontal and vertical seat adjustment would allow pilots to position their eyes inside the EMB. However, human postures vary, and HUD systems may not be optimally placed. In reality …

Recommendations Supporting Development Of Flight Deck Datacomm Text And Graphic Display Evaluation Guidance, Jennie J. Gallimore, Ricardo D. Munoz, Stephen B. Kiss, Chang-Geun Oh, Timothy Crory, Randall Green, Clark Shingledecker ., Pamela S. Tsang .

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

In the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NexGen), voice communications will become less frequent, and most communication will occur via data communications -- uplink messages (UM) (to pilot) and downlink messages (DM) and requests (to ATC). Clearances may include simple one-element clearances such as CLIMB TO [altitude] or complex clearances created by concatenating messages to create flight trajectories that include ATC-authorized route segments, altitudes, and at least one required time of arrival (RTA). Due to the complexity of clearances, aircraft and flight deck equipment manufacturers may seek approval for new and modified flight deck displays to more clearly depict clearances …

The Utility Of At-Sat In Hiring Graduates Of An Air-Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative Program, Linda G. Pierce, M. Kathryn Bleckley

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

The FAA recruits applicants for Air Traffic Control Specialist (ATCS) positions from multiple sources. Each hiring source has requirements that applicants must meet for eligibility. These hiring sources include the Air Traffic – Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI), for applicants with specialized education in air traffic control (ATC) and General Public (GP), for applicants with no prior ATC education or experience. Both AT-CTI and GP applicants must take and pass the Air Traffic Selection and Training (AT-SAT), a computerized pre-employment test battery designed to assess an applicant’s aptitude for performing the duties of an ATCS. The current research effort compares the …

Communication Sequences In Controller Pilot Communications, Jonathan Histon, Esa Rantanen, Cecilia Ovesdotter Alm

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

Temporal patterns in the content of controller-pilot communications can reflect strategies and techniques used by controllers. Introducing data-based communication systems may profoundly impact these strategies and techniques. To establish a baseline of existing patterns in controllerpilot voice communications, analysis is presented of the content of air-ground communications between pilots and controllers from North American operations. Results are presented of the relative frequency of common sequences of communication events and how these vary in response to changes in weather conditions. Methodological challenges in sequence analysis as well as implications of the results for understanding effect of changes in communication technology on …

The Psychomotor Vigilance Test: Sources Of State And Trait Variance, Hans-Juergen Hoermann

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

Within the context of pilot and air traffic controller selection tests the Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT, Dinges & Powell, 1985) was evaluated for its underlying sources of variance. The PVT is a simple visual reaction time task, which is well established as a measure of alertness during sustained operations. It provides scores for mean reaction times and number of lapses. While the PVT has proven sensitivity for temporary states of fatigue and other stressors in withinsubjects designs, validation studies are lacking to examine it for potential sources of trait variance, which could lead to confounding effects. This paper presents results …

Controller – Pilot Communications In The Presence Of Asynchronous Uas Radar Surveillance Data, Xiaochen Yuan, Jonathan Histon, Catherine Burns, Steven Waslander, Reza Dizaji

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

Integrating Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into controlled airspace will create challenges for the pilots and controllers who need information about the UAS. This paper presents a preliminary study of the effect of differential time delays, or asynchrony, in the distribution of UAS surveillance information to controllers and pilots. Effects on controller-pilot communication were observed through 6 distinct measures of both objective performance and subjective self-evaluation. Larger time delays had an observable impact on all of the observed measures; comparison of pilot and controller results showed that the operator with the most updated information consistently experiences less frustration and feels the …

Flight Deck Audio Displays: Striking The Right Tone In Future Designs, Mitchell L. Serber

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

The 2009 accident involving Air France Flight 447 illustrates the gap between visual and auditory display design and implementation in commercial aircraft. By examining the successful evolution of Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) and Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) to incorporate both audio and visual alerting and resolution guidance to flight crews, a contrast is drawn with similar aids available in advance of aircraft upset episodes. A universal approach for future design should incorporate harmonized video and audio displays providing optimized alerting and guidance along with the latest in simulator training designed to emphasize aircraft state awareness …

Individual Differences In Perception And Performance Of Advanced Navigation Systems, Andre Garcia, Jesse Eisert, John Payne, Carryl L. Baldwin, Victor Finomore

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

We examined individual differences in use and preference for tactile route guidance formats. Participants drove a simulated vehicle through counterbalanced pairings of four distinct cities using one of four navigation systems (three tactile and one auditory control). One tactile system used only pulse rate, the second system used only tactor location, and the third used both pulse rate and location to convey guidance instructions. All navigation systems provided both a preliminary and an immediate cue indicating to take the next most immediate turn. Individual differences in sense of direction resulted in different preference ratings without any observed performance differences. The …

The Impact Of Cognitive Psychology In Minimizing Human Errors, Patrik Jonzon

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

Working towards zero accidents – Experience from education and supervision of pilots and air traffic controllers (ATC) from the Royal Danish Air Force gives us a model on how to apply the latest clinical psychology methods and research, and combine it with Human Factor models.

What is behind accidents? Errors, so can you talk about zero errors? Everyone knows that this is utopia; the question is rather how we can understand errors, minimize errors and minimize the effect of errors. The goal of this paper is to contribute to a theoretical and practical understanding of how to use the research …

Measuring Human Factors Success In Acquisitions, Jason Demagalski, Dr Branka Subotić, Dr Jerry Crutchfield, Dr Dwayne Norris

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

Human factors specialists work as part of multidisciplinary teams supporting acquisition programs. Depending upon the acquisition model and culture of an organization, the exact points of involvement of human factors specialists may vary, as too will the metrics of success for each project. Acceptable/optimal level of operational performance is the goal of any Air Traffic Control (ATC) system. Human performance is a key component of operational performance. Measuring human performance can be an area of academic debate often yielding vague answers or need for more research. This is of little use or interest to project and senior managers who make …

Effects Of Nextgen Concepts For Separation Assurance And Interval Management On Atco Situation Awareness, Thomas Z. Strybel, Kim-Phuong L. Vu, Dan Chiappe, Corey A. Morgan, Vernol Battiste

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

We examined the effects of responsibility for interval management and separation assurance on ATCo situation awareness, workload and performance. Four conditions were tested by crossing two strategies for interval management (ATCo responsible or flight deck responsible) and two strategies for separation assurance (ATCo primary or automation primary). Situation awareness and workload were assessed with an online probe technique. Workload was lowest when both functions were automated, but situation awareness for conflicts depended on the sector. Both workload and situation awareness were related to the number of ATCo-managed LOS.

A Cognitive Engineering Approach For Showing Feasibility Margins On An In-Flight Planning, Sami Lini, Bruno Vallespir, Sylvain Hourlier, Franck Labat, Pierre-Alexandre Favier

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

The purpose of the ASAP (Anticipation Support for Aeronautical Planning) project was to design an anticipation support for civilian pilots. In this context, we undertook a cognitive engineering approach. Interviews with pilots and in-situ tasks analysis were performed. Helping pilots better anticipate can consist in showing them the room for maneuver for every single task to perform. At first an activity modeling serves as a basis for describing these tasks during a specific phase of the flight (descent/approach). It confirms a need for a visual representation of temporal feasibility margins. According to the constraints of the flight plan (e.g. speed, …

The Faa’S Human Factors Air Traffic Control / Technical Operations Strategic Research Plan, Edward Austrian, Dino Piccione

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Traffic Control (ATC) / Technical Operations (TO) Human Factors Team completed development and publication of a ten-year strategic research plan. This effort was endorsed by the FAA Research Engineering and Development Advisory Committee (REDAC) and sponsored by the FAA Human Factors Division. The intent of the strategic plan is to define a clear pathway for the ATC / TO Human Factors Team to improve and integrate human factors research in ATC applications. The strategic plan also serves as a communication tool to engage the community of practice and promote the implementation of products that …

Enhancing Crew Resource Management Training Program: The Introduction Of A Cognitive-Adaptation Training, Marie-Pierre Fornette, Marie- Héloïse, Camille Lefrançois, Jacques Fradin, Farid El Massioui, Françoise Darses, Corinne Roumes

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

The goal of “crew resource management” (CRM) training programs is to enhance safety and efficiency in flight. To achieve this goal, CRM training have to teach the appropriate knowledge and skills, and thus, to be adjusted according to all environmental changes. During the last decade, there has been an increasing need to reinforce skills of French military crews, to deal with complex and unforeseen situations. A new cognitive-adaptation training was proposed. It specifically seeks to enhance metacognitive skills related to the two main types of human cognitive processes, and to strengthen reflective processes involved in cognitive and emotional adaptation. The …

Measuring Distribution Of Attention As A Part Of Situational Awareness - A Different Approach, Katrin Meierfrankenfeld, Werner Greß, Tina Vorbach

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

This paper outlines a different approach to measure pilot aptitudes during flight simulator missions. An algorithm was developed to assess a candidate’s distribution of attention beyond observation technique, eye-tracking or multidimensional tracking (e.g. altitude, speed, heading), thus getting rid of typical measurement problems. The algorithm used to evaluate candidate’s distribution of attention in Phase III, German Armed Forces’ third phase of aircrew selection consisting of simulator flights in a typical training scenario, is a mere time measure. The following article describes its construction as well as advantages and disadvantages.

A Collaborative Forum For The Distribution Of Multidisciplinary Scholarship In The Open-Access Environment: The Inception Of The Advanced Aviation Analytics Institute For Research (A3ir-Core), Brent Bowen, Erin Bowen, Thomas Carney, Jennifer Kirschner, Chien-Tsung Lu, Reilly Meehan, John Mott, Clay Wildt

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

Identifying the need for a multi-faceted, interdisciplinary research team to investigate various issues within the aviation industry, Purdue University’s Department of Aviation Technology has organized the Advanced Aviation Analytics Institute for Research—A Center of Research Excellence (A3IR-CORE). A thorough meta-analytic review of collaborative network theory was the impetus for the organizational development of this forum. Focused on engaging a wide range of knowledge, talents, and experiences, this preeminent institute will fill the traditional void of academic material in the aviation industry by actively involving undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty in a collaborative environment that increases the dissemination of research …

Human-Centered Automation As Effective Work Design, Amy R. Pritchett, Karen M. Feigh

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

This paper describes how the challenge of human-centered automation can be recast as the challenge of, first, designing the work performed by a team of agents and then, second, allocating this work amongst all the agents, human and automated, in support of their own needs and capabilities and to foster team goals. The paper starts by formally describing the construct of work as a structure which can be formally analyzed and around which other design decisions can be made. It then reviews the requirements of effective function allocation within a team to enable their collective taskwork, and to provide the …

Effects Of Airport Tower Controller Decision-Support Tool On Controllers’ Head-Up Time, Miwa Hayashi, Jose M. Cruz Lopez

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

Visually monitoring aircraft traffic outside the window is an important part of tower controllers’ tasks. Introducing new controller decision-support tools in the tower may increase or decrease their head-up time. The present study investigates the effect of NASA’s Spot and Runway Departure Advisor (SARDA) tool on controllers’ head-up time. A small video camera was mounted on controllers’ heads to measure their head-movement activities during simulated tower operations with or without the SARDA advisories. Simple, pixel-color-based classification algorithms were able to achieve reasonably high accuracy of head-up detection in the training video frames (91% on average). The results showed that the …

Applying The Compliance-Reliance Model To System-Wide Trust Theory In An Aviation Task, Casey Tunstall, Kasha Geels-Blair, Stephen Rice

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

Diagnostic automation is frequently used to assist pilots. Despite extensive research on trust in automation, multiple automation research is sparse. Two recent studies focused on effects of trust in multiple automation using system-wide trust (SWT) theory (Keller & Rice, 2010; Rice & Geels, 2010). According to SWT, operators treat multiple aids as one entity, rather than separate entities; an unreliable aid negatively affects trust in nearby aids. We combined SWT with Meyer’s (2001, 2004) compliance-reliance model in order to show whether contagion effects of FAs and misses differ. Participants monitored 8 gauges for system failures. Each gauge had an automated …

Transferring Human Factors Knowledge From Aviation To Development Of A Warning System For Landslide, Ioana Koglbauer, Guenter Hohenberger, Christian Steger

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

There is a successful history of transferring knowledge from aviation to other domains such as medicine (Thomas & Helmreich, 2002). In this study the ICAO multistage alerting service (2008) served as model for the specification of an early warning system for landslide. The early warning system is designed to monitor mass-movement data provided by GPS sensors, and to generate warnings and alarms to the National Alarm- and Warning Center of Styria, Austria. For the human factors specification of the new system a qualitative analysis was performed. Results are discussed with regard to applicability of human factors guidelines from aviation to …

Enhancing Military Helicopter Pilot Assistant System Through Resource Adaptive Dialogue Management, Felix Maiwald, Axel Schulte

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

Assistant systems investigated today are beneficial in principle, but may induce additional load for the pilot, especially if the system intervenes at a time when the human has no more free cognitive resources to adopt the offered support. This article describes an approach how to enable a knowledge-based pilots’ assistant system in the domain of military helicopter missions to interact with the pilot by resource adaptive dialogue management. To minimize the automation induced additional load for the pilot, the assistant system estimates the pilots’ residual mental capacity and furthermore the current cognitive workliad in the first step. This assessment enables …

Tracking And Visuospatial Working Memory, Robin Langerak, Chris M. Herdman, James Howell Ba

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

The present research examines the role of visuospatial working memory in supporting pursuit tracking. Participants completed a pursuit motor tracking task while simultaneously completing secondary tasks designed to separately place demands on either storage or processing in visuospatial working memory. The results show that simple pursuit tracking utilizes visuospatial processing in working memory without a strong requirement for visuospatial storage. These findings have implications for understanding time-sharing of tasks in the cockpit.

Flight Deck Models Of Workload And Multi-Tasking: An Overview Of Validation, Christopher D. Wickens, Angelia Sebok

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

We review 24 computational modeling efforts of pilot multi-task performance and workload, to describe the manner in which they model three different aspects of pilot performance: the complexity of effort, the complexity of time management and the complexity of multiple resource interference. We then discuss the degree of validation of these models, and the validity of the context in which they are validated.

Reducing Aggressive Responses To Tcas: Evaluation Of A Tcas Training Program, Elizabeth S. Fleming, Amy R. Pritchett, Vlad M. Popescu, William P. Cleveland

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

The Traffic alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) is an aircraft collision avoidance system designed to prevent mid-air collisions. While responding to a TCAS advisory is generally the safe course of action, instances of overly aggressive responses have resulted in injuries to crew members and passengers as well as disruptions in air traffic operations. However, current training standards do not address the need to mitigate overly aggressive responses. This paper details the design and evaluation of a training program for TCAS which incorporated a learning objective related to mitigating aggressive responses to advisories. The impact of the training program was …

Nextgen Operational Improvements: Will They Improve Human Performance, Bettina L. Beard, James C. Johnston, Jon Holbrook

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

Modernization of the National Airspace System depends critically on the development of advanced technology, including cutting-edge automation, controller decision-support tools and integrated on-demand information. The Next Generation Air Transportation System national plan envisions air traffic control tower automation that proposes solutions for seven problems: 1) departure metering, 2) taxi routing, 3) taxi and runway scheduling, 4) departure runway assignments, 5) departure flow management, 6) integrated arrival and departure scheduling and 7) runway configuration management. Government, academia and industry are simultaneously pursuing the development of these capabilities. For each capability, the development process typically begins by assessing its potential benefits, and …

Identifying The Impact Of Nextgen On The Job Of Air Traffic Control Specialists In The Mid-Term, Emily Baumann, Kelley J. Krokos, Cheryl Hendrickson

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

By leveraging existing and new technology, the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) is proposed to support significant increases in both capacity and efficiency of the National Airspace System (NAS). In the decade that has passed since NextGen was mandated by Congress, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has made great progress in identifying the specific technologies, automation, and procedures (i.e., NextGen Drivers) necessary to support the desired increases. American Institutes for Research (AIR) describes its strategic job analysis, which was designed to identify the NextGen Drivers that are proposed to be implemented by the NextGen Mid-Term (2018), and to evaluate …

South African Airline Pilots’ Perceptions Of Advanced Flight Deck Automation, Dr. Preven Naidoo

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

This article reports on the construction of the Automation Attitude Questionnaire (AAQ), to assess airline pilots’ perceptions about operating advanced automated aircraft. A total of 262 airline pilots from a large South African carrier participated in the validation of the questionnaire. A five-factor measurement model was established by using exploratory factor analysis. The five factors associated with perceptions of advanced automated systems were labelled as: Comprehension, Training, Trust, Workload, and Design. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients and the mean inter-item correlation of each factor were highly satisfactory and confirmed the homogeneity and unidimensionality of the five-factor solution for the AAQ.

Adaptive Controller Adaptation Time And Available Control Authority Effects On Piloting, Anna Trujillo, Dr. Irene Gregory

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

Adaptive control is considered for highly uncertain, and potentially unpredictable, flight dynamics characteristic of adverse conditions. This experiment looked at how adaptive controller adaptation time to recover nominal aircraft dynamics affects pilots and how pilots want information about available control authority transmitted. Results indicate that an adaptive controller that takes three seconds to adapt helped pilots when looking at lateral and longitudinal errors. The controllability ratings improved with the adaptive controller, again the most for the three seconds adaptation time while workload decreased with the adaptive controller. The effects of the displays showing the percentage amount of available safe flight …

Man-Machine Symbiosis In Aviation: New Risks And Capabilities In View Of Information Technology Expansion, Oleksandr Petrenko

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2013

The paper examines possibility of the impact of modern technology on the manmachine symbiosis in aviation. Presented some data concerning the perception of a pilots in a highly automated cockpit. The first results of empirical research make it possible to assume that aircraft systems can be customized to adjust to individual typological characteristics of operators. The paper discusses the language modality perspectives of a man-machine interaction. Creating modern sociotechnical systems aimed at a human at a completely new level has special requirements to an integration of designer and operational psychological outlooks.