Crew Structure, Automation and Communication: Interaction of Social and Technological Factors on Complex Systems Performance

Abstract

The effects of automation and task group social structure on group communication and performance are investigated in a simulated flight experiment. Fifty, two-person crews flew a ninety minute mission in a fully instrumented, GAT-II simulator. Crews were composed to be either homogeneous or heterogeneous with respect to crew members' flight experience and age. Approximately half of the crews flew with the aid of automated control; the other half flew manually. All cockpit communications were recorded and subjected to content analysis. Based on the analysis of twenty-four transcripts, there was no overall difference in communication patterns as a function of crew composition. However, the results indicated that heterogeneous crews tended to exchange a higher ratio of task relevant to task irrelevant statements compared to homogeneous crews, but this tendency was moderated by automation level. This interaction corresponds to performance data that show enhanced performance for heterogeneous crews in the automated condition. Additional evidence and discussion suggest that group structure and interaction may contribute to the observed performance differences.