Effects of Information and Decision Automation on Multi-Task Performance

Abstract

Automation purported to assist human operators may itself be an additional source of complexity and uncertainty. Because high reliability cannot always be assured, imperfect automation can add to uncertainty and thereby degrade performance. The present study examined the relative benefits and costs of information and decision automation and investigated the effects of uncertainty resulting from automation unreliability during multiple task performance. Subjects were either provided with status information (“information” automation) or a recommendation for action (“decision” automation) for the system monitoring sub-task of the Multi-Attribute Task Battery (MAT). Two levels of automation reliability were compared. The detrimental effect of unreliable automation—a decrease in the detection rate of malfunctions—was greater for automation of higher reliability, a result consistent with previous findings of automation-related complacency. This effect of automation unreliability was also greater for decision than for information automation.