Abstract
Summary We describe a novel application of cognitive psychology to the search for HMAS Sydney II and HSK Kormoran. Both ships sank off the west coast of Australia following an engagement during World War II. Tragically and mysteriously, there were no survivors from Sydney and, despite considerable interest in locating both ships, their positions remained unknown until their discovery in March 2008. The main evidence regarding the location of both ships consisted of reports by the German survivors from Kormoran. Working with the Finding Sydney Foundation, the group that ultimately found the ships, we developed a method to extract relevant information from these reports and to integrate it with other physical information and used this method to correctly identify the location of Kormoran to within 5 km. We describe this method and discuss the unique role played by cognitive psychology in solving a previously intractable problem. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.