Situation Awareness Training Research Articles

Comparative study of three training methods for enhancing process control performance: Emphasis shift training, situation awareness training, and drill and practice

Three training methods to improve attention management skills in process control were compared. Forty students from technical disciplines participated in a five-hour module of emphasis shift training (EST), EST combined with situation awareness training (EST/SA), and drill and practice (D&P) on a simulated process control task. Participants were then tested three times for 45 min each (immediately after training, two weeks after training, and six weeks after training) for system control performance and diagnostic performance on familiar and nonfamiliar fault states. D&P led to superior diagnostic performance on familiar system faults. EST/SA training supported the diagnosis of novel system faults. EST was less effective than expected for system control performance. Implications for training design in process control are discussed.

Effects of Automation Types on Air Traffic Controller Situation Awareness and Performance

The Joint Planning and Development Office has proposed the introduction of automated systems to help air traffic controllers handle the increasing volume of air traffic in the next two decades (JPDO, 2007). Because fully automated systems leave operators out of the decision-making loop (e.g., Billings, 1991), it is important to determine the right level and type of automation that will keep air traffic controllers in the loop. This study examined the differences in the situation awareness (SA) and collision detection performance of individuals when they worked with information acquisition, information analysis, decision and action selection and action implementation automation to control air traffic (Parasuraman, Sheridan, & Wickens, 2000). When the automation was unreliable, the time taken to detect an upcoming collision was significantly longer for all the automation types compared with the information acquisition automation. This poor performance following automation failure was mediated by SA, with lower SA yielding poor performance. Thus, the costs associated with automation failure are greater when automation is applied to higher order stages of information processing. Results have practical implications for automation design and development of SA training programs.

A cross‐cultural investigation of situational information security awareness programs

PurposeThe aim of this research is to make users aware of the importance surrounding the issue of security and security awareness while at the same time making educators as well as other individuals aware of the differing effects of cultural dimensions into the learning process.Design/methodology/approachAn inter‐cultural study was conducted to investigate if users from the USA and Taiwan exposed to the same situational awareness learning would have different performance in those security awareness outcomes.FindingsThe findings confirm that American users who received the situational learning outperformed those users who received the traditional face‐to‐face instruction. Taiwanese users did not perform significantly differently between these two treatments.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was only focused on two countries and therefore may limit its implications worldwide. But the study does show that global citizens also react differently to security awareness as would be expected due to differing cultures. Certainly, awareness of the risks and safeguards is the first line of defense that can be employed by any individual, but how individuals address these risks can be very dissimilar in different cultures. Therefore, the implications are apparent that the issue of security awareness should be studied from different cultural perspectives.Originality/valueThis paper offers original findings and value into the investigation of whether or not situational security awareness training is culturally‐bounded.

FASA: Development and Validation of a Novel Measure to Assess the Effectiveness of Commercial Airline Pilot Situation Awareness Training

The present study took a novel approach to the assessment of a commercial airline pilot Situation Awareness (SA) training programme. The Factors Affecting Situation Awareness (FASA) questionnaire was developed to provide a more diagnostic measure of aircrews' acquisition and maintenance of SA. Thirty-two aircrew participants took part in this study; half received standard Line-Oriented Flight Training (LOFT) and half received bespoke SA training. The results of the study provide strong evidence for the reliability of FASA to detect improvements to aircrew SA afforded by the training programme. The implications of these findings to SA measurement are discussed.

Measurement of Team Situation Awareness in Low Experience Level Aviators

Two measurement methods for situation awareness were tested on 2-person aircrews and compared for the information they yielded on team situation awareness. Forty-one crews of low experience level military aviators flew 2 different scenarios, 1 in a full-mission simulator, a 1 in a low-fidelity trainer. Team situation awareness was measured by instructor and observers in the high-fidelity simulator scenario and by responses to questions on flight knowledge in a scenario in the low-fidelity trainer. Scores on both measures were found to be reliable. Team situation awareness scores based on flight knowledge collected in the low-fidelity scenario were significantly correlated with team performance in the high-fidelity simulation (r = .41, p< .05). The 2 team situation awareness scores (1 from the high-fidelity simulation and 1 from the low-fidelity simulation) were also significantly correlated (r = .43, p< .05). These findings and related information are discussed in relation to the use of the measurements in situation awareness training for low experience level pilots.

선박조종시뮬레이터를 이용한 반복 항해 훈련이 선박 조종에 미치는 영향

본 연구는 선박 조종에 영향을 주는 대표적 요인들(충돌위험 정도, 목표선박의 항로변경 여부 및 주변 선박 수)을 체계적으로 조작한 조건들에서 항해사의 상황인식 훈련이 항해사의 선박 조종 능력에 어떠한 차이를 가져오는지 선박조종시뮬레이터를 이용하여 분석하였다. 본 연구 결과를 요약하면 다음과 같다. 첫째, 항해와 관련된 상황인식 훈련을 받은 조건에서 실험참가자들은 여러 선박 조종 요소들(목표선박과의 거리 유지와 충돌 비율)에서 훈련을 받지 않은 조건에 비해 수행이 우수하였다. 둘째, 훈련을 받지 않은 실험참가자들은 목표선박이 평시상황에서 항로를 변경하는 경우 선박 조종에 가장 큰 어려움을 겪었으나 훈련 이후에는 이러한 경향이 크게 감소하여 동일한 조건에서 수행이 향상되는 것이 관찰되었다. 이러한 결과들을 종합하면, 선박 조종에서의 상황인식에 대한 여러 요소들의 훈련은 항해사들의 기본적 선박 조종능력에서 우수한 수행을 이끌 수 있는 것으로 판단된다. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of mariner's situation awareness(SA) training on navigation performance using a full mission ship-handling simulator. For this purpose, the mariners were trained in terms of various aspects of SA. Independent variables such as risk levels of ship-to-ship collision, navigational route types of 'target ship(TS)', and number of ships around the own ship(OS) were systematically varied, and dependent variables of closest point of approach(CPA) between TS and OS, number of collision, types of collision-avoidance strategy were measured The results can be summarized as followings. First, training on mariner's SA appeared to induce improved performances in various aspects of ship handling. Second, mariners in the routine navigation situation where TS had priority following maritime rules seemed to suffer to prepare collision avoidance when the TS altered its route. However, this tendency greatly reduced after the training These results suggest the benefit of mariner's SA training on maritime safety.

Situation Awareness Catches On: What? So What? Now What?

Human factors/ergonomics professionals regularly study the situation awareness (SA) problems of pilots, air traffic controllers, automobile drivers, power plant workers, ambulance dispatchers, urban search and rescue professionals, and unmanned vehicle operators, to mention a few. The challenge has been to define SA operationally and devise measurement strategies that focus on attention and recall on the one hand and relevant actions on the other. Although there have been many successes, challenges remain. This review is organized in three parts. Under “What?” we discuss definitions of SA, their interpretations in terms of human information processing and ecological psychological theories, as well as techniques for measuring SA. Under “So what?” we introduce SA applications'information requirements, technological tools, and training systems'that support the way people work and live. Finally, under “Now what?” we discuss future directions for SA research.

The Effect of Brief Situational Awareness Training in a Police Shooting Simulator: An Experimental Study

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of situational awareness (SA) training in a shooting simulator. Forty 1st-year students from the Norwegian Police University College participated in this study. They were divided into 2 groups and matched with respect to sex and previous weapon experience. The SA-trained group received scenario-based training with freeze technique and reflection based on the SA stages, whereas the control group received skill training. During the test phase SA was measured both subjectively and objectively and performance was measured by the number of shots fired and number of hits. The results showed that both subjective and observer ratings reported the SA-trained group to have higher SA. This was also true for performance, and the SA-trained group showed less mental workload measured as suppression of heart rate variability during the execution of the mission. These results indicate that brief SA-specific training in a shoot–not shoot simulator can improve police cadets' SA in critical situations.

Development of Novel Measures to Assess the Effectiveness of Commercial Airline Pilot Situation Awareness Training

The present study took a novel approach to the assessment of a commercial airline pilot Situation Awareness (SA) training programme developed under the European Commission Framework V ESSAI project. Two measures of SA were developed specifically for the present study; the Situation Awareness Knowledge Test (SAKT) and the Situation Awareness and Workload In-flight Measure (SAWIM). Thirty-two aircrew participants took part in this study; half received standard Line-Oriented Flight Training (LOFT) and half received the bespoke ESSAI SA training. The results of the study provide evidence for the validity of these tools to detect improvements to aircrew SA afforded by the novel training programme.

PC-Based Tools to Improve Infantry Situation Awareness

It is widely recognized that Situation Awareness, SA, provides the foundation for decision making and action in numerous domains. As such, this research focused on developing a PC-based tool for training SA in Infantry Platoon Leaders. This Infantry Situation Awareness Training (ISAT) program developed two modules targeted at enhancing SA in Infantry Platoon Leaders. The SA Planner teaches time management and task prioritization skills, while the SA Trainer focuses more globally on developing knowledge bases and understanding the information requirements necessary to develop SA. Validation testing was conducted by giving the SA Trainer to a group of Royal Norwegian Naval cadets prior to combat fatigue exercises. Results suggested possible performance differences between cadets trained with the tool and those who were not. Additionally, trained cadets indicated that they expended more mental effort predicting what would happen next (level 3 SA) and determining how to best meet their mission goals.

Effects of Situation Awareness Training on Novice Process Control Plant Operators

This study investigated whether situation awareness training over and above current training practices could increase novice process control operators' system performance and situation awareness. We examined the possibility of explicitly training novices in such a way that they could quickly acquire some of the functional characteristics of experts and thereby more quickly improve performance and avoid errors. To answer this question, 24 two-member crews controlled a simulated process control plant. Participants who were exposed to the situation awareness training had better overall system performance in terms of both system stability and deviation from optimal operating conditions. Surprisingly, paper and pencil measures of the operators' situation awareness showed no significant increase in situation awareness after training. It appears as if carefully designed training programs have the potential to significantly increase novice operators' performance.

Situation Awareness for Military Ground Forces: Current Issues and Perspectives

The military is rapidly importing digital technology into its ground forces. The U.S. Army, for example, is developing the Land Warrior system that will link infantry soldiers and units together via digital communications and imaging. These changes have profound implications concerning how soldiers will move, shoot, and communicate as a team. One result of this new technology is that information available to individual soldiers and small units will increase exponentially. This will require soldiers and their leaders to accurately and quickly process large amounts of information, to make sense of it, and to effectively utilize that information to predict what is about to occur in the uncertain and volatile conditions of ground operations. Establishing and maintaining situation awareness (SA), therefore, is a growing challenge for ground forces. The purpose of the current panel is to bring together military and industry experts who are actively involved in SA research among ground forces. Mica Endsley offers perspectives on SA measurement and training challenges unique to ground forces. Laura Strater reviews recent validation efforts of SA measures designed specifically for application to ground forces. Joseph Weeks describes Air Force efforts to develop distributed training procedures for SA and decision-making for airbase ground defense forces. Lawrence Shattuck discusses research into the cognitive processes by which battalion commanders integrate information into meaningful conclusions. Scott Graham describes ongoing and future research on SA with infantry forces.

Pilot Situation Awareness Training in General Aviation

While the majority of research on the topic of situation awareness has been focused on designing better systems, significant interest also exists in finding ways to improve SA through training. This paper describes an ongoing program that is directed at developing programs for training SA in general aviation pilots. Factors that have been found to pose problems for SA in pilots are reviewed and directions are established for creating programs for improving SA through training.

Design of Multimedia Situational Awareness Training for Pilots

Contemporary research indicates that the use of interactive multimedia can enhance skill development and increase learning efficiencies. In the field of aviation, one of the most exciting recent developments is the Personal Computer Aviation Training Device (PC‐ATD). Today, PC‐based aviation training software has reached a level of sophistication that presents the aspiring pilot with a low‐cost alternative to the more expensive conventional flight simulator training. In this article the author will look at the design and use of multimedia training tools to enhance pilots’ Situational Awareness (SA). The potential and limitations of the multimedia training method will be discussed. The different conditions surrounding Situational Awareness training will be identified and possible training solutions to this aviation safety hazard will be presented.

Development of a Situation Awareness Training Program for Aviation Maintenance

Training to improve situation awareness has become a topic of concern, particularly in safety critical areas such as aviation. This paper describes a training program designed to enhance situation awareness across the multiple, distributed teams found in aircraft maintenance. Problems with poor situation awareness in aircraft maintenance and gaps in situation awareness across the multiple teams engaged in this process have been linked to aircraft accidents, damage and inefficiencies in airline operations. The training program was developed based on an instructional systems design model. A front-end analysis was conducted which resulted in a determination of instructional objectives and goals. Five concepts for training to improve team SA were specified and developed into a deliverable training program: Shared mental models, verbalization of decisions, shift meetings and teamwork, provision of feedback, and individual SA training. The instructional design process used and the Team SA Training Program developed for this domain will be discussed.

Body Consciousness and Situation Awareness in Perceptual Motor Systems

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between body consciousness, perceptual motor performance, and subjective ratings quality. Twenty-one college students participated. The Criterion Task Set unstable tracking task (Shingledecker, 1984) and the Private Body Conscious Scale (Miller, Murphy, and Buss, 1981) were used to explore relationships. Two hypotheses were tested: 1) self-reporting of performance accuracy varies with objective task difficulty and with actual performance quality, and 2) high body conscious individuals will outperform and also give more accurate estimates of their own performance than low body conscious subjects. Results provided support for the self-report accuracy and difficulty level relationship. Marginal support was found for the relationship between body consciousness and self-report accuracy. Additionally, a significant interaction indicated that, at higher difficulty levels, high body conscious subjects performed better than low body conscious subjects. Implications for situation awareness training, usability testing, and performance improvement are discussed.

Situation Awareness and Dynamic Performance Training Systems: Some Reflections on the Literature

The majority of the literature on situation awareness is focused on its perceptual definition and modeling. In contrast, this presentation focuses on the importance of training simulation systems in increasing the potential for good situation awareness. Situation awareness is defined as an evaluative product based on expert performance criteria. A conventional information processing model is used to represent situation awareness as a generalized concept and modified for specific applications. Three salient factors affecting quality situation awareness are discussed: 1) high fidelity procedural training, 2) expert knowledge and experience, and 3) the strong indeterminates of attitude and emotional state. Additional issues are discussed, including: a developmental verses a gestalt framework for the perceptual process; information processing capacities; automaticity skills; traditional verses transactional training; the novice/expert relationship; expert and novice decision making; training device fidelity and ethnographic concerns; the dimension of unpredictability; inherent psychological abilities; and workload.