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Attention Management and Prospective Memory

Attention Management

Research Objective

Cockpit operations require managing the demands of multiple tasks concurrently. Interruptions, distractions, preoccupation, and lapses of attention have played a crucial role in many accidents in aviation and in other workplace settings. This project investigated the cognitive demands of concurrent task management and seeked to develop procedures and techniques that crews could use to reduce vulnerability to error.

Image of two pilots in the cockpit of a Boeing 747 Simulator, participating in a flight simulation study at NASA Ames Research Center.
Image of two pilots in the cockpit of a Boeing 747 Simulator at NASA Ames Research Center.
Credit- NASA

Research Approach

We analyzed National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident reports and Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) incident reports to characterize errors frequently made in concurrent task management in cockpit operations. We used questionnaires to learn how experienced pilots attempted to prevent errors. These analyses guided laboratory studies in which we investigated the cognitive demands of concurrent task management and developed methods to reduce error. We couched our findings as methods training departments could use to train crews to reduce vulnerability and to manage interruptions and distractions. These findings also led to ways to improve operating procedures.

Research Impact

Our findings helped the aviation community to understand its vulnerability to this class of error, to design flight simulation scenarios that realistically challenged crews, and to develop methods for managing concurrent task demands effectively. The net result was safer overall aviation operations.

Prospective Memory

Research Objective

In aviation, as in many workplace and everyday settings, people must remember to perform intentions that are deferred; for example, pilots must remember to follow ATC instructions for changes in fight path that are to be made later in a flight. Remembering to perform deferred intentions is called prospective memory. Many memory errors in real-world operations fall into this category, yet very little research was performed to understand the cognitive processes that underlie this aspect of memory. In this project, we analyzed the types of prospective memory demands pilots and controllers encounter, and the circumstances in which they are vulnerable to memory errors. Our research provided methods that individuals could use to reduce their vulnerability to this form of error.

Research subject seated in a flight simulator, participating in a Cockpit Attention Management study at NASA Ames Research Center.
Credit- NASA

Research Approach

We analyzed NTSB accident reports and ASRS incident reports to characterize prospective memory demands and the circumstances that contribute to errors. These analyses guided our laboratory experiments and theoretical modeling in which we were collaborating with university scientists seeking to elucidate the cognitive processes involved in remembering to perform intentions. The laboratory studies allowed us to design techniques individuals can use to reduce vulnerability to this form of error. These studies also provided a foundation for guidelines for operational procedures to improve the skills and performance of pilots and other personnel.

Research Impact

Our findings alerted the operational community to the nature of this seldom-recognized form of error, and they provided guidance on training techniques and operating procedures to reduce the occurrence of error. The net result of this research led to safer flight operations. Our findings were also applied to other domains, such as medicine.

Noteworthy Publications

Burian, B.K., Barshi, I., Dismukes, R.K. (2005). The Challenge of Emergency and Abnormal Situations, NASA Technical Memorandum 2005-213462. Moffett Field, CA: NASA Ames Research Center.

Dismukes, R.K., Nowinski, J. L. (2007). Prospective memory, concurrent task management, and pilot error, In A. Kramer, D. Wiegmann, & A. Kirlik (Eds.) Attention: From Theory to Practice. New York: Oxford University Press.

Dismukes, R.K., Berman, B., Loukopoulos, L.D. (2007). The Limits of Expertise: Rethinking Pilot Error and the Causes of Airline Accidents, Ashgate Publishing Company.

Loukopoulos, L.D., Dismukes, R. K., Barshi, I. (2009). The Multitasking Myth: Handling Complexity in Real-World Operations. Burlington, VT: Ashgate.

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