MEASURING THE EFFECTS OF AUTOMATION ON HUMAN MOTOR RESPONSE

摘要

This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the results of a quantitative researchproject designed to evaluate the responses to automated, versus manual, tasks for air trafficcontrol students. The subjects were evaluated using automated and manual, timed and self-pacedscenarios to determine if humans are more or less effective when performing a task that is highlyautomated compared to a similar task that is not automated. Both male and female students wereevaluated to determine if there was an indicated gender advantage. Subjects came from a varietyof academic programs to see of there was any difference between air traffic students and otherprograms. The study was designed to evaluate the effects of performing repeated automated andmanual tasks over a given time, measure the results and determine any negative effects ofautomation on an individual’s attention span and performance accuracy. This presentationprovides valuable human factors and safety insights for the aviation and aerospace communitiesregarding an individual’s motor skill response to a rapidly changing, and increasingly automated,air traffic control environment. It may also influence development and manning decisions asagencies continue the safe, orderly, and expeditious handling of an ever-increasing volume of airtraffic within the National Airspace System.