Symposium Analysis and Modeling of Use of Procedures in Dynamic Worlds: Implications for the Design of Computer-Based Procedures

In dynamic high risk environments, such as aviation, air traffic control, and nuclear power plant operations, when emergencies arise, the burden of diagnosing and developing a response strategy in real time can be very high. One response to this problem that has been adopted in a number of domains is to develop preplanned response strategies in the form of procedures that the person-on-the-scene is expected to follow in dealing with the emergency. This symposium examines the cognitive demands inherent in responding to emergencies when procedures are available, and the implications for development of computer-based procedures and related decision-support systems.

The four papers examine procedure-supported performance from different perspectives. Three of the papers directly compare operator performance in simulated emergencies using paper-based procedures with operator performance using prototypes of computer-based procedures. The paper by Converse, reports an empirical study comparing operator performance using these two modes of support. The papers by Laughery and Persensky and Hoecker, Corker, Roth, Lipner and Bunzo examine the use of simulation models of operator performance as engineering tools for predicting the effect of computer-based procedures on operator performance. All three papers point to ways in which computer-based procedures facilitate operator performance and ways in which they impose new demands. The fourth paper, by Roth, investigates operator performance in more complex simulated emergencies that are not fully addressed by the procedures. The paper describes the cognitive activities required of operators to recognize and deal with situations that go beyond the available procedural guidance, and discusses implications for the design of computerized procedures and related decision support systems.