Development of Automatic Processing with Alphanumeric Materials

Abstract

This research investigated the development of automatic processing with alphanumeric materials that are representative of those processed by operators of some complex information systems. According to automatic processing theory, consistently mapped (CM) components of complex skills can be automatized with extensive practice, such that they are performed rapidly and accurately with minimal effort. Experiment 1 compared the effects of 3200 training trials in a memory search paradigm with alphanumeric materials under CM and variably mapped (VM) conditions. Dissimilar target and distractor sets were used. The results were consistent with the development of automatic processing in the CM condition. Experiment 2 examined the effect of similar target and distractor sets on CM performance. The results of Experiment 2 indicate that target/distractor similarity significantly affected CM performance. Such similarity therefore represents an important factor to be considered in the design of training programs to support the development of automatic 8 .processing with complex alphanumeric materials.INTRODUCTION Complex systems such as air traffic control can require the operator to rapidly process large volumes of information. Successful use of such systems requires highly skilled operators who can perform under high workload conditions. The high performance skills demanded of operators typically require extensive practice to develop and are characterized by qualitative differences between the novice and expert (Schneider, 1 9 8 5 ) .