Identifying Problems and Generating Recommendations for Enhancing Complex Systems: Applying the Abstraction Hierarchy Framework as an Analytical Tool

Xu, Willa

doi:10.1518/001872007x249857

Cited by 29 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…For example, CWA has been used to consider problems of organisational design (Durugbo, 2012;Xiao and Sanderson, 2013) and website design for supporting social networks (Euerby and Burns, 2014). In addition, this framework has been considered as a basis for supporting the development of measures for evaluating system effectiveness (Crone et al, 2007;Jenkins et al, 2008) and for the identification of system design problems and enhancements for their resolution (Xu, 2007).…”

Section: Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive work analysis: An influential legacy extending beyond human factors and engineering

Naikar

2017

Applied Ergonomics

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Jens Rasmussen's multifaceted legacy includes cognitive work analysis (CWA), a framework for the analysis, design, and evaluation of complex sociotechnical systems. After considering the framework's origins, this paper reviews its progress, predictably covering experimental research on ecological interface design, case studies of the application of CWA to human factors and engineering problems in industry, and methods and modelling tools for CWA. Emphasis is placed, however, on studying the nexus between some of the recent results obtained with CWA and the original field studies of human problem-solving that motivated the framework's development. Of particular interest is a case study of the use of CWA for military doctrine development, a problem commonly regarded as lying outside the fields of human factors and engineering. It is concluded that the value of CWA, even for such diverse problems, is likely to result from its conceptual grounding in empirical observations of patterns of human reasoning in complex systems.

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Section: Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive work analysis: An influential legacy extending beyond human factors and engineering

Naikar

2017

Applied Ergonomics

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“…A more formal way of representing the goals, means of achieving goals, and the constraints that define the boundaries of a domain is in terms of an abstraction hierarchy (Rasmussen, 1986;Vicente, 1999;Xu, 2007). Such a hierarchy provides a framework for determining which functions should be performed by people versus machines as well as which cognitive activities or limitations characterize performance.…”

Section: Assessing Training Requirementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Detailed abstraction hierarchies such as that constructed by Xu (2007) can be used to identify potential problems and needs for training for both routine and novel situations. Because the abstraction hierarchy represents the knowledge of the operator, it provides a framework to assess whether mental models are complete and effective for searching for solutions within the domain.…”

Section: Assessing Training Requirementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skill Acquisition and Training

Johnson¹,

Proctor²

2016

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Skill Acquisition and Training: Achieving Expertise in Simple and Complex Tasks describes the building blocks of cognitive, motor, and teamwork skills, and the factors to take into account in training them. The basic processes of perception, cognition, and action that provide the foundation for understanding skilled performance are discussed in the context of complex task requirements, individual differences, and extreme environmental demands. The role of attention in perceiving, selecting, and becoming aware of information, in learning new information, and in performance is described in the context of specific skills.A theme throughout this book is that much learning is implicit; the types of knowledge and relations that can profitably be learned implicitly and the conditions under which this learning benefits performance are discussed. The question of whether skill acquisition in cognitive domains shares underlying mechanisms with the acquisition of perceptual and motor skills is also addressed with a view to identifying commonalities that allow for widely applicable, general theories of skill acquisition. Because the complexity of real-world environments puts demands on the individual to adapt to new circumstances, the question of how skills research can be applied to organizational training contexts is an important one. To address this, this book dedicates much of its content to practical applications, covering such issues as how training needs can be captured with task and job analyses, and how to maximize training transfer by taking trainee self-efficacy and goal orientation into account.This comprehensive yet readable textbook is optimized for students of cognitive psychology looking to understand the intricacies of skill acquisition, while being accessible to a range of students and practitioners.

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“…As is evident, most reports use Work Domain Analysis, with fewer reports using Control Task Analysis, and even fewer reports using Strategies Analysis, Social Organisation and Cooperation Analysis or Worker Competencies Analysis. Benda and Sanderson (1998), Bisantz and Mazaeva (2009), Bisantz and Vicente (1994), Burns (2000), Burns et al (2003,2007), Vicente (1998, 2001), Jansson et al and Sanderson (1999Sanderson ( , 2001, Nguyen (2002), Stanton et al (2006), Torenvliet et al (2008), Vicente (1990Vicente ( , 1991Vicente ( , 2002, Vicente et al (1995), Vicente and Rasmussen (1990), Watson and Sanderson (1998), Wong et al (1998), Xiao et al (2008), Xu (2007), Zhou et al As various researchers have noted, one reason that Strategies Analysis is seldom used may be the lack of a satisfactory method for performing it that is well-integrated with the other phases of CWA (Vicente, 1999, Naikar 2006, Kilgore et al 2009, Cornelissen et al 2012. In this article, we seek to address this need by proposing a method for formative Strategies Analysis that should apply to a range of domains.…”

Section: Overview Of Cwa Phasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A formative approach to the strategies analysis phase of cognitive work analysis

Hassall

Sanderson

2012

Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science

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Strategies Analysis, the third phase of Cognitive Work Analysis, helps investigators consider the range of ways in which workers can perform control tasks. Most existing approaches to Strategies Analysis identify a limited number of domain-specific strategies. We present a two-phase formative Strategies Analysis method intended to expose the range of strategies possible within a work system and the likelihood that different types of strategies will be selected in different contexts. The first phase, the preparatory phase, identifies generalised constraints that affect the range and selection of strategies, and the categories of strategies that may be applied to any domain. In the second phase, the application phase, investigators use the outputs of the preparatory phase to explore the impact that different work situations, tasks and workers have on the categories of strategies most likely to be adopted.

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Identifying Problems and Generating Recommendations for Enhancing Complex Systems: Applying the Abstraction Hierarchy Framework as an Analytical Tool

Abstract: Applications include the identification of problems and generation of recommendations for complex systems as well as specific recommendations regarding pilot training, flight deck interfaces, and automation procedures.

Cited by 29 publications

References 36 publications

Cognitive work analysis: An influential legacy extending beyond human factors and engineering

Cognitive work analysis: An influential legacy extending beyond human factors and engineering

Skill Acquisition and Training

A formative approach to the strategies analysis phase of cognitive work analysis

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