Potential Uses and Applications of Saint to the Analysis of Quality Control Systems

Abstract

Variables affecting human perception, vigilance, and decision-making are important in the design and installation of inspection stations for industrial production systems. The purpose of the research reported in this paper was to apply SAINT to the investigation of the operational and economic effects of factors affecting the performance of industrial inspectors both in detecting defects and in identifying acceptable products. Potential uses of SAINT in relating the results of perceptual and behavioral research to the design of quality control systems are also discussed. It is evident that many currently fragmented but well documented principles and models can be related in a dynamic way through the application of SAINT. It appears that SAINT can be used as a powerful research tool in applied settings to predict and then to evaluate trade-offs among variables affecting the performance of the inspector and of the quality control system as a whole.