The Cognitive Science of Intelligence Analysis

Abstract

Over the years, the human factors community has identified many challenges and complexities associated with intelligence analysis, many directly related to cognition. The pressures that intelligence analysts must deal with on a day-to-day basis stretch one’s cognitive bandwidth. Through a review of human factors related intelligence analysis research, this paper presents multiple cognitive challenges that impact intelligence analysts’ work. In response to these challenges, the authors outline ways in which human factors can be beneficial to alleviating many of the challenges. Finally, the authors introduce the Living Lab approach as a valuable and unique means for understanding the cognitive science of intelligence analysis.

Institutional influence on assessments: the institutional analysis and development framework applied to military intelligence

“…This is done by triggering cognitive bias or heuristics or by limiting the information available at any given time. Several cognitive biases have been connected to intelligence analysis work including anchoring, availability heuristics, confirmation bias, and framing (Heuer, 1999;McNeese, Buchanan, & Cooke, 2015). However, there is a variety of different forms of cognitive biases, but those cognitive biases resulting from the rules-in-use can be largely understood as institutional influence.…”

Intelligence Analysis Shift Work: Sensemaking Processes, Tensions, and Takeaways

“…Each day, intelligence analysts pore over reports, social media, maps, and other sources to identify key facts, make sense of them, and use that “sensemaking” to inform mission-critical action. This unquestionably important work is only growing in complexity as the nature of threats changed post 9/11 and as the velocity, volume, and variability of digital information sources has exploded (Gartin, 2019; McNeese et al, 2015). These create a need for analysis work to be undertaken on a continuous 24/7 basis.…”