The Effects of Reliability and Criticality on an IED Interrogation Task

Abstract

Controlling and monitoring unmanned vehicles is a cognitively demanding task, particularly when searching environments for potential improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Due to the diversity of methods used to construct IEDs, unreliable information about the potential for harm may be provided to operators. Also, warfighters may search environments that are sparsely or heavily populated. Few researchers have manipulated information reliability and task criticality jointly, though these constructs often co-vary in real task situations such as IED search. Sixteen undergraduate students navigated an unmanned ground vehicle around a demarcated course and made object investigation decisions. Participants searched the environment under conditions of low and high criticality and encountered objects accompanied by low or high reliability warnings. Results showed that criticality and reliability individually and jointly impacted reaction time and navigation errors. The reported findings generally support our hypotheses and suggest additional work is necessary to replicate such effects with active duty personnel.

Measuring decision accuracy and confidence of mock air defence operators.

“…Participants made more accurate decisions in high DC than both low DC and medium DC conditions. This outcome supports previous findings that criticality influences performance (Hanson et al, 2014; Wheatcroft et al, 2017). Research has also shown that task performance increases when participants find the task more important (Kliegel, Martin, McDaniel, & Einstein, 2004), perhaps indicating that individuals believed high DC decisions to be important within the task context.…”

“…This highlights the potential for W-S C-A to aid the understanding of external factors influencing the decision maker, such as the criticality of the decision to be made and the level of stress (task load, TL) experienced. Research has found that criticality influences performance (Hanson, Bliss, Harden, & Papelis, 2014). Decision criticality (DC) refers to the associated consequence of that decision.…”

I want to brake free: The effect of connected vehicle features on driver behaviour, usability and acceptance

“…Criticality is defined as the life-threatening consequences of a task (Hanson, Bliss, Harden & Papelis, 2014). Four levels of criticality have been defined (ISO/TS 12204, 2012), based on occupants injury and vehicle damage (Table 2).…”

Designing in-vehicle signs for connected vehicle features: Does appropriateness guarantee comprehension?

“…there is a car between the lead vehicle braking and the ego vehicle). This feature is the most critical in the present study, as criticality refers to the life-threatening consequences of an action (Hanson, Bliss, Harden & Papelis, 2014).…”