Measures of human problem solving performance in fault diagnosis tasks

Author

Henneman, Richard L. ; Rouse, William B.

Author_Institution

Center for Man-Machine Systems Res., Georgia Inst. of Technol., Atlanta, GA, USA

Issue

1

fYear

1984

Firstpage

99

Lastpage

112

Abstract

The literature relating to human performance in fault diagnosis tasks is reviewed with emphasis on measures of performance. Based on this review, 30 measures of ability, aptitude, cognitive style, and task performance are evaluated, using data from two experiments that involved diagnosing faults in both simulated and live equipment. Results based on correlation, regression, and factor analysis are presented that indicate only three unique dimensions of performance: errors, inefficiency, and time. In addition, cognitive style appears to be a reasonable predictor of performance. Ability, measured by standard precollege tests, is also a reasonable predictor when combined with measures of cognitive style.

Keywords

fault location; human factors; man-machine systems; ability; aptitude; cognitive style; correlation; errors; factor analysis; fault diagnosis tasks; human problem solving performance; inefficiency; regression; task performance; Computers; Context modeling; Fault diagnosis; Humans; Problem-solving; Time measurement; Training;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Systems, Man and Cybernetics, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9472

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/TSMC.1984.6313272

Filename

6313272