Formal Cognitive Resource Model: Modeling of human behavior in complex work environments

This paper presents a formal cognitive resource (FCR) model for the description of human behavior in complex work environments. As most important feature this model considers the motivated character of human work as related to the limitations of cognitive resources. The model is implemented with colored Petri nets. The formal description of colored Petri nets supports the simulation of the human-machine system in a completely consistent model structure. The mathematical basis of Petri nets allows a formal analysis of common systems. In a validation example the reasons for a specific behavior of human operators in a working environment are being identified depending on cognitive parameters of the FCR-model. It is shown how these parameters correspond to psychological performance properties