The effect of knowledge levels on operators response to malfunctions and technical problems in the system

Author

Gopher, Daniel ; Barzilai, Orly

Author_Institution

Res. Center for Work Safety & Human Eng., Technion-Israel Inst. of Technol., Haifa, Israel

fYear

1993

fDate

17-20 Oct 1993

Firstpage

185

Abstract

We describe the results of an experiment in which operators interacted with a simulated workstation, requiring the control of 5-8 stations for filling containers with hazardous liquids. In the course of work, different malfunctions occurred intermittently, and one of several compensatory behaviors had to be chosen, or the system could be halted and fixed by maintenance. One group of subjects was given only procedural knowledge and operation instructions. A second group received, in addition, detailed information on the structure and transfer functions of the system. Enhanced knowledge was harmful to performance in the early encounters with malfunctions. Subjects took more risks and misjudged their ability to cope with problems. Only with extended experience, augmented knowledge was beneficial to performance

Keywords

behavioural sciences; human factors; man-machine systems; compensatory behaviors; enhanced knowledge; human factor; human operators response; knowledge level effect; operation instructions; procedural knowledge; system malfunctions; technical problems; Cognitive science; Containers; Control systems; Costs; Ergonomics; Filling; Humans; Liquids; Road accidents; Safety;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Systems, Man and Cybernetics, 1993. 'Systems Engineering in the Service of Humans', Conference Proceedings., International Conference on

Conference_Location

Le Touquet

Print_ISBN

0-7803-0911-1

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/ICSMC.1993.384743

Filename

384743