Search for: All records

Resilient teams overcome sudden, dynamic changes by enacting rapid, adaptive responses that maintain system effectiveness. We analyzed two experiments on human-autonomy teams (HATs) operating a simulated remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) and correlated dynamical measures of resilience with measures of team performance. Across both experiments, HATs experienced automation and autonomy failures, using a Wizard of Oz paradigm. Team performance was measured in multiple ways, using a mission-level performance score, a target processing efficiency score, a failure overcome score, and a ground truth resilience score. Novel dynamical systems metrics of resilience measured the timing of system reorganization in response to failures across RPAS layers, including vehicle, controls, communications layers, and the system overall. Time to achieve extreme values of reorganization and novelty of reorganization were consistently correlated with target processing efficiency and ground truth resilience across both studies. Correlations with mission-level performance and the overcome score were apparent but less consistent. Across both studies, teams displayed greater system reorganization during failures compared to routine task conditions. The second experiment revealed differential effects of team training focused on coordination coaching and trust calibration. These results inform the measurement and training of resilience in HATs using objective, real-time resilience analysis.

 

Objective We review the current state-of-the-art in team cognition research, but more importantly describe the limitations of existing theories, laboratory paradigms, and measures considering the increasing complexities of modern teams and the study of team cognition. Background Research on, and applications of, team cognition has led to theories, data, and measures over the last several decades. Method This article is based on research questions generated in a spring 2022 seminar on team cognition at Arizona State University led by the first author. Results Future research directions are proposed for extending the conceptualization of teams and team cognition by examining dimensions of teamness; extending laboratory paradigms to attain more realistic teaming, including nonhuman teammates; and advancing measures of team cognition in a direction such that data can be collected unobtrusively, in real time, and automatically. Conclusion The future of team cognition is one of the new discoveries, new research paradigms, and new measures. Application Extending the concepts of teams and team cognition can also extend the potential applications of these concepts. 

Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) communicate with pilots through radio communication. Speech intelligibility is vital in ensuring that the message is conveyed accurately. Factors such as speech rate affect this. Additionally, workload and stress have been shown to affect how people communicate significantly. In this paper, we attempt to analyze the voice data of ATCs who participated in a simulated experiment in the context of these non-verbal aspects of communication, particularly transmission length and speech rate. To better understand, we analyzed our data at two levels: aggregate and individual. Moreover, we focused on a single participant to see how such non-verbal characteristics evolve. Understanding these intricacies would contribute to building automated detectors in real-time voice transmissions that would leverage technology to avert any incidents brought about by stress and workload. 

The present research examines a pattern-based measure of communications based on Closed Loop Communications (CLC) and non-content verbal metrics to predict Loss of Separation (LOS) in the National Airspace System (NAS). This study analyzes the transcripts from six retired Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) who participated in three simulated trials of various workloads in a TRACON arrival radar simulation. Results indicated a statistically significant model for predicting LOS based on CLC deviations (CLCD), word count in transmission, words per second, and traffic density. However, more research is required to evaluate the significance of each communication variable to predict LOS. 

This study investigated in 22 teams, individual and team trust measures reported by two human participants, recruited from a university populace, as they interacted with each other, robotic combat vehicles (RCVs), a human superior, and their team during a simulated Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) mission conducted within Minecraft. Trust was measured via survey questions based on established metrics and was found to be high toward the human peer, the human superior, and the overall team throughout the mission. In contrast, overall trust in the RCV was significantly lower in phases of the mission when breakdown in RCV functionality caused a hindrance in mission completion. Trust in the RCV was shown to recover as the mission progressed in phases without RCV maintenance issues. The findings reinforce that trust is distinguishable at the individual level and not necessarily perceived the same at the team level. 

Ụbụrụ is an executive function computerized rehabilitation application specifically designed for mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) individuals. Ụbụrụ utilizes serious games to train cognitive flexibility, planning, and organization. This paper explores the rationale and components behind the alpha stage of the application’s development, and its first design iteration. Currently, individuals with a history of mTBI have limited rehabilitation options as a result of lack of knowledge in terms of available services, access, time, or financial and insurance constraints. Due to the invisible nature of mTBIs, perception of injury severity is diminished, individuals are not properly equipped with how to proceed forward with rehabilitation, and awareness of injury can be inadvertently compromised. The intention behind the Ụbụrụ application is to be a computerized cognitive rehabilitation alternative and additive when limitations such as time, finances, or insurance exist. 

Cyber attackers commonly operate in teams, which may process information collectively and thus, may be best understood when the team is treated as the unit of analysis. Future research in Oppositional Human Factors (OHF) should consider the impact of team-influencing and team-level biases and the impact that defensive interventions have on team cognition in general. Existing measurement approaches using team interactions may be well suited for studying red teams, and how OHF interventions impact cyber attackers.