Journal Consciousness & Cognition: Jonathan Schooler & Colleague Study Indicates Humans Are Challenged at Monitoring Computer Screens

Content: 

When a commercial jet crashed on landing in San Francisco, it was ultimately determined that the plane had slowed to an unsafe speed during approach--and no one in the cockpit noticed in time to prevent the accident.

With pilots assigned to monitoring aircraft position, speed, altitude and an array of other automated functions as they appear on a computer screen during flight, how could such a major lapse occur? Easily, suggests a new study, which posits that the nature of the task itself is a recipe for failure.

The NASA-initiated scientific examination paired its own research psychologist, Steve Casner, with Jonathan Schooler, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at UC Santa Barbara. Their results indicate that humans may be inherently bad at watching computers work--and that they're unlikely to get any better, no matter how careful the selection or training.

The paper, "Vigilance impossible: Diligence, distraction, and daydreaming all lead to failures in practical monitoring task," is published in the current issue of the journal Consciousness and Cognition.

"Our study really does suggest that vigilance is a very difficult task for people," explained Schooler. "Extended uninterrupted monitoring can be draining. The antidote to that is interruptions that break up the monotony, but we also found that the interruptions themselves contributed to lapses. And people will spontaneously mind-wander, and that can also contribute to monitoring difficulties."
 

Photo: 

Pilots in cockpit

News Date: 

Thursday, October 1, 2015