1 / 27

Distributed Cognition

Distributed Cognition. How a Cockpit Remembers Its Speeds Edwin Hutchins. Classical Cognitive Science. Thinking about thinking Mental processes Individual human agent How information is represented Transformed Combined Propagated Nature of knowledge. Distributed Cognition.

kennan-summers
Download Presentation

Distributed Cognition

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Distributed Cognition How a Cockpit Remembers Its Speeds Edwin Hutchins

  2. Classical Cognitive Science • Thinking about thinking • Mental processes • Individual human agent • How information is represented • Transformed • Combined • Propagated • Nature of knowledge

  3. Distributed Cognition • Unit of analysis • Processes within system • Representations • External • Internal

  4. Cognitive Systems • Organizations • Role of material media • Physical processes • Human actors • Material media • Interactions • Explicit nature of environment

  5. Context: MD-80 Cockpit • Representations inside cockpit system • External to pilots • Procedure = behavioral properties • Constraint-based • Workers-finish-design

  6. Task: Memory Task • Remembrance of speeds • For subsequent use • For proper & safe • Initial descent • Approach to land • Instrument landing

  7. Artifacts: Wing Shape

  8. Artifacts: Speed Card & Fuel

  9. Artifacts: ASI & Speed Bugs

  10. Actors: Pilot Roles Two pilots/stations • Complete dual-flight instrumentations • Pilot Flying (PF) • Pilot Not Flying (PNF)

  11. Process Description • Prepare landing data (20 - 30 min. out) • Determine gross weight (Fuel Qty) • Find correct speed card (2000 lb. incr) • Post speed card • Set speed bugs on both ASIs • Descent - slow plane & configure wings • Final approach to land - Vref [Cross-checks & verbal communication]

  12. Cognitive Description-External • How are speeds represented? • How are representations • Transformed, • Processed, • Coordinated? • How does the system’s memory work?

  13. Observable Representations • Gross-weight display (Fuel Qty) • Speed card booklet • ASIs & speed bugs • Speed-select of Flight Director • Verbal exchanges between pilots • Setting bugs • Cross-checks • Call-outs /progress reports

  14. Additional Representations Memory of each pilot • Individual considered as part of system Media in the cockpit • Task environment forms memory • Internal representations

  15. Speed Card & Gross Weight • Long-term memory • Gross weight • Appropriate speeds • Functionally durable • Filtered information Correct weight = correct speeds • Distributed access • Social space • Knowledge

  16. Distribution & Transformation • Transformations of representations • Verbal (as relayed between PNF & PF) • Via speed bug settings • Cross-checking & redundancy • Time-critical procedure indications

  17. Configuration Changes • Speed determined • ATC instruction • Position in approach • ASI needle nears appropriate bug • PF calls for flap/slat configuration • PNF configures flaps/slats • Verification & cross-checks (with speed card)

  18. Salmon Speed Bug • Final approach speed reference (Vref) • Spatial relation with ASI needle • PF to track speed • PNF to determine deviations • Verbal representation of call-outs Lightens demand on visual load of PF

  19. External Representations Summary • Speed bugs • Resource for later processes • Durable working memory • Coordinated representations • Verbal • Speed card/fuel qty • Configurations • “System memory”

  20. Cognitive Description-Internal • Cognitive tasks of pilots • Task specification • Not procedural recount • Provide constraints on useable • Representations • Processes • Interpretation not recall Function in system memory

  21. Speed Card & Gross Weight • Pattern matching • Implicit learning • Internal structure for prediction • Interpret values • Card design • Working memory • Setting bugs - varied sequences

  22. Configuration Change Bugs • Numerical relations • Spatial position • Space of speeds “Configuration zones” • Superimposing representations • Functional systems

  23. Configuration Zones

  24. Salmon Speed Bug • Numerical relation • Scale of ASI and need positioning • Spatial proximity • Scale-reading task • Base of salmon bug • Verbal call-out - aural cue

  25. Notion of Memory • Traditionally a psychological function • A series of tasks in a functional system • Recognition & recall • Pattern matching • Cross-modal transformations • Distributed • Among human agents • Between human agents • Transformed external representations

  26. Workers Finish the Design • Provides constraints and artifacts • Salmon bug • Engineer’s design • Ease of location • Ease of interpolation • Pilot’s use • Determine 5-kt. deviations • Not anticipated by designer (engineer)

  27. Cockpit as Cognitive System • Unit of analysis • Transforms & propagates information • Use of representations • Notion of memory task • Redundant & robust

More Related