A New Look at the Relationship Between Individual Differences in Cognitive Abilities and Automation-Assisted Performance
Claire Textor, Richard Pak, Anne Collins McLaughlin, Randall EngleObjective
This study explored whether and which cognitive abilities are supported by various levels of automation.
Background
Parasuraman’s (2000) model of automation provided guidance for designing automation to augment cognitive tasks. Subsequent mixed empirical findings and evolving understanding of attention control in complex tasks suggested an evaluation of how automation supports cognition within a task was needed.
Method
Participants completed cognitive ability tests then a targeting task either manually or with information automation or decision automation.
Results
Decision automation supported working memory only when reliable, while attention control predicted performance regardless of automation level.
Conclusion
Results suggest automation can support specific processes like working memory, while attention control demands may persist across automation levels. However, because the task involved a relatively constrained form of automation, future research should examine whether these effects hold with more flexible, adaptive systems.
Application
Automation should target specific cognitive functions while recognizing that attention control demands may persist. Future research might investigate how other automation designs can better support this foundational ability.