Random thoughts about the nature of cognitive systems
Since the introduction of the information processing model of human performance - box diagrams have been a dominant form for representing cognitive processes. Unfortunately, these diagrams have many misleading entailments: The boxes (or circles) suggest that the 'system' can be reduced to a number of relatively independent processes that can be studied in isolation. The ...continue reading…
To say that Rasmussen's Decision Ladder or SRK Model has had a strong influence on how I think about human performance would be a gross understatement. This model resulted from Rasmussen's observations of how experts did trouble-shooting to diagnose problems in electronic equipment. He observed that often these experts took short cuts that by-passed some ...continue reading "Revisualizing the…
Early breakthroughs with respect to explaining mechanisms or inanimate things have shaped the narratives that have dominated early science. The scientific explanations of mechanisms were based on causal narratives with a strict ordering in time such that causes always precede effects. Thus, explaining an action (an effect or a response) involved tracing back along a ...continue reading "Explaining…
With heavy hearts and fond memories, we announce the passing of Linnea Kosater Flach, a beloved wife, sister, mother, aunt, grandmother, teacher, and friend to so many. Linnea left this world with the same quiet strength, deep compassion, and sharp wit that defined her life. Born on August 8, 1948, Linnea dedicated her life to ...continue reading "In Loving Memory of Linnea Kosater Flach (August…
Is there such a thing as an 'objective truth' that is independent of an individual's experience? For many, the point of science is to discover such a truth that is invariant across observers. On the other hand, one might ask whether the unique subjective experiences of individuals are valid? Consider the question of whether a ...continue reading "Truth? A Pragmatic Perspective on Meaning" The post…
When discussing decision making people often make a contrast between rational decision making (Spock) and intuitive decision making (Kirk). Rational decision making is typically described as deliberate, analytical thinking that can be modeled using classical logic and mathematics (e.g., probability theory). Although humans don't often live up to the ideals of logic or mathematical models…
In 1978, Rich Jagacinski hired me as a graduate research assistant to help with a project to compare peoples' ability to track a target based on kinesthetic feedback with the ability to track the same target based on visual feedback (1). I was totally unprepared at the time, and even after 6 years of graduate ...continue reading "The Myth of Control " The post The Myth of Control appeared first on…
Imagine a young human factors engineer, recently graduated from a psychology program at a small Midwestern university (in Dayton, Ohio). He goes to work for a large engineering corporation and is told that he will be participating in a project to design the next generation of decision support for Combined Air and Space Operations Centers ...continue reading "Work Domain Analysis: A not atypical…
Over a 40+ year career exploring human performance in socio-technical systems I have observed or participated in numerous work domain analyses using various forms of representations such as concept maps, flow diagrams, journey maps, and abstraction hierarchies. It has been obvious that the processes involved in collecting the data and constructing these representations have been ...continue…
I recently listened to a talk by Jamer Hunt on "The Anxious Space between Design and Ethnography" In his talk, he creates a two-dimensional space (four quadrants) to reflect the famous quote from Donald Rumsfeld on "Unknown-Unknowns." He uses this space to illustrate the overlapping territory explored by anthropology and design. The talk stimulated me ...continue reading "Science through Design"…