Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract Connected operators of future factories will interact with different devices to be ready to acknowledge any request to intervene or to take back control. The paper studies this ability by proposing a heartbeat-based alarm monitoring system to study human attention when acknowledging a request for action. Request to intervene is done via alarms from two configurations of a digital supervisory control system. Digital interactions of the focused configuration are performed on one touchscreen, whereas those of the distributed configuration are performed on separate touchscreens. Experiments were carried out with two conditions, with four levels of increasing difficulty on each configuration: one synchronous condition in which the flashing and beeping frequency of two alarms occurred synchronously with the heart rate of the participants and one asynchronous condition in which they were not. Four main significant results are obtained: (1) participants for which the alarms are synchronized with their heartbeats made significantly more errors of detection than the others; (2) participants are not really aware of such degradations; (3) these results are obtained for both configurations; (4) when a secondary task occurs, the alarm area scan rates in the synchronous condition are significantly lower than those in the asynchronous condition. Future research about connected operator will focus on the deep understanding of human abilities when the frequency of signals are synchronized with heart rate by studying different synchronization parameters and interaction modes. They will support the design of shared control process between humans and machines when, for instance, automated supports request a human intervention or when automated actions have to be canceled or validated by humans before a delay. PubDate: 2022-12-04
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract Human–robot collaboration in dynamic industrial environments warrants robot flexibility and shifting between tasks. Adaptive robot behavior unavoidably carries decision-making needs regarding task allocation and scheduling. Such decisions can be made either by the human team members or autonomously, by the robot’s controlling algorithm. Human authority may help preserve situational awareness but increases mental demands due to increased responsibilities. Conversely, granting authority to the robot can offload the operator, at the cost of reduced intervention readiness. This paper aims to investigate the question of decision authority assignment in a human–robot team, in terms of performance, perceived workload and subjective preference. We hypothesized that the answer is influenced by the cognitive workload imposed on the human operator by the work process. An experiment with 21 participants was conducted, in which decision authority and induced workload through a secondary task were varied between trials. Results confirmed that operators can support the robot better when decision authority is allocated according to their workload. However, operator decision authority (a) may cause inferior performance at any secondary tasks performed in parallel with robot supervision and (b) increases perceived workload. Subjective preference was found to be evenly divided between the two levels of decision authority, and unaffected by task difficulty. In brief, if human–robot team performance is a priority, humans should be granted decision authority when their overall workload allows it. In high-workload conditions, system decision-making algorithms should be developed. Nonetheless, process designers should be mindful of the interpersonal differences between operators who are destined to collaborate with robots. PubDate: 2022-11-08 DOI: 10.1007/s10111-022-00719-x
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract Team stress is an emergent cognition in which members jointly appraise their current task situations. The sharedness of stress appraisals has been elaborately studied in social groups such as couples, families, friends, and small communities. However, insights into teams have been rather limited. Keeping in mind the effects of stress on teams, it is essential to understand how team stress will form in teams over time. Seven dyad teams were observed during a 13-min flight simulation task. Researchers used the course of action analysis to reconstruct and distinguish one top-down (i.e., the shared stress configuration) and three bottom-up configuration types (i.e., the mimic, interactive, and independent stress configurations). Our findings suggest that especially the bottom-up influence of social stressors plays an important role in the team stress, especially when members verbally interact with one another. This proposes that, in comparison to the influence of contextual factors, diverse empathic processes play a more distinct role in the formation of team stress than initially thought in teams. This article also intends to illustrate how team stress can be studied over time, and how this type of output can contribute to a more fine-grained theoretical understanding of how team stress forms over time in teams. Last, it also provides some basic practical insights into the design of stress feedback systems. PubDate: 2022-11-01 DOI: 10.1007/s10111-022-00698-z
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract Navigating a ship is a complex task that requires close interaction between navigators and technology available on the ship’s bridge. The quality of this interaction depends on human and organisational factors, but also on technological design. This is recognized by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) through the SOLAS V/15 regulation that requires human factor considerations in bridge design. The objective of this paper is to investigate how tensions between the main stakeholders’ interests and perspectives in ship bridge design may influence the achievement of the goals set forth in the SOLAS V/15 regulation. This objective is explored through a qualitative study in the maritime industry, involving seafarers, shipowners, and equipment manufacturers. We find suboptimal ship bridge design usability to be connected to structural characteristics of the maritime sector, where different aims and perspectives between core stakeholders impairs alignment with respect to conception of work-as-done in the operative environment. We also find that profitability is a major driver for the blunt end stakeholders, for whom the relation between usability and profitability is perceived as a trade-off rather than of synergy. We conclude that there is a need to develop processes, enablers, and management tools to (1) update the understanding of the professional competence needed in the technology dense work environment on ship bridges today; (2) strengthen the maritime stakeholders’ awareness of the advantages of human-centred design (HCD) which are both operator well-being and system performance; (3) enable implementation of HCD into existing design and development processes; (4) provide metrics for business cases enabling informed ergonomic investment decisions. PubDate: 2022-11-01 DOI: 10.1007/s10111-022-00700-8
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract The automotive market today has seen the entry of Level-3 conditional automated driving vehicles equipped with an automated driving system that waits for the drivers to start it on the road. Before making a full assessment of the use of automated driving systems, drivers should be made to experience real-world conditional automated driving. A driver may have a mood change when driving a real-world automated vehicle. This emotion points to the mediation of motivation, which affects a driver’s cognition and intention to start an automated driving system on the road. In this study, the emotion of experiencing autonomous driving, cognition, and satisfaction of the driving performance were introduced to construct an intention model to start an automated driving system. Online and off-line questionnaires were adopted, and the emotional response, cognition of automated driving, and intention of 133 drivers who experienced real-world conditional automated driving were determined. Driver experience was assessed in four scenarios as part of emotional tests: during manual driving, during conditional automated driving, during takeover under the influence of the warning system, and during takeover driving. The results of the questionnaire showed a significant positive correlation between emotion and cognition, satisfaction of autonomous driving performance, and the intent to start the automated driving system. Emotions play a mediating role between cognition, satisfaction, and intention to start automated driving. Drivers who experienced conditional automated driving appeared to exhibit a moderately high level of emotional response in terms of joy, interest, and surprise, whereas medium-level negative emotions included fear and anger. Drivers experienced some intensity of emotional changes during conditional automated driving and takeover driving. The emotional changes were uneven but encouraging support was reported. In addition, specific hypotheses relating the driving performance of the automated vehicles (in terms of programmed design of takeover and warning system of takeover) to the emotional dimensions were tested. A cluster analysis of the emotional response measures revealed five different emotional patterns when experiencing the real-world automated vehicle, among which the happy/satisfied group had higher intention to start an automated driving system on the road, followed by the emotional group, whereas the disgust group showed the lowest intention. The cluster analysis was supported by demographic and driving cognitive characteristics (age, education, and self-evaluation of the driving level and driving experience) of the five groups of drivers. Finally, the theoretical and practical significance of this study was expounded. The research results may provide some suggestions and hints for the government and enterprises to promote the development of automated driving. PubDate: 2022-11-01 DOI: 10.1007/s10111-022-00706-2
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract Due to the argued benefits of passenger comfort, cost savings, and road safety, the bus sector is showing increasing interest in advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). Despite this growth of interest in ADAS and the fact that work tasks are sometimes complicated (especially docking at bus-stops which may occur several hundred times per shift), there has been little research into ADAS in buses. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop further knowledge of how professional bus drivers experience and accept an ADAS which can help them dock at bus-stops. The study was conducted on a public route in an industrial area with five different bus-stops. Ten professional bus drivers got to use a narrow navigation system (NNS) that could dock automatically at bus-stops. The participants’ experience and acceptance were investigated using objective as well as subjective data (during and after the test-drive) and data were collected using interviews, questionnaires, and video recordings. The participants indicated high levels of trust in and acceptance of the NNS and felt that it had multiple benefits in terms of cognitive and physical ergonomics, safety, and comfort. However, the relatively slow docking process (which was deemed comfortable) was also expected to negatively affect, e.g., timetabling, possibly resulting in high stress levels. Therefore, when investigating users’ acceptance of ADAS in a work context, it is important to consider acceptance in terms of the operation, use, and work system levels and how those levels interact and affect each other. PubDate: 2022-11-01 DOI: 10.1007/s10111-022-00704-4
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract The underlying relationship dynamics leading to authority gradients between frontline rail workers are being overlooked despite rail incident investigation reports pointing to the contrary. The aim of this study was to understand how the power disparities across multidisciplinary rail frontline workers can lead to authority gradients from the perspective of network controllers—the group at the apex of the operational hierarchy. A scenario generation technique was used to scaffold interviews with 55 rail network controllers from eight organisations across Australasia and identify how they perceived risky situations with all data thematically analysed. Authority gradient generation was found to be defined through: (1) motivations for network controllers to retain a position of authoritarianism toward train crew and track workers; and (2) behaviours that reinforced a power differential by curtailing their empowerment. Network controllers feared the probability and consequence of error and mistrusted in the capabilities of train crew and track workers, questioning their honesty, levels of competence, and believing they wanted to inherently cut corners. These motivations created a contemptuous regard that bred hostility and disparaging language, and engendered intimidation tactics where network controllers acted punitively and pressured train crew and track workers into compliance. The results from the scenarios point to perceptions of risk as the catalyst for fear and mistrust, with heightened perceptions of risk associated with increased vigilance and hostility across groups. This insight into how authority gradients are generated across operational teams in rail provides a new dimension to understanding teamwork error. PubDate: 2022-10-06 DOI: 10.1007/s10111-022-00713-3
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract Situational risk has been postulated to be one of the most important contextual factors affecting operator’s trust in automation. However, experimentally, it has received only little attention and was directly manipulated even less. To close this gap, this study used a virtual reality multi-task environment where the main task entailed making a diagnosis by assessing different parameters. Risk was manipulated via the altitude, the task was set in including the possibility of virtually falling in case of a mistake. Participants were aided either by information or decision automation. Results revealed that trust attitude toward the automation was not affected by risk. While trust attitude was initially lower for the decision automation, it was equally high in both groups at the end of the experiment after experiencing reliable support. Trust behavior was significantly higher and increased during the experiment for the decision automation supported group in the form of less automation verification behavior. However, this detrimental effect was distinctly attenuated under high risk. This implies that negative consequences of decision automation in the real world might have been overestimated by studies not incorporating risk. PubDate: 2022-10-03 DOI: 10.1007/s10111-022-00718-y
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract In the global war for talent, traditional recruiting methods are failing to cope with the talent competition, so employers need the right recruiting tools to fill open positions. First, we explore how talent acquisition has transitioned from digital 1.0 to 3.0 (AI-enabled) as the digital tool redesigns business. The technology of artificial intelligence has facilitated the daily work of recruiters and improved recruitment efficiency. Further, the study analyzes that AI plays an important role in each stage of recruitment, such as recruitment promotion, job search, application, screening, assessment, and coordination. Next, after interviewing with AI recruitment stakeholders (recruiters, managers, and applicants), the study discusses their acceptance criteria for each recruitment stage; stakeholders also raised concerns about AI recruitment. Finally, we suggest that managers need to be concerned about the cost of AI recruitment, legal privacy, recruitment bias, and the possibility of replacing recruiters. Overall, the study answers the following questions: (1) How artificial intelligence is used in various stages of the recruitment process. (2) Stakeholder (applicants, recruiters, managers) perceptions of AI application in recruitment. (3) Suggestions for managers to adopt AI in recruitment. In general, the discussion will contribute to the study of the use of AI in recruitment, as well as providing recommendations for implementing AI recruitment in practice. PubDate: 2022-09-28 DOI: 10.1007/s10111-022-00716-0
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract The present study examined how task priority influences operators’ scanning patterns and trust ratings toward imperfect automation. Previous research demonstrated that participants display lower trust and fixate less frequently toward a visual display for the secondary task assisted with imperfect automation when the primary task demanded more attention. One account for this phenomenon is that the increased primary task demand induced the participants to prioritize the primary task than the secondary task. The present study asked participants to perform a tracking task, system monitoring task, and resource management task simultaneously using the Multi-Attribute Task Battery (MATB) II. Automation assisted the system monitoring task with 70% reliability. Task load was manipulated via difficulty of the tracking task. Participants were explicitly instructed to either prioritize the tracking task over all other tasks (tracking priority condition) or reduce tracking performance (equal priority condition). The results demonstrate the effects of task load on attention distribution, task performance and trust ratings. Furthermore, participants under the equal priority condition reported lower performance-based trust when the tracking task required more frequent manual input (tracking condition), while no effect of task load was observed under the tracking priority condition. Task priority can modulate automation trust by eliminating the adverse effect of task load in a dynamic multitasking environment. PubDate: 2022-09-27 DOI: 10.1007/s10111-022-00717-z
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract Efforts have always been deployed to surpass limitations in human cognitive abilities to enhance aspects such as task accuracy, work effectiveness, and error management. Cognitive enhancement is a field aiming at improving human cognition to overcome those limitations. It bears important interest from the human factors community given its potential for reducing errors in complex operational environments, but also for occupational psychology to improve work performance, mitigate risks, and improve job stress/well-being. Yet, cognitive enhancement strategies are still marginally used in practice. The current narrative review presents a brief summary of the literature on human cognitive enhancement and discusses key implications as well as operational applications of the main methods and technologies reported in this field. Using a human factors perspective, the paper also outlines how such techniques could be integrated into intelligent support systems to help operators facing cognitive challenges in complex operational domains, including those experiencing functional limitations preventing them to contribute to the workforce. We also discuss the implications of integrating such techniques into the workplace and the consequences this might incur for workers and stakeholders. Then, we briefly present a five-step guideline to discuss ways of optimally integrating cognitive enhancement methods into the workplace. PubDate: 2022-09-18 DOI: 10.1007/s10111-022-00715-1
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract Contributing to the scarce literature on how companies can deal with their business model of digital transition, this work explores the digital transformation (DT) process in small and medium enterprises (SME), investigating how organizational culture, structure, and leadership influence it. While such three factors are deemed essential components to facilitate DT, how they operate and how they relate to each other are still not very well-defined issues in need of in-depth investigation. This study employed a mixed-methods approach, following an exploratory sequential design. First, a conceptual model was developed based on qualitative data collected from expert interviews and analyzed through grounded theory. This stage uncovered 25 first-order concepts about culture, structure, and leadership, further organized into 6 constructs and hypothesis paths. Then, with a sample of 192 SMEs, the structural model was measured and validated using exploratory factor analysis and PLS-SEM. As a result, our study offers robust and timely research, whose conceptual model condenses a knowledge corpus that future research can benefit from, and it provides statistical extrapolations about how and how much those factors relate to each other in SME context; moreover, given the traditional scarce resources and lack of flexibility in SMEs, it provides orientation and guidelines to managers facing DT and needing to understand the organizational factors they should be aware of, where to focus energy, and what to expect as results. From a large-scale perspective, this study carries an impactful contribution to the many countries where SMEs play a major economic and social role. PubDate: 2022-09-12 DOI: 10.1007/s10111-022-00714-2
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract The main objective of the current contribution was to investigate human–machine cooperation over time. Participants were asked to choose repeatedly between four automation modes ranging from manual control to supervisory control. Three experiments were undertaken to assess the influence of previous exposure to automation and duration of automation use on automation mode selection and associated subjective assessments. In Experiment 1, automation mode selection was investigated for a short period of time and without previous exposure to automation. Short- and longer-term automation selections were investigated after brief exposure to all automation modes (Experiment 2) or more extensive exposure to a particular mode (Experiment 3). Results indicated that automation mode selection and subjective assessments are influenced by both previous automation exposure and duration of use. Automation mode selection is not primarily based on perceived performances, subjective workload or on trust and acceptance of the automation modes. In practice, the reported data support the idea that short-term studies are not necessarily well-suited to investigating human–machine cooperation issues. PubDate: 2022-09-03 DOI: 10.1007/s10111-022-00712-4
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract Traditionally, automation was introduced to alleviate workload associated with tedious and repetitive tasks. Recently, automation is being used to augment knowledge work, which includes high-level cognitive activities. As automated systems are being extended to perform skill-based tasks, the work required of humans may be altered, potentially affecting their cognitive workloads. Researchers have investigated the influences of automation on cognitive workload across different domains and tasks by assessing changes in task performance, perceived (subjective) workload, and physiological states. A major challenge in comparing results and drawing inferences across studies is that a profusion of measures is often used to assess cognitive workload. The experimental tasks employed across many domains further complicates synthesizing findings. Thus, the aim of this review is to examine how cognitive workload is assessed when at least two different measures of cognitive workload are used in research focused on human-automated knowledge work. To accomplish this aim, the various approaches employed to measure cognitive workload were first summarized. Then, automated and cognitive experimental tasks were classified, utilizing existing frameworks, to identify associations, dissociations, and insensitivities across task types. Finally, recommendations were provided for aligning task types, study designs, and measurement selections, along with expanding the types of tasks and measures used when studying automation applications supporting knowledge work. PubDate: 2022-08-17 DOI: 10.1007/s10111-022-00708-0
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract The workplace is an important setting for health protection, health promotion and disease prevention. Currently, health and wellbeing approaches at an aviation organisational level are not addressing both human and safety needs. This issue has been intensified since the COVID 19 pandemic. This paper reports on the findings of a survey pertaining to aviation worker wellbeing and organisational approaches to managing wellbeing and mental health. The survey was administered at two different time periods during the COVID 19 pandemic (2020 and 2021). Collectively, feedback was obtained from over 3000 aviation workers. Survey feedback indicates that aviation workers are experiencing considerable challenges in relation to their health and wellbeing. These challenges are not being adequately addressed at an organisational level, which creates risk both from an individual and flight safety perspective. The descriptive findings of both surveys along with a regression analysis is used to make a principled case for augmenting the existing approach to managing aviation worker wellbeing (including mental health), at both an organisational and regulatory level. It is argued that aviation organisations, with the support of the regulator should implement a preventative, ethical and evidence-based strategy to managing wellbeing and mental health risk. Critically, aviation organisations need to advance and integrated health, wellbeing, and safety culture. This necessitates an alignment of human, business, and safety objectives, as articulated in concepts of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and responsible work. Critically, this approach depends on trust and the specification of appropriate protections, so that aviation workers feel safe to routinely report wellbeing levels and challenges, and their impact on operational safety. PubDate: 2022-08-17 DOI: 10.1007/s10111-022-00711-5
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract This paper analyzes teleworkers’ technostress evolution over time, as well as its effects on these individuals’ work-related well-being over time. The proposed research model was tested using a survey-based longitudinal study with individuals that forcibly moved to teleworking in the context of a COVID-19 lockdown at two points in time (T0 and T1). Results indicate that two techno-stressors (work–home conflict and work overload) generated strain in teleworkers, which in turn decreased their satisfaction with telework and perceived job performance. In addition, teleworkers experienced two types of enduring technostress: synchronous effect (i.e., stressors generating strain at T1), and a cumulative reverse causation effect (i.e., strain at T0 has an effect on stressors at T1). These findings contribute to cognition, work, and technology literature by providing a more complete understanding of teleworkers’ technostress and its possible cumulative effects over time. Practical insights for managing technostress when moving to and remaining in teleworking are provided. PubDate: 2022-08-01 DOI: 10.1007/s10111-022-00693-4
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract The close relationship between working memory and situation awareness (SA) has been confirmed and further empirical investigations are lacking. The main aim of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of working memory training for improving SA. Thirty-eight participants completed a challenging flight scenario in a high-fidelity flight simulator and were randomized into a training group (n = 20) or a control group (n = 18). The training group engaged in an adaptive dual N-back task for 2 weeks, while the control group was given a negative control task. Three-dimensional situation awareness rating technique (3D-SART) scores and situation awareness global assessment technique (SAGAT) scores were recorded to evaluate pretest and posttest SA. The results showed that both situational understanding dimension scores in the 3D-SART and SAGAT scores were significantly increased from the pretest to the posttest in the training group, while the control group showed no significant differences. It was concluded that working memory training can effectively improve individuals’ SA, which has important implication for future research. PubDate: 2022-07-04 DOI: 10.1007/s10111-022-00707-1
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Abstract During the last 20 years, technological advancement and economic interests have motivated research on automated driving and its impact on drivers’ behaviour, especially after transitions of control. Indeed, once the Automated Driving System (ADS) reaches its operational limits, it is forced to request human intervention. However, the fast accumulation and massive quantity of produced studies and the gaps left behind by standards have led to an imprecise and colloquial use of terms which, as technology and research interest evolve, creates confusion. The goal of this survey is to compare how different taxonomies describe transitions of control, address the current use of widely adopted terms in the field of transitions of control and explain how their use should be standardized to enhance future research. The first outcome of this analysis is a schematic representation of the correspondence among the elements of the reviewed taxonomies. Then, the definitions of “takeover” and “handover” are clarified as two parallel processes occurring in every transition of control. A second set of qualifiers, which are necessary to unequivocally define a transition of control and identify the agent requesting the transition and the agent receiving the request (ADS or the driver), is provided. The “initiator” is defined as the agent requesting the transition to take place, and the “receiver” is defined as the agent receiving that request. PubDate: 2022-06-06 DOI: 10.1007/s10111-022-00705-3
Hybrid journal (It can contain Open Access articles)
[2467 journals]
