1. Impacts of workload on trust in imperfect automated systems
References
Impacts of workload on trust in imperfect automated systems
Dakota Palmer Advisor: Yusuke Yamani, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology, Old Dominion University
Introduction
Method & Stimuli
Many professional tasks require the use of automation to reduce human errors and workload.
Operators can develop different states of trust towards machines (Lee & See, 2004). Trust miscalibration often results in inappropriate automation use such as misuse of reliable systems and disuse of unreliable systems (Parasuraman & Riley, 1997).
Operators report lower levels of subjective trust under higher workload even when reliability of an automated system stays the same (Karpinsky, Chancey, & Yamani, 2016).
The present study aims to examine how increased attentional demands influence three bases of trust (performance, process, and purpose) and visual scanning behavior during interaction with an imperfect signaling system.
Participants performed a flight simulation task (manual tracking + system monitoring with an automated aid)
Hypotheses: Under high workload conditions,
Operators will allocate less attentional resources to an automated task, reducing visual scanning towards the task.
Operators will report lower levels of trust, in particular on the performance dimension.
Manual Tracking Task
System Monitoring Task with Automated Aid
Left: “Hit” event
Middle: “False Alarm” event
Right: “Miss” event
Experimental Set-Up
40 undergraduate students at ODU performed a flight simulation task.
A manual tracking task was performed simultaneously with a system monitoring task assisted by an imperfect automated aid (70% reliability).
The tracking task difficulty was manipulated within participants (easy vs. difficult).
Operators’ eye movements were recorded. Operators completed a survey measuring three bases of trust: purpose, process, and performance. D
Results
Conclusion
Trust ratings were lower on the performance and process subscales under higher workload.
Operators spent less time on checking the system monitoring display, primarily with the miss-prone aid, when the tracking task demanded more attention.
Results indicate that workload can impact visual scanning patterns and perception of the aid’s performance, leading to lower levels of automation trust.
Research Question
References
How does increased workload influence operators’ scanning patterns and trust in automation across three bases of trust?
Karpinsky, N., Chancey, E., & Yamani, Y. (2016). Modeling relationships among workload, trust, and visual scanning in an automated flight task. Proceedings of the 2016 Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, International Meeting, Washington, D.C
Lee, D. & See, K. (2004). Trust in automation: designing for appropriate reliance. Human Factors, 46,
Parasuraman, R. & Riley, V. (1997). Humans and automation: use, misuse, disuse, abuse. Human Factors, 39,
Error bars represent 95% within-subject confidence intervals based on the effect of workload.
Applied Cognitive Performance Laboratory