SUPERVISORY CONTROL IN A DYNAMIC AND UNCERTAIN ENVIRONMENT - LABORATORY TASK AND CREW PERFORMANCE

A research program using a microworld methodology for investigating hu man performance in a dynamic uncertain environment is described. One- and two-person crews performed a supervisory control task that involve d piloting a low-fidelity scout helicopter and supervising four additi onal helicopters. The simulated environment contained cargo and enemy craft that had to be discovered by searching a 100 mil forested region . The task required planning, intervention, and several types of resou rce management. An expert one-person crew performed comparably to novi ce two-person crews, and both of these were superior to novice one-per son crews. More detailed analyses of performance revealed several type s of limited adaptivity in the behavior of the novice crews.