INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES IN MONITORING FAILURES OF AUTOMATION

Subjects included 24 non-pilots who performed simulated flight-related tasks of tracking, fuel-management, and system monitoring. Tracking a nd fuel management were performed manually, whereas system monitoring was automated. Subjects were required to detect system malfunctions no t detected by the automation (automation failures). The reliability of the automation remained constant or varied over time. Subjects detect ed significantly fewer automation failures in the constant-reliability automation condition than in the variable-reliability condition. Inef ficiency in monitoring for automation failure was examined in relation to three individual-difference measures: the Complacency Potential Ra ting Scale, the Eysenck Personality Inventory (introversion-extraversi on), and a modified version of Thayer's Activation-Deactivation Adject ive Check List (energetic arousal). These measures were not significan tly intercorrelated, suggesting their relative independence. For subje cts with high-complacency-potential scores, there was a correlation of -.42 between complacency potential and detection rate of automation f ailures. Introversion-extraversion was unrelated to monitoring perform ance. Finally, high energetic-arousal subjects had initially higher de tection rates in the constant-reliability condition than did low-arous al subjects. The results suggest a modest relationship between individ ual differences in complacency potential and energetic-arousal and aut omation-related monitoring inefficiency.