Development and validation of a theoretical model for cognitive skills acquisition

As computer-based manufacturing systems become more complex, performance of the human in such systems becomes more critical due to the assignment of c ognitive and decision making tasks to the shop floor. The objective of this research is to test the theoretical model of human skill requirements and acquisition associated with the operation of Advanced Manufacturing Technol ogy (AMT) developed in a previous work. An operational model is developed f rom the theoretical model and tested. Specifically, it is proposed that men tal workload capacity and ability level within an individual can be combine d to determine an individual's "ability margin". Twelve subjects performed figure comparison tasks in which perceptual speed and visualization ability requirements were manipulated. Results support the concept of an ability m argin. The significance of this research lies in its contribution to develo ping a new and effective methodology for predicting, in a systematic and st ructured way, the available cognitive resources and abilities required to o perate, maintain and manage AMT in the workplace. A key conclusion of this study is that abilities are independent of each other in terms of the resou rce allocation policy within each resource pool.