Aircrews and automation bias: The advantages of teamwork?

A series of recent studies on automation bias, the use of automation as a h euristic replacement for vigilant information seeking and processing, has i nvestigated omission and commission errors in highly automated decision env ironments. Most of the research on this phenomenon has been conducted in a single-person performance configuration. This study was designed to follow up on that research to investigate whether the error rates found with singl e pilots and with teams of students would hold in the context of an aircraf t cockpit, with a professional aircrew. In addition, this study also invest igated the efficacy of possible interventions involving explicit automation bias training and display prompts to verify automated information. Results demonstrated the persistence of automation bias in crews compared with sol o performers. No effects were found for either training or display prompts. Pilot performance duringthe experimental legs was most highly predicted by performance on the control leg and by event importance. The previously fou nd phantom memory phenomenon associated with a false engine fire event pers isted in crews.