Cognitive Ergonomics & Mental Workload Flashcards

Cognitive tunneling (attentional tunneling) in high-demand work environments is characterized by:

Answer: Excessive focus on one information source while critical information from other sources is ignored

Cognitive tunneling occurs when attentional resources are locked onto a single task or display, causing the operator to miss important signals or events in the broader environment.

A 'mental model' in cognitive ergonomics is best defined as:

Answer: A person's internal representation of how a system works, which guides their interaction and predictions

A mental model is an individual's internal cognitive representation of a system's structure and behavior, used to guide actions and generate expectations about system responses.

Which display design principle most effectively reduces cognitive load by aligning interface layout with operator expectations?

Answer: Compatibility—designing displays to match the user's mental model of the system

Compatibility between displays and users' mental models reduces the cognitive translation effort required to interpret information, lowering workload and decreasing error probability.

Dual-task interference in cognitive ergonomics refers to:

Answer: Performance degradation that occurs when two concurrent tasks compete for the same limited cognitive resources

Dual-task interference arises because humans have limited cognitive resources; when two tasks demand the same type of processing (e.g., both verbal), performance on one or both degrades.

Which cognitive work analysis method involves workers verbalizing their thought processes in real time during task performance?

Answer: Think-aloud protocol (verbal protocol analysis)

The think-aloud protocol captures cognitive processes, mental workload, confusion points, and decision strategies by having participants verbalize their thoughts while performing a task.

In safety-critical operations, limiting consecutive shift length primarily targets which cognitive hazard?

Answer: Cumulative mental fatigue and the associated increase in cognitive error rates

Cognitive fatigue accumulates over extended work periods, degrading vigilance, decision quality, and error detection; shift length limits preserve mental performance within safe operating ranges.

Alarm rationalization is an ergonomic intervention for control room operators that primarily reduces:

Answer: Cognitive overload caused by excessive nuisance alarms that desensitize operators to critical alerts

Alarm rationalization eliminates unnecessary or duplicative alarms to prevent alarm flood conditions, ensuring operators can focus attentional resources on genuinely critical signals.