[part of Simon Grant's research]

Modelling and simulating cognition, and its relevance to complex tasks where humans are in control

Background

Work in modelling and simulating cognition was done within the Socio-Technical Systems Safety (STSS) Sector of the Industry Environment Unit in ISEI, and previously in the forerunners of these parts of the organisation for a number of years. The cognition that is modelled includes any of the mental processes that are involved in information gathering, processing and decision-making. Among other leaders of the field, Jens Rasmussen, James Reason, Neville Moray, Lisanne Bainbridge, and Erik Hollnagel were all at the JRC or collaborated with Carlo Cacciabue, who was in charge of the STSS Sector. The work originated in the field of human factors in process control and nuclear power plant safety, and now typically deals with a variety of complex tasks including tasks in modern transport and traffic management, and they consider it using models of error-prone mental mechanisms. Amongst these, the cognitive simulation model COSIMO, developed at the JRC, has a history going back to the late 1980s and continued to be the subject of current active interest amongst various research laboratories for some time.

Significant connections

• Human factors training, such as Crew Resource Management, needs to have a model of mental processes to transmit to trainees and for explaining the importance of the cognitive side of human factors. This is based on cognitive psychology and also much writing in the field of cognitive engineering.
• The analysis of accidents can be based on a model of cognition. This is necessary to make sense of cognitive factors in human error.
• Human reliability analysis needs to be based on a model of cognition to progress forward from the common statistically over-simplistic views of human fallibility.
• Human-centred automation is only possible by taking into account the cognitive capabilities of the human, and if appropriate, the interaction between several humans.
• The development of any advanced software tool involves assumptions about the information needs, and related cognitive activity of the users.

As can be seen, there is a large and diverse range of activities that are, or can be, supported by modelling cognition.

Work that was current in 1996

The STSS Sector's Aviation Safety Group was the home of the most active work in this field:

• modelling commercial aircraft piloting skill is related to Crew Resource Management training courses;
• co-operation and stress are subjects of interest in the domain of Air Traffic Control;
• development of architecture for modelling and simulation works towards more efficient and effective modelling of cognition in any complex task.

Future potential

Modelling of cognition could potentially contribute more at least to these aspects of activities which may be of continuing relevance to the JRC and similar bodies:

• human factors training courses;
• accident analysis;
• risk and reliability analysis;
• the study and evaluation of expert judgement;
• safety systems, licensing, regulations and standards;
• the design of robust human-machine interaction;
• the development of advanced software tools;
• human understanding of and interaction with complex equipment and natural systems.

This shows that while being basic research it is also close to potential applications.

Because cognitive human factors are so important in transport safety in general, modelling of cognition could play an important part in the core of a potential European Transport System Safety Research Unit. It is a key basic research area to complement and support marketable research, applications and products, which could be done both inside and outside such a unit. It is just the kind of activity that would fit well as an institutional component of in a "science park" environment.