Human Factors and Information Processing in Aerospace

Vocabulary flashcards covering core human factors, information processing frameworks, cognitive limitations, flight safety incidents, skill development stages, and decision biases in aerospace.

Human Error

An action taken by a human being that results in an incorrect or incomplete output, meaning the results gained were neither expected nor desired.

Air France Flight 447

A June 2009 crash caused when frozen speed sensors led to autopilot disengagement, and the pilots misinterpreted cockpit signals and failed to communicate, stalling the aircraft into the Atlantic Ocean.

Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Air Flight 302

Two Boeing 737 MAX fatal crashes in October 2018 and March 2019 caused by improper activation of an automated stall-avoidance system where the crews failed to disable the autopilot and take manual control.

US Airways Flight 1549

The January 2009 incident where Captain Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger and co-pilot Jeffrey Skiles safely ditched an unpowered airliner in the Hudson River following dual-engine bird strikes, saving all 155 people on board.

Human Information Processing Theory

A framework assuming humans receive environmental information via senses and perception, process it using working and long-term memory, and execute responses governed by attentional resource allocation.

Wickens' Model of Human Information Processing

A qualitative qualitative information processing model outlining stages to perceive sensations, transform data, choose actions, and interact with memory and attention resources.

Hick-Hyman's Law

An information processing law stating that a linear relationship exists between reaction time to a signal and the amount of information (number of alternative choices) to be resolved.

Fitts's Law

An information processing framework describing a linear relationship between movement time $T$ and target distance $D$ and size $W$, expressed mathematically as $T = a + b \frac{\text{log}_2(2D)}{W}$.

Aviation Phonetic Alphabet

A standardized radiotelephony spelling alphabet (e.g., Alpha, Bravo, Charlie) designed to optimize clarity and prevent miscommunication in verbal aviation transmissions.

Controller-Pilot Data Link (CPDL)

An automation tool that digitizes, transmits, and decodes verbal messages from air traffic controllers into readable text messages on cockpit displays, improving accuracy but not comprehension speed.

Stimulus-Response Compatibility

The natural structural or logical alignment between a control display stimulus and the corresponding human physical response, such as placing a response control knob to the right of a vertical display.

Mental Workload

The relationship between the mental resources demanded by an operational task and the cognitive resources supplied by the human operator.

Situation Awareness (SA)

The perception of elements in the environment within a volume of time and space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their status in the near future.

Concurrent Multitasking

Performing two or more tasks simultaneously, which succeeds when tasks utilize non-competing perceptual or attentional channels (such as spatial tracking while speaking verbally).

Sequential Multitasking

Switching back and forth between discrete tasks one at a time, commonly reverted to during times of high mental overload or severe emergency.

Interruption Management

The process of managing an unexpected, lower-priority distraction while engaged in a critical ongoing operation without omitting vital procedural steps.

Attentional Tunneling

A cognitive limitation in sequential tasking where an operator fixates total engagement on a single task for an extended duration, leading to the neglect of other safety-critical operations.

Eastern Airlines Flight 401

A December 1972 crash caused by attentional tunneling, where the crew fixated on diagnosing a burnt-out landing gear light bulb and failed to notice the autopilot had disengaged, crashing into the Everglades.

Northwest Airlines Flight 255

An August 1987 crash resulting from an interrupted taxiing checklist, which caused the pilots to inadvertently skip setting wing flaps prior to takeoff after being redirected to a new runway.

Cognitive Stage

The initial phase of skill acquisition where declarative knowledge is utilized to establish goals and comprehend the actions needed to achieve them.

Associative Stage

The intermediate phase of skill development where actions are refined through deliberate practice to ensure smooth execution while eliminating gross errors.

Autonomous Stage

The advanced phase of skill development where operational actions are executed with little conscious effort, relying on consistent stimulus-response mapping.

Deliberate Practice

A structured regimen of practice necessary to develop expertise; to foster flexibility in dynamic environments, training must introduce variations beyond simple repetition.

Salience Bias

A decision-making bias where all incoming cues are weighted equally or prominent cues dominate perception regardless of their diagnostic relevance.

Anchoring and Confirmation Bias

A cognitive decision bias where an operator fixates on the first arriving piece of information (anchoring) and preferentially attends to subsequent information that supports that initial impression.

Framing Bias

A cognitive bias occurring when faced with negative choices, driving decision-makers to reframe options positively and select a risky option over a sure loss.

Sunk Cost Bias

An extension of framing bias where a decision-maker continues along a failing course of action because of resources, time, or effort already expended.

Adaptive Decision Making

The dynamic alteration of decision-making strategies by human operators in response to environmental context and time pressure.

Visual Flight Rules (VFR)

Aviation regulations under which a pilot operates an aircraft relying primarily on visual reference to the outside environment rather than cockpit instrument displays.

Three Axes of Aircraft Flight

The three dimensional rotational axes of aircraft control: lateral axis (pitch), vertical axis (yaw), and longitudinal axis (roll).