Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
15
Training, Skills, and Cognitive Task Analysis
15.1
INTRODUCTION
Due to the introduction of computers and automated tools, manufacturing and production
systems have become increasingly complex (Sheridan, 2002). Although the automation
of manufacturing systems may have the effect of removing some employees from the
shop floor, those who remain get greater responsibilities. They supervise a production
system, they participate in the planning and scheduling of production, they exercise
quality control, and sometimes they take responsibility for ordering and deliveries. In this
complex environment, human errors can have serious consequences.
In referring to human errors, we do not mean to imply that an operator was truly at
fault and should be blamed. Rather, the reason for error may be poor design of the
production environment, poor management, or lack of training. In an unexpected crisis
situation, there will not be much time to act, and the human operator will use intuition to
make decisions. The decision may be entirely logical and rational, except that sometimes
the production system is not designed for logical or rational input, so a “human” error is
committed. The issue of transfer of training is often brought up in this context. In
situations of emergency, individuals act according to previously learned stereotypes—
except that the old stereotypes may not fit a new environment. One example is a pilot
who can fly several airplanes. In an emergency situation, the pilot may decide on instinct.
The response was appropriate for the first aircraft the pilot learned to fly, but not the
present aircraft.
In previous chapters we have addressed the issues of design of work systems; in this
chapter we focus on training and development of programs that can modify how people
work together, solve work-related problems, and actively fulfill their roles in ergonomics
implementation. We then introduce tasks analysis, which has a long tradition in HFE as a
tool for design of artifacts and for training programs. Finally we give an overview of
cognitive task analysis, which is very different from the regular task analysis. The
purpose in this case is to understand expertise and how to support the development of
experts in a work system.
15.2
ESTABLISHING THE NEED FOR TRAINING
To establish the need for training, one must understand what skills are required to
perform a task and the characteristics of the trainees (Goldstein, 1980; Patrick, 1992).
This is traditionally done in a systems approach to defining training needs (see Figure
15.1). First the training objectives are defined. These explain the purpose of the
