ABSTRACT

Human beings are fallable elements in any system. Th ey are also a resource on which we continue to depend. System designers cannot seem to replace them with automation. Forgetting is part of what people do. Forgetting key elements of information in a dynamic, information-rich environment is all too common. Short-term memory, oft en referred today as working memory, is highly vulnerable when intervening events disrupt it. Add a distraction here and a little time pressure there, and presto, people forget even very important things (Lauber, 1993, pp. 24-25).