ABSTRACT
Two series of experiments were conducted to investigate controllers’ information intake and cognitive representation. Their results served as an empirical base for the cognitive model. The model contains three different modes of task relevant conditions, which have subsequent implications to the underlying cognitive processes. These modes are monitoring, event integration and action regulation. Every mode comprises several modules, which are built up to represent the whole spectrum of controllers’ activities.
The model describes at a representational level the cognitive functions and attentional processes underlying the task compliance. It contains a hybrid architecture, which is built up by an analogue of the spatial radar screen information, which represents aircraft with an attached activation level. The activation level is computed by the second, relational part of the architecture, and controls the attentional processes. The relational part contains relevant attributes of the aircraft, which are continuously compared to planning data as well as to data of related aircraft.
