ABSTRACT
This chapter will present a recent conceptualization of human cognition which has been used with some success to explain a number of key phenomena associated with selective attention and short-term memory2 (STM). We argue that the Cognitive Streaming framework developed by Jones (1993; see also Jones, Beaman and Macken, 1996) also has utility for explaining key observations from Situation Awareness (SA) research, and in particular the cognitive processes underlying anticipation. In broad terms, the concept of Cognitive Streaming refers to ways in which information is organized within the cognitive system, and in particular within STM. A key concept is that of transitional probabilities', the likelihood that certain types of event will occur following the occurrence of other events. Although the Cognitive Streaming approach has up until now been applied to understanding selective attention and STM, we believe that this approach provides a compelling account of how operators are able to acquire and maintain an awareness of present and future states of entities in their environment. We will argue that the use of transitional probabilities is the mechanism by which we are able to anticipate.
