ABSTRACT
According to R. Parasuraman et al., automation can be applied to different stages of human information processing and action regulation. According to their model, the following four types of functions can be automated to different degrees: information acquisition; information analysis; decision and action selection; and action implementation. Situation Awareness (SA) refers to the operators' maintenance of a coherent and comprehensive understanding of the situation. The situation model is dynamic in the sense that it has to be continuously updated through the alternation of top-down and bottom-up attentional processes. The construction of the situational model is based on the perception of new elements in the environment which are then integrated into a coherent mental representation by means of pattern recognition. According to Mica Endsley, over-reliance on automation and/or complacency is the primary cause for vigilance-related impairments in SA. Endsley and E. O. Kiris investigated the effect of increasing levels of automation in a decision-making task on performance, SA, and mental workload.
