ABSTRACT
Although there is no one universally agreed definition of error, most people accept that it involves some kind of deviation. Such deviations could be from the upright (trip or stumble); from the current intention (slip or lapse); from an appropriate route towards some goal (mistake); or, in some circles, it could even involve straying from the path of righteousness (sin). Error types differ markedly in their ease of detection and recovery. This depends upon the criterion or standard against which the performance is judged. Slips, involving ‘actions-not-as-planned’, are relatively easy to detect because we generally know what our current intentions are, or the circumstances make the deviation obvious. On some occasions, it is more useful to consider the nature of the actions involved in the error rather than their cognitive antecedents. One of the main advantages of action-based classifications is that there is generally a high degree of consistency among the classifiers.
