ABSTRACT
The perceptual cycle model (PCM) has been widely applied to understanding processes such as decision-making and situation awareness as it provides a distributed approach, acknowledging the role of both internally held mental schemata and external environmental information in shaping these processes. There are, however, no associated methods with this model, and therefore, researchers have had to be creative with other methods in order to infer perceptual cycle processing. This chapter presents the development and testing of the Schema World Action Research Method (SWARM), an interview schedule for eliciting perceptual cycle information. Application of the method is exemplified through a case study of an aviation critical incident. The results demonstrate high theoretical validity with the PCM, and a test-retest reliability assessment demonstrated high reliability when the method was applied on two separate occasions. Future research endeavours are acknowledged in which the method is expanded across domains.
