What could they have been thinking? How sociotechnical system design influences cognition: a case study of the Stockwell shooting

D P Jenkins; Paul M Salmon; Neville A Stanton; Guy H Walker; L Rafferty

doi:10.1080/00140139.2010.539706

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What could they have been thinking? How sociotechnical system design influences cognition: a case study of the Stockwell shooting

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What could they have been thinking? How sociotechnical system design influences cognition: a case study of the Stockwell shooting

D P Jenkins, Paul M Salmon, Neville A Stanton, Guy H Walker and L Rafferty

Ergonomics, Vol.54(2), pp.103-119

2011

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2010.539706

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Abstract

accidents

accident analysis

cognitive work analysis

command and control

decision making

error

perception

Understanding why an individual acted in a certain way is of fundamental importance to the human factors community, especially when the choice of action results in an undesirable outcome. This challenge is typically tackled by applying retrospective interview techniques to generate models of what happened, recording deviations from a 'correct procedure'. While such approaches may have great utility in tightly constrained procedural environments, they are less applicable in complex sociotechnical systems that require individuals to modify procedures in real time to respond to a changing environment. For complex sociotechnical systems, a formative approach is required that maps the information available to the individual and considers its impact on performance and action. A context-specific, activity-independent, constraint-based model forms the basis of this approach. To illustrate, an example of the Stockwell shooting is used, where an innocent man, mistaken for a suicide bomber, was shot dead. Transferable findings are then presented. Statement of Relevance:This paper presents a new approach that can be applied proactively to consider how sociotechnical system design, and the information available to an individual, can affect their performance. The approach is proposed to be complementary to the existing tools in the mental models phase of the cognitive work analysis framework.

Details

Title: What could they have been thinking? How sociotechnical system design influences cognition: a case study of the Stockwell shooting
Authors: D P Jenkins (Author) - Sociotechnic Solutions, United Kingdom
Paul M Salmon (Author) - Monash University
Neville A Stanton (Author) - University of Southampton, United Kingdom
Guy H Walker (Author) - Heriot Watt University, United Kingdom
L Rafferty (Author) - University of Southampton, United Kingdom
Publication details: Ergonomics, Vol.54(2), pp.103-119
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
Date published: 2011
DOI: 10.1080/00140139.2010.539706
ISSN: 0014-0139
Organisation Unit: Centre for Human Factors and Systems Science; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Law and Society
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450282902621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Engineering, Industrial; Ergonomics; Psychology; Psychology, Applied