A Simulation Model for Procedure Inference from a Mental Model for a Simple Device.

Abstract : Earlier work has demonstrated that knowledge of the internal structure of a simple control panel device enables people to more quickly learn how to operate the device, or to infer how to operate it in the absence of explicit instructions. An experiment is reported that shows that the important aspect of the knowledge about the device is the information about the system topology. This is information about the pattern of connections between the internal components and the operating controls and indicators. In contrast, information about the overall function of the system and the principles that the system is based on is not important. The basic conclusion is that the device model information is helpful because it supports the inference of the exact procedures required to operate the device. A simulation model based on this principle was developed, and is described in detail. The model makes predictions about the latencies between individual control actions, based on the amount of inferential processing required at each step. The predictions were supported by an analysis of the detailed response latencies from the experiment.