Errors in Human Performance

Abstract : Work on this contract examined various applications of human information processing, focusing on the analysis of human error. As a result of the contract investigations, several areas of potential application were identified. One area of immediate possible application is in the design of human-machine interfaces, with particular concern for aspects of system design that lead to human error, taking into account what is known about human attentional and short-term memory limitations. The major focus of the research effort was devoted to the study of human error, especially those made by highly skilled operators in complex, high-demand systems. A classification scheme for these errors was developed.