Empirical Evidence for a Model of Operator Reaction to Alerting Systems

A sample of aviation safety reports related to the Ground Proximity Warning System was pulled from the Aviation Safety Reporting System. These reports were used to evaluate a model of operator reaction to alerting systems, particularly focusing on cases of noncompliance. The model posited that operators try to define a causal path from the distal situation triggering the alert (which is generally unknown) to the proximal cues. The model implies that alert response behavior can be influenced by manipulating those factors that affect the ability to construct this mapping. Based on the examination of the reports, two refinements of the model are proposed. First, the ability to define a causal path is affected by time pressure; only those paths that can be verified are checked. Second, the paths are checked against preconceptions based on the task situation. These findings may have implications for the design of procedures and alerting systems.