People
| Office: | 2005 David King Hall |
| Mailing Address: |
4400 University Dr MS3F5 Fairfax, VA 22030-4444 |
| Phone: | 703-993-1398 |
| Email: | DBDAVIS AT gmu.edu |
Deborah A. Boehm-Davis is University Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology. She holds an A.B. in psychology from Rutgers the State University (Douglass College) and an M.A. and Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. She worked on applied cognitive research at General Electric, NASA Ames and Bell Laboratories prior to joining George Mason University in 1984.
Dr. Boehm-Davis' research focuses on how human performance is helped or hindered by the design of tools that help us accomplish everyday tasks with a particular interest in how improving the display of information can improve human performance. Her current research falls into two categories: aviation and the influence of interruptions on performance. In the past, she has been involved in work on cognitive workload, highway transportation, and software comprehension.
Dr. Boehm-Davis has served as the President of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and of Division 21 (Applied Experimental and Engineering Psychology) of the American Psychological Association. She is an associate editor for Human Factors and the International Journal of Human-Computer Studies. She also serves on the editorial board for Theoretical Issues in Ergonomic Sciences.
In 1985, she received the Franklin Taylor Award from the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society; in 1994, she received the Washington Academy of Sciences Award for Scientific Achievement in the Behavioral and Social Sciences and in 2002, she was selected as a member of the Douglass Society. In 2003, she received the Franklin V. Taylor Award from Division 21 of the American Psychological Association. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, and the International Ergonomics Association.
AVIATION
Our work in aviation has comprised work on commercial aviation as well as general aviation. Some of this work has been supported by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) while some of it has been funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
ANALYSIS OF PILOT PROCEDURES AND PRACTICES FOR AUTOMATED FLIGHT DECKS (1998 – current)
The relationship between Crew Resource Management (CRM) and flight deck automation management has been evident for some time. A number of carriers include specific automation skills under CRM, but the research community has yet to connect research in these two related areas. This effort integrates and extends what has been learned from prior research on proceduralized CRM to flight deck automation procedures and practices. The objectives of this grant are to: 1) develop advanced multivariate techniques for analyzing AQP data and answering more complex operational questions about pilot/crew performance; 2) model pilot/crew procedures and processes for two or three focal automation problems; and 4) use the model to develop new and better assessments of automation use in a fleet based on automation procedures and practices. The objectives build on a sequence from examining the current database information on crew automation performance, to isolating frequent and important automation-related problems, to computationally modeling the processes underlying those problems, and finally, to designing and evaluating model-based performance assessment tools. The results of this effort will be improved methods for collecting and analyzing automation performance data for an Advanced Qualification Program (AQP) setting, a specific cognitive model of particular problems in crew automation performance, and a prototype for the model development process.
Project Funded by: Federal Aviation Administration, AAR-100, sponsored by AFS-230
ABATEMENT OF AUTOMATION ERRORS BY TRAINING BASED ON COGNITIVE METHODS (1999-2003)
Cockpit automation has changed the roles, responsibilities, and activities of pilots, leading to new types of errors on the flight deck. This research is focused on understanding those errors through the development of a computational cognitive model that describes how pilots interact with automated systems. The cognitive model under development is based on a cognitive task analysis supplemented with eye tracking data collected from commercial pilots flying a low-fidelity simulator. These data informed our design decisions about what information pilots are acquiring from the flight deck while working with automated systems during climb or descent. We have developed a working computational cognitive model, which is built in ACT-R. The model allowed us to develop potential interventions to improve pilot performance, which are being tested empirically.
Project Funded by: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
ANALYSIS OF COCKPIT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN MULTIPLE CARRIER ENVIRONMENTS (1994-1999)
The long-term goal of transforming Crew Resource Management (CRM) from a set of attitudes to CRM-specific knowledge and skills is increasingly realistic. Knowledge of CRM is generally transferred through training in the classroom. Skills are usually trained in the flight simulator environment through Line-Oriented Flight Training (LOFT) and related sessions. Typically, a pilot, once qualified, undergoes LOFT once or twice a year. This six to twelve month time lag between training sessions has raised questions regarding the effectiveness of this training plan. One approach to increasing a crew's practice of CRM skills is to develop procedures that allow pilots to exercise CRM skills every time they fly on the line. Could CRM procedures be implemented in such a way that crews could systematically improve their CRM skills? This research grant addressed these questions through the design and implementation of prototype CRM training programs based on CRM procedures at a regional air carrier.
The grant evaluated the effects of CRM procedures training in Line Check and Line Operation Evaluation (LOE) performance of flight crews. The study employed procedure-based CRM that integrates CRM training and requirements into the standard operating procedures of the air carrier. Traditionally, CRM training has been treated as a separate training issue, but in this project, CRM was closely integrated with technical procedures. The grant team, with the strong cooperation of the regional air carrier, developed a set of CRM procedures that were trained under a carefully designed program called Advanced Crew Resource Management (ACRM). The empirical data collected over a 3-year period showed that the integration of CRM into procedures is effective in improving pilot performance.
Project Funded by: Federal Aviation Administration, AAR-100, sponsored by AFS-230
INTERRUPTIONS
Following its colloquial meaning, an interruption can be defined as the suspension of one stream of work prior to completion, with the intent of returning to and completing the original stream of work. Most commonly, the original task is suspended to accomplish another task. The intent to return and complete the interrupted task is key to understanding how the cognitive demands of interruptions distinguish it from simply switching from one task to another. Our research on interruptions focuses on different aspects of interruption. First, we are concerned with understanding the features that make interruptions disruptive to primary task performance at a basic level. Second, we are interested in understanding the basic processes that allow people to resume the original task. With this knowledge, we hope to be able to make recommendations for procedures, displays, etc. that can minimize the disruptive effects of interruptions. We have examined interruptions in the laboratory and in office settings. We are now interested in moving our attention to applied settings such as cockpits and hospitals.