Application of an Event-Based Situation Awareness Methodology: Measuring Situation Awareness in an Operational Context

• Published in: Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting Vol. 44; no. 11; pp. 423 - 426
• Main Authors: Milham, Laura M., Barnett, John S., Oser, Randall L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.07.2000
• ISSN: 1541-9312; 1071-1813; 2169-5067
• DOI: 10.1177/154193120004401125

The focus of the present paper is on the application of an event-based approach to the assessment of situational awareness (SA). Event-based approaches present measurement opportunities by systematically introducing exercise events or capitalizing on naturally occurring events in order to evaluate targeted competencies (such as behaviors related to SA). This approach works well for assessment of SA because events can be used to elicit behaviors that are often covert; monitoring the environment, for example. Typically, event-based approaches are applied in a laboratory setting, such as a flight simulator, where it is possible to control the introduction of events. In the present application, the event-based approach was applied to assess SA performance during dynamic flight events, where precise control could not be exerted. The ways in which the application was and was not successful, and ways in which this approach can be used to present training feedback are presented.