Modeling human intention formation for human reliability assessment

• Published in: Reliability engineering & system safety Vol. 22; no. 1; pp. 169 - 200
• Main Authors: Woods, D.D., Roth, E.M., Pople, H.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 1988; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Energy; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Exact sciences and technology; Fission nuclear power plants; Installations for energy generation and conversion: thermal and electrical energy; Human; Safeguard; Human operator; Probabilistic approach; Risk analysis; Modeling; Human error; Cognitive theory; Acquisition process; Ergonomics; Simulation; Nuclear power plant; Man machine relation; Reliability; Artificial intelligence; Computer aid
• ISSN: 0951-8320; 1879-0836
• DOI: 10.1016/0951-8320(88)90073-7

This paper describes a dynamic simulation capability for modelling how people form intentions to act in nuclear power plant emergency situations. This modeling tool, Cognitive Environment Simulation or CES, was developed based on techniques from artificial intelligence. It simulates the cognitive processes that determine situation assessment and intention formation. It can be used to investigate analytically what situations and factors lead to intention failures, what actions follow from intention failures (e.g. errors of omission, errors of commission, common mode errors), the ability to recover from errors or additional machine failures, and the effects of changes in the NPP person-machine system. One application of the CES modeling environment is to enhance the measurement of the human contribution to risk in probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) studies.