The term hysteresis effect refers to the shape of a performance curve when plotted against increasing and then decreasing demand. Performance during increasing demand reaches a maximum point and begins to deteriorate at high demand levels, whereas performance during decreasing demand is significantly degraded. The short-term memory, expectancy, and other hypotheses have attempted to explain the hysteresis effect. In this paper, it is argued that the hysteresis effect could be described by three phases of cognitive processing: an ideal transmission phase, a varying reaction time phase, and a sampling strategy phase. A mathematical model of human information processing was developed to explore the hypothesis. The model was simulated using the model human processor parameters (S.K. Card, T.P. Moran, and A. Newell, 1983). Experimental results demonstrated each processing phase in reproducing the hysteresis effect. Implications for human-machine systems are discussed. Actual or potential applications of this research include air traffic control, flight deck procedures, and interface design.
Abstract