Abstract
The aim of this paper is to show how the theoretical gap between learning simple tasks and performing complex tasks can be bridged. A new approach is introduced that uses the ACT-Rational (ACT-R) cognitive architecture and offers a novel way to conceptualize and validate task analyses and provide insights into the nature of human skill acquisition. The key aspect of the architecture is production compilation, a computational account of skill acquisition that combines aspects of theories proposed by Anderson (1982, 1987) and Newell and Rosenbloom (1981). Production compilation is used to develop a detailed model of learning in a simulated air traffic control task.