This paper presents a theoretical model of situation awareness based on its role in dynamic human decision making in a variety of domains. Situation awareness is presented as a predominant concern in system operation, based on a descriptive view of decision making. The relationship between situation awareness and numerous individual and environmental factors is examined. Among these factors, attention and working memory are listed as critical factors that can limit operators from acquiring and interpreting information from the environment to form situation awareness. Mental models and goal-directed behavior are presented as important mechanisms for overcoming these limits. The impact of design features, workload, stress, system complexity, and automation on operator situation awareness is addressed, and a taxonomy of errors in situation awareness is introduced, based on the model proposed. The model is used to generate design implications for enhancing operator situation awareness and future directions for situation awareness research.
Abstract