The change in concepts needed to account for human behavior in complex dynamic tasks

Operators in complex dynamic tasks need to be adaptable to changing circumstances, and their understanding, planning, and organization of behavior are crucial to their effectiveness. The key mechanisms underlying their behavior are: building up an overview of understanding and plans, flexible sequencing of behavior which is adapted to the varying task context, and the development of expertise. This paper outlines the need for a contextual model of cognitive processing, and notes the implications for design.