Measures of human problem solving performance in fault diagnosis tasks

The literature relating to human performance in fault diagnosis tasks is reviewed with emphasis on measures of performance. Based on this review, 30 measures of ability, aptitude, cognitive style, and task performance are evaluated, using data from two experiments that involved diagnosing faults in both simulated and live equipment. Results based on correlation, regression, and factor analysis are presented that indicate only three unique dimensions of performance: errors, inefficiency, and time. In addition, cognitive style appears to be a reasonable predictor of performance. Ability, measured by standard precollege tests, is also a reasonable predictor when combined with measures of cognitive style.