The influence of additional information on operators use of assistance systems: An experimental evaluation

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In safety related work environments, such as process industry or aviation, operators are supported by alarm systems. Those systems are a specific type of assistance systems which have been subject of many empirical studies, examining possible relevant aspects that influence operators use or disuse of assistance systems. In the case of alarm systems, one well-known problem is the high number of false alarms. When operators realize the low alarm reliability, they lose trust in the system. As a consequence, they try to validate most of the given alarms. For validation purposes, they use additional information such as raw data. Operators reaction to an alarm by cross-checking the underlying raw data is referred to as informed compliance. Empirical studies show that different aspects of the systems, the operators, and the situation may influence informed compliance. The aim of this research project is to evaluate the impact of specific aspects of the situation on informed compliance. Furthermore, possible interactions of these aspects with each other, with system characteristics, and operator related aspects will be examined. An experiment will be conducted using the luggage screening paradigm, which simulates a security check scenario at the airport. Participants will fulfill the task with the help of an alarm system. In order to validate alarm information, they will have access to raw data. As independent variables system reliability, access to information, and degree of information content will be varied. It is expected that all three factors influence participants informed compliance. In addition, participants perceived workload, self-confidence, and trust in the system will be assessed using questionnaires in order to control for possible interaction effects. The study is one part of a long-term project; therefore, results will be used for the development of a model predicting operators use of assistance systems.