Abstract

This synoptic report focuses on the design, development, and application of cognitive task analysis (CTA) within the context of naturalistic decision making. It reflects 30+ years of research, emphasizing my methodological contributions. After an introduction (Chapter 1) and discussion of the research context (Chapter 2), my contributions are described in terms of three themes. The first is the development of the applied cognitive task analysis (ACTA) suite of methods (Chapter 3). These methods were designed to make CTA methods accessible to practitioners who have not studied cognitive psychology or related fields. Since the 1998 publication of ACTA, the methods have been applied and adapted for use in a broad range of domains. The second theme is the use of CTA to inform training (Chapter 4). This chapter includes a case study describing the use of CTA to develop training for sepsis recognition, followed by a project to identify theory and evidence-based training design principles to inform the design of recognition skills training. The third theme is CTA to inform technology design (Chapter 5). This discussion highlights my efforts to disseminate and apply the decision-centered design framework to guide the design of decision support technologies, and the more recent contribution in the form of integrated cognitive analysis (ICA) to inform the design of human-autonomy teams.

The final chapter of this synoptic report synopsizes these themes and my contribution to knowledge and applied practice, as driven by societal challenges. For example, the ACTA methods were developed in response to a call for methods to understand decision making as more physical aspects of work were mechanized leaving humans to manage cognitive complexity. The resulting ACTA methods have been used to support significant contributions to research worldwide. Sepsis recognition training was needed to overcome limitations in physician training brought on by changes in rules for supervision. The resulting training has improved sepsis recognition and patient outcomes. As advanced autonomation and autonomy become reality, methods are needed to envision how the nature of work will change and how humans and machines will work together. The ICA has been used successfully to meet this need in military and space operations. Each of these contributions met a need at a point in time; however, the world continues to change requiring additional adaptations and new methods. The final chapter concludes by outlining my path forward as I continue to study challenging real-world problems, with a focus on meeting emerging challenges.