The Cognition Laboratory is a part of the Human-Automation Integration Research Branch at NASA Ames Research Center. We conduct research which involves modeling the human operator in human-machine systems and experiments on normal human perceptual and cognitive processes. Current modeling efforts focus on the task of the human operator in Air Traffic Control. Experiments range from basic to applied. All experiments are administered via computer, with participants watching the monitor and answering by using the keyboard or mouse. Examples of experiments include attentional control, dual-tasking, and the detection of conflicts in an Air Traffic Control display.
Attentional Blink
Cognitive Simulation
Causes of Repetition Blindness
ATC Performance in Free Flight Simulation
The Control of Spatial Attention
For the past several years we have been investigating the conditions under which external visual stimuli of moderate intensity will capture spatial attention. We have shown that distractor stimuli will elicit involuntary shifts of spatial attention only when targets and distractors share properties that subjects are set to process. In this research we extend these results in two ways. First, we will examine the role that scene organization plays in modulating attentional capture. Objects will be defined by shape, color, and motion. If attention can be restricted to particular objects, then we should see no capture for distractors that belong to unattended objects. Second, we attempt to understand the mechanisms of selection by examining whether information from unattended objects is being processed even when attention has been captured by a distractor stimulus. Subjects will be exposed to targets and distractors that are defined by a unique motion, color, luminance, or onset. Varying these target and distractor properties will allow us to determine the level at which attentional control can be exerted, and the manner in which the processing of these features is organized.
In the current experiment we examine the pattern of reaction times between trials with abrupt onset and no-abrupt onset of the stimulus. Failure to find attentional capture in the onset condition would imply that the abrupt onset effect found in previous studies is dependent upon backward masking of the distractors.
Fundamental Limitations of Human Decision Making
In the current experiment, the subject's first task is to identify a letter shown on the computer screen. At the same time the subject is asked to respond to an auditory stimulus. Reaction times for both tasks are measured, and the interference that one task may cause in the other as they are performed concurrently is examined. The primary focus is on decision making behavior during the performance of the multiple tasks.