Eliciting Expectations to Develop Trust in Systems

Abstract

A schema is a mental structure that represents some aspect of the world. Schemata are used to organize current knowledge of the world and to provide a framework for future understanding. When a new situation or capability is encountered, a schema is brought up for comparison and then the schema is altered as necessary. Expectations are part of the mental schema and can determine the fate of a relationship, be the relationship human-human or human-other. As complex socio-technical systems become more ubiquitous and as events become more dynamic, the ‘human-other’ relationship is often human-automation and the automation is a decision support system. Understanding the expectations of the intended user of a capability helps the system designer and developer address those expectations which helps instill trust in the developed capability. While much has been written on trust, understanding expectations that underlie trust has been neglected. This paper will discuss three methods explored to directly elicit expectations thereby enhancing initial trust in human-decision support systems.