Distributed Situation Assessment under Varying Environmental Conditions

Abstract

This paper describes a study that is currently examining distributed problem solving performance in a simulated, dynamic battlefield situation assessment task, using computers as the interface between problem solvers and the simulated environment. There are four objectives of this study. First, identify any possible heuristics or strategies used by the group members in dealing with the problem. Second, observe how distributed situation assessment performance varies with environmentally imposed demands. Third, study human communication in both stressed and unstressed situations. Finally, examine how specific group communication protocols employed under different environmental conditions influence situation assessment performance. Thus, the overall objective of the study is to help identify and characterize human problem solving performance and human-machine performance characteristics that emerge when a computer intermediary resource is made an integral part of a distributed problem solving situation.