Several models of team performance have suggested that a clearer understanding of team process is needed to determine better training formats and reduce crew-generated errors. The present study investigated the degree to which analyzing communication sequences would contribute to the understanding of effective crew process in two simulated flight tasks. The results indicate that pattern analyses reveal additional strong differences between performance groups that would have been overlooked by simple frequency counts of communication. In each case, the sequential analysis shed additional light on the communication patterns that characterize better-performing teams. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for team performance research and team training. Potential applications of this research include training needs assessment, training design, and performance measurement after training.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Artwick, B. (1989). Microsoft Flight Simulator (Version 4.0) [Computer software]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft.
2.
Bowers, C. A., Salas, E., Prince, C., & Brannick, M. (1992). Games teams play: A methodology for investigating team coordination and performance. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments and Computers, 24, 503–506.
3.
Brannick, M., Prince, A., Prince, C., & Salas, E. (1995). The measurement of team process. Human Factors, 37, 641–651.
4.
Buck, R. (1994). The pilot's burden. Ames: Iowa State University Press.
5.
Foushee, H. C., & Manos, K. (1981). Information transfer within the cockpit: Problems in intracockpit communications. In C. E. Billings & E. S. Cheaney (Eds.), Information transfer problems in the aviation system (Report No. NASA TP--1875). Moffett Field, CA: NASA--Ames Research Center.
6.
Jentsch, F. (1997). Metacognitive training for junior team members: Solving the copilot's catch--22. Unpublished dissertation. University of Central Florida, Orlando.
7.
Jentsch, F., Martin, L., & Bowers, C. (1997). Identifying critical training needs for junior first officers (Tech. Report). Washington, DC: Federal Aviation Administration.
8.
Jentsch, F. G., Sellin--Wolters, S., Bowers, C. A., & Salas, E. (1995). Crew coordination behaviors as predictors of problem detection and decision making times. In Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 39th Annual Meeting (pp. 1350–1353). Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.
9.
Kanki, B. G., Folk, V. G., & Irwin, C. M. (1991). Communication variations and aircrew performance. International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 1(2), 149–162.
10.
Kanki, B. G., Lozito, S. C., & Foushee, H. C. (1989). Communication indexes of crew coordination. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 60, 56–60.
11.
Kanki, B. G., & Palmer, M. T. (1993). Communication and crew resource management. In E. L. Wiener, B. G. Kanki, & R. L. Helmreich (Eds.), Cockpit resource management (pp. 99–136). San Diego, CA: Academic.
12.
Mosier, K. L., & Chidester, T. R. (1991). Situation assessment and situation awareness in a team setting. In Y. Quéinnec & F. Daniellou (Eds.), Designing for everyone: Proceedings of the 11th Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (pp. 798–800). London: Taylor & Francis.
13.
Orasanu, J. (1990). Shared mental models and crew performance (Report No. CSLTR--46). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University.
14.
Orasanu, J. M., & Fischer, U. (1991). Information transfer and shared mental models of decision making. In R. S. Jensen (Ed.), Proceedings of the Sixth International Symposium on Aviation Psychology (pp. 272–277). Columbus: Ohio State University.
15.
Prince, C., Chidester, T., Bowers, C. A., & Cannon--Bowers, J. A. (1992). Aircrew coordination: Achieving teamwork in the cockpit. In R. Swezey and E. Salas (Eds.), Teams: Their training and performance (pp. 329–353). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
16.
Rodvold, M., Orasanu, J., Murray, L., Tyzzer, L., & Eastman, J. (1997). Has CRM succeeded too well? Assertiveness on the flight deck. Unpublished manuscript.
17.
Salas, E., Prince, C., Baker, D., & Shrestha, L. (1995). Situation awareness in team performance: Implications for measurement and training. Human Factors, 37, 123–136.
18.
Sanderson, P., & Fisher, C. (1994). Exploratory Sequential Data Analysis: Foundations. Human--Computer Interaction, 9, 251–317.
19.
Sanderson, P., & Fisher, C. (1997). Exploratory Sequential Data Analysis: Qualitative and quantitative handling of observational data. In G. Salvendy (Ed.), Handbook of human factors and ergonomics (pp. 1471–1513). New York: Wiley.
20.
Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (1996). Using multivariate statistics. New York: HarperCollins.
21.
Thornton, R. C. (1992). The effects of automation and task difficulty on crew coordination, workload, and performance. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA.
