Cognitive work analysis

The second step was an analytical evaluation using the ADS and the other concepts of Cognitive Work Analysis [924, 1023]. Therewith, some additional design suggestions, e.g. direct representation of reaction path and material data to relieve the developers working memory, and constraints on usage, e.g. if the process design is done by more than one user, have been derived. 

Vicente, K.J. Cognitive Work Analysis. Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah (1999)... 

Vicente, K. J. (1999), Cognitive Work Analysis Towards Safe, Productive, and Healthy Computer-Based Work, Erlbaum, Mahwah, NJ. 

In analysis of cognitive task components, holistic perspectives have moved beyond using CTA alone to more general analyses of cognitive work. Cognitive work analysis (CWA) includes methods to describe and represent the functional work domain applicable to human-machine systems without specifying particular technologies to accomplish the work (Miller 2004, Lintern 2009, Vicente 1999). 

Lintern, G. 2009. The Foundations and Pragmatics of Cognitive Work Analysis. Edition 1.0, Cognitive Systems Design, CognitiveSystemsDesign.net. 

Work domain analysis (WDA) comes from a suite of analytical methods, known collectively as cognitive work analysis (Vicente 1999). The basic premise of the approach is that work activity should be understood in terms of its constraints - that is, the limitations and demands that the work environment places on behaviour due to its physical, social and psychological characteristics. Work domain analysis is used to identify the structural and functional relationships present within a work setting. These are presented in a multi-level map of the work setting (Figure 5.4) that links its highest level features (purposes and priorities) to its lowest level features (processes, tasks and physical objects). 

The SRK framework is used with the cognitive work analysis approach to conduct the worker competencies phase. Vicente (1999) presented a worker competencies analysis of the Dual Reservoir System Simulation (DURESS) II process control microworld. Here, the worker competencies are expressed in terms of the skill-, rule-, and knowledge-based behaviors required. Most of the demands associated with industrial process control are cognitive rather than perceptual-motor in nature, and only limited tasks require skill-based behavior. Vicente suggested that operators should have basic perceptual skills and should be able to recognize and keep track of the labels for the various components within DURESS II. He also suggested that operators should be able to directly interact with displays rather than have to... 

Various human factors methods can be used to inform the TNA process. These include task analysis (e.g., HTA), cognitive task analysis (e.g., CDM), Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) (Vicente, 1999), interviews, questionnaires, and observational studies. A summary of HTA, cognitive task analysis, and cognitive work analysis... 

Human Factors in the Design and Evaluation of Control Room Operations 3.4.3.33 Cognitive Work Analysis... 

Jenkins, D.P., Stanton, N.A., Salmon, P.M., and Walker, G.H. (2009). Cognitive Work Analysis Coping with Complexity. Aldershot, U.K. Ashgate. 

BS/EN/IEC 61839 2000 states that other function representations may be more suitable than the hierarchical method proposed. It would, therefore, be consistent with relevant standards to deploy a method such as Cognitive Work Analysis... 

Cognitive Work Analysis is comprised of five individual methods and the first, woik domain analysis (WDA), is the means by which this functional analysis can be performed. The work domain analysis phase involves describing or modeling the system in which the activity under analysis takes place. A work domain analysis is used to identify the functional purpose and structure of the work domain in terms of the overall system goals, the processes adopted, and the artifacts used within the system. In modeling a system in this way, the system constraints that modify activity within the work domain are specified. These constraints can of course greatly influence the selection of automation strategies and allocation of function. 

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