Out-of-the-Loop Performance Problems and the Use of Intermediate Levels of Automation for Improved Control System Functioning and Safety

Notes

## Bibliographic Note

Kaber, D. B. & Endsley, M. R. (1997) 'Out-of-the-loop performance problems and the use of intermediate levels of automation for improved control system functioning and safety', *Process Safety Progress*, 16(3), pp. 126–131. doi: 10.1002/prs.680160304.

Conceptual paper and empirical summary arguing that human supervisory control, monitoring, and passive information processing are all forms of out-of-the-loop (OOTL) performance, each carrying vigilance, complacency, SA loss, and skill-decay costs that worsen during automation failures. Presents level of automation (LOA) as a systems function-allocation approach that keeps human and computer jointly involved, and reproduces the Endsley & Kaber ten-level LOA taxonomy (Table 1) defined over four generic functions — monitoring, generating, selecting, implementing. Summarises an experiment (30 university students, simulated dynamic target-acquisition control task after Tulga & Sheridan, four 10-minute trials) showing that intermediate LOAs outperform both manual control and high automation: computer aiding in implementation at low-intermediate levels improved throughput, joint human-computer option generation at upper-intermediate levels reduced overlooked tasks, recovery from automation failures was best when humans retained the implementation role, and SA comprehension improved when humans were relieved of strategy selection. Frames the safety/cost case for intermediate automation in process control (foundries, nuclear, petrochemical). Compiled in full into [[levels-of-automation-taxonomy]]; extends the OOTL argument and five-level scheme of Endsley & Kiris (1995) compiled in [[out-of-the-loop-performance-problem]]. Presented at the AIChE Spring National Meeting, Houston, 10 March 1997. PDF→orig offset +125 (PDF p. N = orig. p. N+125).

```bibtex
@article{kaber1997intermediate,
  author  = {Kaber, David B. and Endsley, Mica R.},
  title   = {Out-of-the-Loop Performance Problems and the Use of Intermediate Levels of Automation for Improved Control System Functioning and Safety},
  journal = {Process Safety Progress},
  year    = {1997},
  volume  = {16},
  number  = {3},
  pages   = {126--131},
  doi     = {10.1002/prs.680160304}
}
```

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