Citation

Behrend J, Dehais F. Safety Sci. 2020; 127: e104738.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ssci.2020.104738

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Adequate monitoring of automated systems is an essential aspect of procedure compliance, protective behaviour, and appropriate decisions in ultra-safe environments. In the air transport industry, the distribution of roles in a flight crew - Pilot Flying vs. Pilot Monitoring - reflects the importance of this task. Little is known about how pilot role assignment impacts monitoring behaviour and subsequent decision-making. We designed a field study where 62 airline pilots equipped with portable eye-trackers had to make a dynamic decision during approach in the airline's full-flight simulator. At a behavioural level, pilot role assignment (Pilot Flying vs. Pilot Monitoring) influenced decision time irrespective of rank (Captain vs. First Officer), with later decisions for the Pilot Monitoring. Eye-tracking results provided evidence that pilot role assignment rather than rank impacted fixations on choice-relevant information, with more fixations by the Pilot Monitoring. Overall, pilots' fixations on choice-relevant information could predict decision-making. We discuss implications for the optimal combination of role assignment and hierarchical rank.

Language: en

Keywords

Aviation; Decision-making; Eye-tracking; Monitoring; Team role