Working Memory Capacity, Mental Fatigue, and Human Performance

Paul Westfield

2024

Abstract

Errors in aviation can cause death. When the cause of error is not understood, it cannot be mitigated and will repeat. This paper will explore an area of error causality that is not addressed or even identified in aviation training or operations The aviation industry should evaluate their current pilots and establish a hiring baseline for working memory capacity. This is the first step in understanding and mitigating what may be a fundamental cause of many accidents and incidents. First, working memory (WM), working memory capacity (WMC), and mental fatigue (MF) will be defined using current literature. Only one study is operationally based, the rest are experimentally based. In the referenced literature, WMC was evaluated using complex span tests (CST) or automated operational span tests (Aospan). Individuals with low WMC were found to be more likely to be reactive, have slower response times, be more easily affected by interruptions, and have higher error rates. Individuals with high WMC were more proactive, were less affected by interruptions, maintained goal focus, and made fewer errors.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Westfield P. (2024). Working Memory Capacity, Mental Fatigue, and Human Performance. In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Cognitive Aircraft Systems - Volume 1: ICCAS; ISBN 978-989-758-724-5, SciTePress, pages 126-133. DOI: 10.5220/0013152600004562

in Bibtex Style

@conference{iccas24,
author={Paul Westfield},
title={Working Memory Capacity, Mental Fatigue, and Human Performance},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Cognitive Aircraft Systems - Volume 1: ICCAS},
year={2024},
pages={126-133},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0013152600004562},
isbn={978-989-758-724-5},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Cognitive Aircraft Systems - Volume 1: ICCAS
TI - Working Memory Capacity, Mental Fatigue, and Human Performance
SN - 978-989-758-724-5
AU - Westfield P.
PY - 2024
SP - 126
EP - 133
DO - 10.5220/0013152600004562
PB - SciTePress