Cognitive requirements for aircraft navigation

This thesis presents a cognitive analysis of a pilot's navigation task, and using this foundation, describes an experiment comparing a new map display, employing the principal of visual momentum, to the two traditional track-up and north-up approaches. The visual momentum display is based on the characterization of the pilot's navigation task as the maintenance of a cognitive link between two reference frames (RFs)--the ego-centered reference frame (ERF) and the world-centered reference frame (WRF). The ERF corresponds to the pilot's forward view of the world and the WRF corresponds to a north-up geographic map. The new map display employs visual momentum by presenting the ERF, in the form of a perceptual wedge, in the context of a north-up map's WRF. An experiment was conducted to assess the different displays using licensed pilots to perform diverse navigation tasks in the context of computer simulated helicopter missions. As predicted, the data showed the advantage to a track-up map is its congruence with the ERF; however, the development of survey knowledge is hindered by the inconsistency of the rotating display. The stable alignment of a north-up map aids the acquisition of survey knowledge, but there is a cost associated with the mental rotation of the display to a track-up alignment for tasks involving the ERF. The data also show that the visual momentum design captures the benefits and reduces the costs associated with the two traditional approaches.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2011

Author dc:creator

• Aretz, Anthony Joseph

Contributors dc:contributor

• Wickens, Christopher D.

• Psychology, Experimental

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 1990 Aretz, Anthony Joseph

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

AAI9026125
(UMI)AAI9026125

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/22374