Modelling the dynamics of team situation awareness

Kitchin, Joanne Claire (2019). Modelling the dynamics of team situation awareness. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

For decades both industry and academia have been interested in situation awareness, from individual situation awareness to system situation awareness of dynamic collaborative systems. Several theories and definitions exist for situation awareness and although considerable research has been conducted in this domain no definitive consensus has been reached. Therefore, the purpose of the research in this thesis is not develop new theories or definitions, but to explore how situation awareness presents itself in teams and systems in terms of team cognition. The methods used in this thesis include simulating team tasks using agent-based modelling, analysing team knowledge using concept maps and analysing team processes using entropy. In order to remove the risk of intrusion on the tasks being explored, the communications of team members are recorded and used as the primary data for the analyses conducted. Visually presenting knowledge of agents using concept maps made it easier to understand how the information was stored and transferred throughout the teams. An interesting result showed that it was not important for all agents to have the same information when key decisions were made and that when information is not shared the team performed better and with greater accuracy than when there was a focus on information sharing. Visually presenting team processes using entropy and process distribution allowed for patterns of behaviour to be identified. Results show that while individuals within teams feel confident with the amount of knowledge they have they will focus on working independent up until the point they can no longer achieve results on their own, at that point the team shifts to teamworking. The differences between teamwork and taskwork are related to the theories of shared and distributed situation awareness, concluding that shifts in team processes represent shifts in the two types of situation awareness.

Type of Work: Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)
Award Type: Doctorates > Ph.D.
Supervisor(s):
Supervisor(s)EmailORCID
Baber, ChristopherUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Stone, RobertUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Licence: All rights reserved
College/Faculty: Colleges (2008 onwards) > College of Engineering & Physical Sciences
School or Department: School of Engineering, Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering
Funders: Other
Other Funders: Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL)
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare
T Technology > T Technology (General)
URI: http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/9678

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