A Formal Model of the Adaptive and Discrete Control Behaviors of Human Operators.
Abstract
The focus of manual control research and the methods used for modelling and theorizing about manual control task performance are briefly reviewed. It is concluded that manual control research activities have been overwhelmingly concerned with constructing human operator transfer functions for simple tracking tasks. It is also concluded that the mathematical methods used in this type of research (typically difference or differential equations and their corresponding transfer function representations) constrain rather tightly the type of theories which can result. Further, generalization of these engineering theories beyond tracking is essentially impossible. It is argued, however, that control oriented concepts can be utilized to guide research on human adaptive, supervisory and co-ordinative control activities. A meta-theoretic analysis of control problems is made to identify the types of objects and relations which must be addressed in any theory of manual adaptive control. A new formulation of adaptive control problems is then derived. From the problem description, the type of objects upon which any representation of the adaptor (the system which accomplishes adaptation) are determined. Following in part work by Gaines, the adaptor is defined in terms of behaviors on a sequence of tasks.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1978
- Accession Number
- ADA059039
Entities
People
- Richard A. Miller
Organizations
- Ohio State University