The Behavior of Observers in Detecting Unbriefed Targets at Different Aircraft Speeds with Side-Looking Radar.
Abstract
The numerous false positives found in SLR studies with unbriefed targets pose a severe problem for operational systems. The present study examines this problem and derives mathematical equations for describing observer behavior. Twenty USAF Radar Observers were trained and tested on side-looking radar. They searched for unbriefed airfields, industrial sites, railroad yards and tank farms at simulated aircraft speeds of 700-2110 knots. A data camera photographed every object on the display designated as a target. Tripling aircraft speed reduced target detections by only 17% while reducing reaction time by 56%. The high percentage of false positives was found to be due to the similarity of the radar signatures of targets and non-target objects. The false positive problem was shown to not be solvable by: (1) Better selection and/or training of observers, (2) Use of the expressed confidence in response correctness of observers, or (3) Use of teams of independently-working observers. The relationships between measures of performance were examined in detail. Selection of superior observers was found to be complicated by the conflicting behavioral requirements of different performance measures. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1978
- Accession Number
- ADA060908
Entities
People
- Herschel C. Self
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory