Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 15, 2026

A Computerized Functional Skills Assessment and Training Program Targeting Technology Based Everyday Functional Skills
Published on: February 13, 2020
The use of adaptable automation: Effects of extended skill lay-off and changes in system reliability
Juergen Sauer1, Alain Chavaillaz1
1Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
Abstract:
This experiment aimed to examine how skill lay-off and system reliability would affect operator behaviour in a simulated work environment under wide-range and large-choice adaptable automation comprising six different levels. Twenty-four participants were tested twice during a 2-hr testing session, with the second session taking place 8 months after the first. In the middle of the second testing session, system reliability changed. The results showed that after the retention interval trust increased and self-confidence decreased. Complacency was unaffected by the lay-off period. Diagnostic speed slowed down after the retention interval but diagnostic accuracy was maintained. No difference between experimental conditions was found for automation management behaviour (i.e. level of automation chosen and frequency of switching between levels). There were few effects of system reliability. Overall, the findings showed that subjective measures were more sensitive to the impact of skill lay-off than objective behavioural measures.
Related Concept Videos
Distribution Reliability and Automation
Multimachine Stability
In analyzing the system, the nodal equations represent the relationship between bus voltages, machine voltages, and machine currents. The nodal equation is given by:
Control Systems
At the heart...
The Availability Heuristic
Fatigue
Survival Tree
Building a Survival Tree
Constructing a...
