Out-of-the-loop performance problem

For other uses, see Out of the Loop.

For other uses of "OOL", see OOL (disambiguation).

The out-of-the-loop performance problem (OOL or OOTL^[1]) arises when an operator suffers from performance decrement as a consequence of automation.^[2][3] The potential loss of skills and of situation awareness caused by vigilance and complacency problems might make operators of automated systems unable to operate manually in case of system failure. Highly automated systems reduce the operator to monitoring role, which diminishes the chances for the operator to understand the system.^[4] It is related to mind wandering.^[4]

Etymology

OOL is also known as out-of-the-loop syndrome^[5] and out-of-the-loop effect.^[6] One of the first mentions of the term "out of the loop" is found in a patent by Willard Meilander from Goodyear Aerospace Corporation for automated aircraft control in 1972.^[7][8] More early mentions of OOL came up in the context of flight automation in 1980s.^[9]

Consequences

Three Mile Island accident in 1979, USAir Flight 5050 crash in 1989, Air France Flight 447 in 2009 and the loss of $400 million by Knight Capital Group in 2012 are attributed to OOL.^[3][10]

Automatic train operation

Automatic train operation is meant to reduce manual operation. This results in OOL performance problem for train drivers.^[11]

See also

• Automation bias

References

1. Merat, Natasha; Seppelt, Bobbie; Louw, Tyron; Engström, Johan; Lee, John D.; Johansson, Emma; Green, Charles A.; Katazaki, Satoshi; Monk, Chris; Itoh, Makoto; McGehee, Daniel; Sunda, Takashi; Unoura, Kiyozumi; Victor, Trent; Schieben, Anna; Keinath, Andreas (1 February 2019). "The "Out-of-the-Loop" concept in automated driving: proposed definition, measures and implications". Cognition, Technology & Work. 21 (1): 87–98. doi:10.1007/s10111-018-0525-8. hdl:10919/93316. ISSN 1435-5566. S2CID 52279007.
2. Endsley, Mica R.; Kiris, Esin O. (June 1995). "The Out-of-the-Loop Performance Problem and Level of Control in Automation". Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. 37 (2): 381–394. doi:10.1518/001872095779064555. ISSN 0018-7208. S2CID 2147200.
3. Kaber, David B.; Endsley, Mica R. (1997). "Out-of-the-loop performance problems and the use of intermediate levels of automation for improved control system functioning and safety". Process Safety Progress. 16 (3): 126–131. doi:10.1002/prs.680160304. ISSN 1066-8527. S2CID 14070085.
4. Gouraud, Jonas; Berberian, Bruno; Delorme, Arnaud (1 January 2018). "Chapter 54 - Link Between Out-of-the-Loop Performance Problem and Mind Wandering: How to Keep the Operator in the Loop". Neuroergonomics. Academic Press: 239. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-811926-6.00054-3. ISBN 9780128119266.
5. Nadj, Mario; Maedche, Alexander; Schieder, Christian (1 August 2020). "The effect of interactive analytical dashboard features on situation awareness and task performance". Decision Support Systems. 135: 113322. doi:10.1016/j.dss.2020.113322. ISSN 0167-9236. PMC 7234950. PMID 32834262.
6. Endsley, Mica R. (February 2017). "From Here to Autonomy: Lessons Learned From Human–Automation Research". Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. 59 (1): 5–27. doi:10.1177/0018720816681350. ISSN 0018-7208. PMID 28146676. S2CID 3771328.
7. Merat, Natasha; Seppelt, Bobbie; Louw, Tyron; Engström, Johan; Lee, John D.; Johansson, Emma; Green, Charles A.; Katazaki, Satoshi; Monk, Chris; Itoh, Makoto; McGehee, Daniel; Sunda, Takashi; Unoura, Kiyozumi; Victor, Trent; Schieben, Anna; Keinath, Andreas (1 February 2019). "The "Out-of-the-Loop" concept in automated driving: proposed definition, measures and implications". Cognition, Technology & Work. 21 (1): 87–98. doi:10.1007/s10111-018-0525-8. hdl:1721.1/118125. ISSN 1435-5566. S2CID 254136498.
8. Meilander, Willard C. (6 June 1972). "Method and apparatus for vehicle traffic control". Retrieved 26 March 2023.
9. Wiener, Earl L.; Nagel, David C. (1988). Human Factors in Aviation. Gulf Professional Publishing. ISBN 978-0-12-750031-7.
10. Berberian, Bruno; Gouraud, Jonas; Somon, Bertille; Sahai, Aisha; Le Goff, Kevin (2017). "My Brain is Out of the Loop: A Neuroergonomic Approach of OOTL Phenomenon". Augmented Cognition. Neurocognition and Machine Learning. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol. 10284. Springer International Publishing. pp. 3–18. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-58628-1_1. ISBN 978-3-319-58627-4.
11. Wang, Aobo; Guo, Beiyuan; Du, Hao; Bao, Haifeng (2022). "Impact of Automation at Different Cognitive Stages on High-Speed Train Driving Performance". IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems. 23 (12): 24599–24608. doi:10.1109/TITS.2022.3211709. ISSN 1558-0016. S2CID 253325209.