Cognitive task analysis - A review

Due to an increase in the use of technology and complicated procedures, operators of complex dynamic systems face increasing demands upon their cognitive skills and resources. During the design, development, and evaluation of these systems, designers require an analysis of the cognitive skills and demands associated with the operation of the system in question, in order to develop and design interventions, allocate tasks, develop training procedures, and evaluate operator competence and performance. While traditional task analysis outputs are sufficient when seeking a physical step-by-step description of the component task steps required during task performance, they are often inadequate when a description of the cognitive processes involved is required. When designing, supporting, and evaluating task performance in today’s complex systems, a specific breakdown of the cognitive processes required during task performance is a necessity.