Abstract
The present study investigates effects of automated decision aids in terms of expected performance benefits of automation support and possible negative performance consequences. The negative consequences include the possible effects of automation bias and performance decrements when returning to manual performance in case of automation failure. Three automated aids that support fault identification and management are compared in a simulated supervisory control task. Results show that primary and secondary task performance improved with automated support compared to manual performance, with effects directly dependent on the level of automation (LOA). Effects of automation bias emerged independent of LOA. For return-to-manual performance, weak indications of an automation-induced skill loss were only found in the highest LOA. These arose in manual fault management, but not in fault identification performance.