Human Factors in Reliability and the Psychology of Communications
International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management
ISSN: 0265-671X
Article publication date: 1 January 1986
Abstract
By developing ideas which attempt to identify and explain some of the more commonly occurring psychological mechanisms of human error this article aims to provide a background of understanding which will be helpful to the systems analyst in his task of predictive reliability assessment. A simple hypothetical model of the mind is described from which human error mechanisms are explained. An underlying theme is that of communication. Accepting that accidents develop when there arises a persisting misalignment between the true state of a system and the operator's perception of that state, the article examines the processes by which this updating takes place. An experimental technique “communications analysis” is presented as a possible analyst‐aid for the prediction of error‐event sequences. The technique is illustrated by application to a nineteenth‐century railway signalling system.
Citation
Hunns, D.M. (1986), "Human Factors in Reliability and the Psychology of Communications", International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 3 No. 1, pp. 22-37. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb002857
Publisher
:MCB UP Ltd
Copyright © 1986, MCB UP Limited