Macrocognition: The Science and Engineering of Sociotechnical Work Systems
The increasing complexity of work systems and changes in the nature of workplace technology over the past century have resulted in an exponential shift in the nature of work activities, from physical labor to cognitive work. Modern work systems have many characteristics that make them cognitively co...
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| Format: | Online |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media SA
2021
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| Online Access: | 29650 |
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| _version_ | 1869517031580106752 |
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| author | Paul Ward Robert J. B. Hutton Gareth E. Conway Jan Maarten Schraagen Erich J. Petushek Robert R. Hoffman David Peebles |
| author_browse | David Peebles Erich J. Petushek Gareth E. Conway Jan Maarten Schraagen Paul Ward Robert J. B. Hutton Robert R. Hoffman |
| author_facet | Paul Ward Robert J. B. Hutton Gareth E. Conway Jan Maarten Schraagen Erich J. Petushek Robert R. Hoffman David Peebles |
| author_sort | Paul Ward |
| collection | Directory of Open Access Books |
| description | The increasing complexity of work systems and changes in the nature of workplace technology over the past century have resulted in an exponential shift in the nature of work activities, from physical labor to cognitive work. Modern work systems have many characteristics that make them cognitively complex: They can be highly interactive; comprised of multiple agents and artifacts; information may be limited and distributed across space and time; task goals are frequently ill-defined, conflicting, dynamic and emergent; planning may only be possible at general levels of abstraction or require adaptive solutions; some degree of proficiency or expertise is required; the stakes are often high; and uncertainty, time-constraints and stress are seldom absent. To complicate matters further, cognition in complex work settings is typically constrained by broader professional, organizational, and institutional practice and policy. These features of cognitive work present significant challenges to scientific methodology and theory, and subsequent design of reliable interventions. Historically, philosophers and scientists have attempted to understand the mental activities experienced during cognitive work at multiple levels of analysis using divergent methods. Some have examined cognition at an associative, contextual, functional or holistic level, relying on naturalistic methods to understand the higher mental processes as they work in harmony during goal-directed behavior. Others have embraced experimental methods and favored internal over external validity, often reducing cognition to a psychology of fundamental acts, such as short-term memory access with millisecond shifts in attention. More recently, Macrocognition has evolved as a complementary paradigm. Macrocognitive researchers have studied the cognitive functions and processes associated with skilled, adaptive, collaborative, and resilient cognitive work in the context of the aforementioned complexities of psychotechnical and sociotechnical work systems. Typically, this research has been carried out using cognitive task analytic techniques that draw on both naturalistic and (quasi-)experimental methods. The primary goals of research in Macrocognition are to better understand cognitive adaptations to complexity, to increase our theoretical understanding of the organism-environment relations by studying the mapping between cognitive work and real-world demands, and to promote use-inspired research capable of improving system performance. |
| format | Online |
| id | doab-20.500.12854ir-52530 |
| institution | Directory of Open Access Books |
| language | eng |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publishDateRange | 2021 |
| publishDateSort | 2021 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media SA |
| publisherStr | Frontiers Media SA |
| record_format | ojs |
| spelling | doab-20.500.12854ir-525302024-03-29T08:00:06Z Macrocognition: The Science and Engineering of Sociotechnical Work Systems Paul Ward Robert J. B. Hutton Gareth E. Conway Jan Maarten Schraagen Erich J. Petushek Robert R. Hoffman David Peebles BF1-990 Q1-390 Adaptive thinking Cognition human performance Expertise Complexity bic Book Industry Communication::J Society & social sciences::JM Psychology thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JM Psychology The increasing complexity of work systems and changes in the nature of workplace technology over the past century have resulted in an exponential shift in the nature of work activities, from physical labor to cognitive work. Modern work systems have many characteristics that make them cognitively complex: They can be highly interactive; comprised of multiple agents and artifacts; information may be limited and distributed across space and time; task goals are frequently ill-defined, conflicting, dynamic and emergent; planning may only be possible at general levels of abstraction or require adaptive solutions; some degree of proficiency or expertise is required; the stakes are often high; and uncertainty, time-constraints and stress are seldom absent. To complicate matters further, cognition in complex work settings is typically constrained by broader professional, organizational, and institutional practice and policy. These features of cognitive work present significant challenges to scientific methodology and theory, and subsequent design of reliable interventions. Historically, philosophers and scientists have attempted to understand the mental activities experienced during cognitive work at multiple levels of analysis using divergent methods. Some have examined cognition at an associative, contextual, functional or holistic level, relying on naturalistic methods to understand the higher mental processes as they work in harmony during goal-directed behavior. Others have embraced experimental methods and favored internal over external validity, often reducing cognition to a psychology of fundamental acts, such as short-term memory access with millisecond shifts in attention. More recently, Macrocognition has evolved as a complementary paradigm. Macrocognitive researchers have studied the cognitive functions and processes associated with skilled, adaptive, collaborative, and resilient cognitive work in the context of the aforementioned complexities of psychotechnical and sociotechnical work systems. Typically, this research has been carried out using cognitive task analytic techniques that draw on both naturalistic and (quasi-)experimental methods. The primary goals of research in Macrocognition are to better understand cognitive adaptations to complexity, to increase our theoretical understanding of the organism-environment relations by studying the mapping between cognitive work and real-world demands, and to promote use-inspired research capable of improving system performance. 2021-02-11T18:31:14Z 2021-02-11T18:31:14Z 2018-11-16 17:17:57 2018 book 29650 16648714 9782889454181 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/52530 eng Frontiers Research Topics image/jpeg Attribution 4.0 International https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/3782/macrocognition-the-science-and-engineering-of-sociotechnical-work-systems Frontiers Media SA 10.3389/978-2-88945-418-1 10.3389/978-2-88945-418-1 bf5ce210-e72e-4860-ba9b-c305640ff3ae 9782889454181 152 open access |
| spellingShingle | BF1-990 Q1-390 Adaptive thinking Cognition human performance Expertise Complexity bic Book Industry Communication::J Society & social sciences::JM Psychology thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JM Psychology Paul Ward Robert J. B. Hutton Gareth E. Conway Jan Maarten Schraagen Erich J. Petushek Robert R. Hoffman David Peebles Macrocognition: The Science and Engineering of Sociotechnical Work Systems |
| title | Macrocognition: The Science and Engineering of Sociotechnical Work Systems |
| title_full | Macrocognition: The Science and Engineering of Sociotechnical Work Systems |
| title_fullStr | Macrocognition: The Science and Engineering of Sociotechnical Work Systems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Macrocognition: The Science and Engineering of Sociotechnical Work Systems |
| title_short | Macrocognition: The Science and Engineering of Sociotechnical Work Systems |
| title_sort | macrocognition the science and engineering of sociotechnical work systems |
| topic | BF1-990 Q1-390 Adaptive thinking Cognition human performance Expertise Complexity bic Book Industry Communication::J Society & social sciences::JM Psychology thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JM Psychology |
| topic_facet | BF1-990 Q1-390 Adaptive thinking Cognition human performance Expertise Complexity bic Book Industry Communication::J Society & social sciences::JM Psychology thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JM Psychology |
| url | 29650 |
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