Eye movements and verbal communication as indicators for the detection of system failures in a control room task.

In modern control rooms, operators need to monitor visual information representing large technical systems. Operators usually monitor together in teams in order to detect abnormal system behaviour in time. It remains an open question which performance indicators are valuable for assessing a team member’s capabilities of detecting abnormal system behaviour. The present study investigates the value of monitoring behaviour and communication behaviour for predicting the performance results of subjects attempting to detect system failures while executing a control room task. A simulation of a generic control room was implemented in order to enable synchronized measurement of monitoring processes in teams. The monitoring behaviour was measured by tracking the eye movements of the team members while they were monitoring for system failures. Simultaneously, the communication behaviour between team members was recorded. Eye-tracking data and communication data were analysed including the interaction with team members’ performance in detecting system failures in time. Data from 21 three-member teams indicate that there are significant differences in communication and to some extent in eye-movement, between operators who detect system failures in time and those who fail to do so. The findings are discussed in the context of personnel selection and training team members in control rooms