EFFECTS OF STRESS AND MOTIVATION ON HUMAN RELIANCE ON AUTOMATED DECISION-SUPPORT SYSTEMS

Abstract

Advancements in technology have accelerated the utilization of unmanned systems, which has led to an increased adoption rate of military human-machine teams. This study explored human reliance on automation in the context of stress, motivation, and automation reliability. A laboratory experiment was conducted with participants who were exposed to either a high- or low-stress condition and motivation or non-motivation condition. The participants executed a series of tasks alongside two automated decision aids that differed in reliability, and their decision on whether or not to rely on the decision aids was the measure of interest. The results indicate that the aid’s reliability was the primary driver for reliance decisions such that the participants relied on the high-reliability aid more than on the low-reliability aid. The aid’s reliability also affected the participants’ reaction times, such that they made decisions with the high-reliability aid faster than with the low-reliability aid. Finally, motivation had a significant effect on reliance decisions of the male participants such that in the stress condition, and when they were motivated, males relied on the decision aids more than when they were not motivated. More research is needed to fully understand the effects investigated in this experiment, and future studies should include a larger female population to allow for exploration of gender differences.