Toward a Theory of Situation Awareness in Dynamic Systems

This chapter presents a theoretical model of situation awareness (SA) based on its role in dynamic human decision making in a variety of domains. SA is presented as a predominant concern in system operation, based on a descriptive view of decision making. The chapter shows the importance of situation awareness in decision making in dynamic environments and the utility of using a model of decision making that takes SA into account. It also shows a theory of SA that expands on prior work in this area. The chapter presents a model of SA, including various mechanisms and factors hypothesized to be important for its generation. As a matter of consistent terminology, it is first necessary to distinguish the term situation awareness, as a state of knowledge, from the processes used to achieve that state. A model of SA has been presented in relation to decision making in complex systems.