Distributed Cognition - outline

• Distributed Cognition • Discussion about distributed cognition• General discussion

Reaction against mentalism

• Cognitivism (competence)• Behaviourism (performance)• Social antropology (systems)

People select and build their physical and social environment and do so to support cognition.

Individual

I think

Janusface

• Distribution

Share

Part

HCI-interaction

I think

Aim

…to determine how to best represent, store and give access to electronical and other

information dense artefacts for a collaborative team, enabling them to work in an

orchestrated manner

• Interaction human-technology• Organization of human-technology• Design of representations

Theoretical background

• Information processing theory• System theory • Socio-cultural theory• Cognitive anthopology

Information processing psychology

• How information – Travels – Processed– Represented (critique of the all in the head

processing)

• Mental processes is what cannot be explained by environmental factors

• Communication is the systems internal procesessing

System theory

• Humans + the artefacts = cognitive system• Delimiting the focus by goal or physical space• Generalisability• Comparision• ”The system is more than the parts”• ”Change in one part may effect other parts or

the productiveness of the whole”• Subsystems are dependent• Production is organisation dependent

HCI-system

Socio-cultural theory

• Each individuals perspective is culturally determined

• Humans as producers and reproducers of culture

• Focus is on process and meaning, rather than structure

• Emergence

Social-distribution

Conceptual change

Cognitive systems

• Each individuals problem-space is small• Make parallell activities possible• Artefacts is part of cognitive processessing• All information cannot be internalised• Organisation and physical space determine

information processing• Interactive and intrapsychological

phenomenon are different

Activity context

• Synergistic whole• Actors and artefacts constrain and

enables each interactions

Context-bound

The arrangement of equipment in a workplace might seem to be a topic for traditional,

noncognitive ergonomics. However, it has an interpretation in terms of the construction of systems of socially distributed cognition. The

interaction of the properties of the senses with the physical layout of the task environment defines possibilities for the distribution of

access to information (Hutchins, 1995:197)

Social distribution

• How components interact• How components make learning possible

Equivalent access hypothesis

• Compare to system theory• Princip• Not discussing meaning • Association

Description levels

• Task– What the system should perform

• Representation – What openess and state

• Activity– How and what people do

Human interaction with technology

• With: Amplification (utility, power, strength)• Of: Cognitive transformation (residual)

Learning

• Behaviour that manifest over time and context• Change in the environment is part of learning• Change in mental spaces

Learning

• Horizon of observation• Open interaction• Open tools

Learning in action

• Errors and breakdowns makes people articulate

• Artefacts and interactions make information visible

• Work distribution may be arranged for monitoring

Of and with effects

Conceptual change

Analysis

• Access• Representation• Knowledge• Konstruktion

Method

• Fieldstudies• Experiement• Simulations• Computable models

User and technology

• Technology serving as a catalysator• Humans can serve as catalysator• Humans process from goal and meaning• Each component is more than its internal

sophistication• Humans are meaning-processing component • Knowledge is in interaction

Executive function and system delimitation

• System information flow depends upon the execution

• People come into systems • System organise for people who choose• Higher knowledge is uniquely human

Formal and actual organisation

• Formal task distribution• Actual task distribution and access to

information

Distributed Cognition

Conceptual change

The emergency control centre

• Receives all emergency calls (112)

• Exists at 20 sites in Sweden

• Co-ordinates and operates several organisations

• Operates with a minimum of 2 people

Assessing the situation

Background• Different priorities• Many fake emergencies (kids, mobile phone testing, strange people)

Operator rutines• Ask for additional details• Ask for the reporter´s phone number• Check phone number with the official phone database• Ask for the reporter´s mane and home address• Match information from the database with the one reported

Collaborative tasks

• Parallell activities necessary

• Joint assessment of the accident

• Remind each other of action to take

• Feedback support of the assessment

• Share of their specific responsibilities

When to call for assistance?

• If the emergency seems to require parallel activities

• If it is difficult to hear or understand the caller

• If it is difficult to access the emergency, and what resources to co-ordinate

Co-ordination mechanisms

• Signal

• Display - lets the operators make a hierarchy of accidents and events

• Computer screen - only shows which phone number the caller has called)

• Human interaction

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Ope rator 1

SOS-Central(x)And how do you feel now?žHave you done it yourselfWhy?ž[Call for Assistance]žIt is still in your arm now, is it?žHuh, it a big knife then?ž

Let it stay there till the ambulance comesž

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Ope rator 1

SOS-Central(x)And how do you feel now?žHave you done it yourselfWhy?ž[Call for Assistance]žIt is still in your arm now, is it?žHuh, it a big knife then?ž

Let it stay there till the ambulance comesž

Ope rator 2

[Works with another case]

[Hangs up]

[Looks around]

[Takes assistance]ž

[1]Let it stay there do not move anything!ž

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Ope rator 1

And you did this last night,did (..)ž[Nods]ž[Writes the phone numberinto the database]Yesž[repeats phone number]ž

Yes, and what is your namethen?ž

Door... Are you able to openthe door?

Ope rator 2

Uhuh, [towards 1] Is the knifestill there?žooh, damn itž[3]What do you think [3] Whatambulance do we have in town?[3]Should we take ambulance4?žž

[3]Do you have contact? No.ž

Uhhuh

Ope rator 3

[2]Yeah, we could, yes uhuYou..

[2]No, [town], u’know No, take941 then