Next Generation Human FactorsBrain Games

Presented by:Kent Stauffer

May 3, 2017

The Target – Three Questions

1. Is there a difference between a mistake and a bad decision?

2. Who makes the worst mistakes or bad decisions and why?

3. How does you brain create, process or handle human factors?

Danger, Only Human Brains Ahead

History of Human Factors andResource / Error Management Concepts

KLM/PanAmTenerife, CI - 3/27/77

United 173Portland, Or - 12/28/78

Aloha 243Maui, Hi - 4/28/88

Air Ontario 1363Dryden, ONT - 3/10/89

CRMCockpit Resource Management

HPIMHuman Performance In Maintenance

CRMCrew resource Management

MRMMaintenance Resource Management

LOFTLine Oriented Flight Training

CCCCrew Coordination Concept

Human Causes

Bad Decision or Mistake?What’s going on inside your brain?

Human Error

• Human Error is the unintentional act of performing a taskincorrectly that can potentially degrade the system.

• A human action with unintended consequences

Only one way to disassemble

40,000+ ways to incorrectly reassemble!

Is it a sign of weakness?

Those that have and those that will

If you know you will make an error, now what?

"Errare humanum est"

The Difference BetweenMistakes and Bad Decision?

Mind Blown

The best employees often make the worst mistakes.

Worst Case Scenario for Mistakes

• Frequent removal and replacement of many varied components

• Carried out in poorly lit and cramped spaces

• Every kind of weather

• Less than adequate tools

• Severe time pressure

• The ones who start the job many times don’t finish it

• Working during times of circadian lows

• Different groups work the same item either simultaneously or sequentially

• Those who wrote the manuals have never performed the work

Mistake and Bad Decision Defenses

What affects our decision-making and defenses to mistakes?

– Procedures

– Work schedule

– Personal habit

– Tool control

– Hazard recognition

– Fatigue management

– RII

– Supervision

– PPE

– Engineering

For the love of God, do not screw this up. Is this a defense for bad decisions / mistakes?

Failure to follow procedures – why?

Dupont's Dirty Dozen*

A lack of:

1. Communication

2. Knowledge

3. Teamwork

4. Resources

5. Assertiveness

6. Awareness

An abundance of:

7. Complacency

8. Distraction

9. Fatigue

10. Pressure

11. Stress

12. Norms

* Source: FAA Circular Advisory 120-72

Brain PowerHow are you using it?

What makes you hit “yes” ?

The All-Powerful Brain

• 2% of body weight yet uses 20% energy and oxygen intake

• Information runs at between 1mph and 268 mph

• 50,000 thoughts per day, 70% are negative in most

• Getting small and losing 1.6 IQ points per decade

• They crave mental stimulation 23 watts of pure power

Brain Wiring Diagram

InputFunctions

OutputFunctions

ConsciousWorkspace

RAM

Long-term Memory(knowledge base or

subconscious)Hard Drive

Senses Hands, feet, etc

The Brain's Dual Processors

Conscious

Slow

One thing at a time

Attention demanding

Imagination

Judgment

Reliable

Subconscious

Fast

Parallel processor

Automatic

Low energy

Routines

Unreliable

95% of your decisions are made in the subconscious mind

Stages of Skill Acquisition

• Talk yourself through

• Respond to signals

• Recognize key signals

• Economy of effort (timing)

• Automatic performanceF

atig

ue

and

Str

ess

Tra

inin

gand

Pra

ctice

Some assembly required

Can’t See The Forest For The Trees

Hyper-focused

Brain Capabilities -Collecting Accurate Information

Is this a picture of a big man chasing a smaller man?

We see and sense what we want to see and sense

Collecting Accurate Information

How many circles are turning?

Brain Games

• What did you see?

• What does your brain fill in?

• Are we good at recalling what we did or saw?

Straight or Not?

Just Plain Brain Fun

• Creativity and a fully refreshed brain are inversely related

• Multi-tasking is impossible – context switching

• Vision trumps all senses although very unreliable – blinking?

• Introverts and extraverts are actually wired differently

• We like people who make mistakes more

Sometimes our brain puts things in orderof what it senses they should be

Communication Psychology

Communication Loop

IDEA

FILTERS

FILTERS

DECODE

ENCODE

TRANSMIT

RECEIVE

RECEIVE

TRANSMIT

ENCODE

IDEA

DECODE

SENDER RECEIVER

Types of Communication

• VERBAL (synchronous)

– Face to Face

– By transmitted means

• NON-VERBAL (synchronous)

– Visual (Body language)

– Aural (Inflection; tone)

• NON-VERBAL (asynchronous)

– Lacks Visual and Aural properties

– Separated by time

– What is this?

Communication Pitfalls

• Basics of comprehension

– 7% words we use

– 38% tone of voice

– 55% body language

• Weaknesses

– Word choice

– Coding

– Language/cultural barriers

• Judging – only judge fact, never opinion or feelings

Effective Communication Techniques

• Use standard terminology

• No acronyms unless understood by all

• Communication discipline

– Know when to limit conversation

– Always professional

Communication in the 21st Century

What is happening in our brain?

• Social Media, access to everything

• Millennials are more forgetful that previous generations

• Too much emotion !!!!!????

• IQ has diminished 1.6 pts per decade

• Attention span is shorter. 8 seconds v. 12

Turn Your Brain On To Communicate

• Our ears should always be "on“

• Don't interrupt others while they are speaking

• Don’t mentally "finish the sentence“

• Make statements about you – don’t be accusatory

• Seek first to understand, then to be understood

Effective Written Communication

– Be easy to understand

– Be readable

– Be free of emotions!

But Not:

– "The less I write, the less troubleI can get into in the future“

– "I don't have time for all that paperwork"

Brain Freeze

WORKED C CHECK AND THEN SOME SQUAWKS. THIS IS WHAT IS LEFTON THE C CHECK – EMERGENCY LIGHT BATTERY CHECK, NOSE GEARLUBES, LIFE RAFT INSPECTIONS, FWD EVAP CHECK. WE STARTED THETR LUBES BUT BILLY WAS WORKING THE STOW SWITCH SO WE COULDNOT COMPLETE IT. DO WE NEED TO ORDER THE NUTPLATES FOR THESTOW SWITCH MOUNT PLATE? SOMEONE SOULD SEE IF WE NEED TOGET AN EO FOR THE REPAIR ON THE FUSELAGE AT THE GPURECIEPTAKAL. TOMMY SAID THAT THE FITTING FOR THE Y DUCT AT THEPRSOV MIGHT BE IN ON THURSDAY. STARTED REMOVING LH LEADINGEDGE BUT 909 CAME IN WITH SOME BS SQKS. NOTICED THAT THEINBOARD LH FILLET PANEL NEEDS TO BE SEALED. NIGHT SHIFT DIDNOT PAINT THE HEATER HORNS SO WE HAD TO DO IT. WKD SQK 54098TCAS / FMS / GPS DSP IAW MM REF 34-00-00 CND BUT OK 2 MEL W/O SN4637 R2 - FYI SN 2153 POH 4 ACFT RON .

Effective Written Communication

• CAPITALS?

• Too much info - WE STARTED THE TR LUBES BUT BILLY WAS WORKING THE STOWSWITCH SO WE COULD NOT COMPLETE IT.

• Not enough info - STARTED REMOVING LH LEADING EDGE

• Abbreviations? WKD SQK 54098 TCAS / FMS / GPS DSP IAW MM REF 34-00-00 CNDBUT OK 2 MEL W/O SN 4637 R2 - FYI SN 2153 POH 4 ACFT RON .

• Don’t be emotive - 909 CAME IN WITH SOME BS SQKS or NIGHT SHIFT DID NOT PAINTTHE HEATER HORNS SO WE HAD TO DO IT.

• Use another word if you need to - RECIEPTAKAL. (how about plug?)

Fatigue and StressIs your brain fighting you?

Your Brain on Stress and Fatigue

Cortisol is released increasing BP and blood sugar to help with fight or flight

Stress can excite brain cells to death. Can it also be good?

Lets Sleep On It

• 250,000 people per day nod off or micro sleep while driving

• Sleep for kids today 2-4 hours less than 15 years ago

• Ages 18-40 need 8.2 hrs, 60 and up need more but get less

Circadian Fatigue Cycle (Rhythm)

Circadian rhythm is unchangeable for 95% of the population

When are a strikingly large amount of maintenance tasks carried out?

0900 1200 1800 0000 0600 0900

High

Low

Many Brains, One Team

Understand who you’re dealing with

Who Makes Up Your Team?

• Moody

• Anxious

• Pessimistic

• Unsociable

• Quiet

• Sociable

• Outgoing

• Lively

• Carefree

• Leadership

• Passive

• Careful

• Thoughtful

• Controlled

• Reliable

• Touchy

• Restless

• Optimistic

• Aggressive

• Active

Introverts

Unstable

Extraverts

Stable

The Bucket List

• Good at multitasking

• Self-starter

• Good hand-eye coordination

• Calm under pressure

• Good overall picture

• Good driver

• Good communicator

• Follows directions well

• Good at improvising

• Good at public speaking

• Optimistic

Our brains may be different

Neither

Pilot Tech

Four Solutions?

There are really only four solutions to every problem

1. Radically accept it

2. Change your attitude

3. Change the situation

4. Stay miserable

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Psychology of an Effective Team*

1. A clear purpose

2. Relaxed interaction

3. Universal participation

4. Listening

5. Disagreement

6. Openness

7. Clear expectations

8. Shared leadership

9. Good relations outside the team

10. Team maintenance

* Source: FAA Circular Advisory 120-72

11? Empathy - understand how they may think and react

The Target – Did We Hit It?

1. There is a difference between a mistake and a bad decision?

2. Who makes the worst mistakes or bad decisions and why?

3. How does you brain create, process or handle human factors?

Empathy For Human Factors

So what?

Understanding our brain helps us to interact withother humans more effectively and understand

why we do what we do.

Only then can we begin to address human factorsand their effects

Thank You