Reviewed by Jeff Forrest. This chapter is a survey of important variables affecting pilots' information processing and decision making. Cognitive factors related to aircraft pilot performance include sensory perception, memory capacity, cognitive mapping, and risk analysis. In human sensory store, physical energy is transformed into neural energy. This information is represented in terms of physical features, such as text on a page.
Pattern recognition gives meaning to the information obtained in sensory store.
For example, the flow of external visual cues from the cockpit of an aircraft is translated by the pilot into meaningful concepts of aircraft altitude and velocity. Cognitive mapping is used to access from memory the information needed to give meaning to the pattern perceived in the stimulus. This new meaning can be stored, integrated with other information, or used to make a decision. A cognitive risk analysis assessing the potential risk and utility for each of these options will ultimately control the decision-making process of the pilot. Ability to detect and perceive is affected by signal sensitivity.