Tool use is a defining feature of human species. Therefore, a fundamental issue is to understand the cognitive bases of human tool use. Given that people cannot use tools without manipulating them, proponents of the manipulation-based approach have argued that tool use might be supported by the simulation of past sensorimotor experiences, also sometimes called affordances. However, in the meanwhile, evidence has been accumulated demonstrating the critical role of mechanical knowledge in tool use (i.e., the reasoning-based approach). The major goal of the present article is to examine the validity of the assumptions derived from the manipulation-based versus the reasoning-based approach. To do so, we identified 3 key issues on which the 2 approaches differ, namely, (a) the reference frame issue, (b) the intention issue, and (c) the action domain issue. These different issues will be addressed in light of studies in experimental psychology and neuropsychology that have provided valuable contributions to the topic (i.e., tool-use interaction, orientation effect, object-size effect, utilization behavior and anarchic hand, tool use and perception, apraxia of tool use, transport vs. use actions). To anticipate our conclusions, the reasoning-based approach seems to be promising for understanding the current literature, even if it is not fully satisfactory because of a certain number of findings easier to interpret with regard to the manipulation-based approach. A new avenue for future research might be to develop a framework accommodating both approaches, thereby shedding a new light on the cognitive bases of human tool use and affordances. (PsycINFO Database Record

Tool use and affordance: Manipulation-based versus reasoning-based approaches.

Paper: Models of human problem solving: Detection, diagnosis, and compensation for system failures

Thirteen experiments conducted or sponsored by the Army Research Institute are reviewed. For the most part, these experiments have examined retention of military tasks performed in an operational environment. They provide empirical data on the effects of method, task, and ability variables that influence attempts to improve retention through training. These data provide information useful to trainers and training-program developers in deciding how, what, and whom to train to enhance retention and achieve greater training management effectiveness.

Retention of military tasks: A review.

Our understanding of human tool use comes mainly from neuropsychology, particularly from patients with apraxia or action disorganization syndrome. However, there is no integrative, theoretical framework explaining what these neuropsychological syndromes tell us about the cognitive/neural bases of human tool use. The goal of the present article is to fill this gap, by providing a theoretical framework for the study of human tool use: The Four Constraints Theory (4CT). This theory rests on two basic assumptions. First, everyday tool use activities can be formalized as multiple problem situations consisted of four distinct constraints (mechanics, space, time, and effort). Second, each of these constraints can be solved by the means of a specific process (technical reasoning, semantic reasoning, working memory, and simulation-based decision-making, respectively). Besides presenting neuropsychological evidence for 4CT, this article shall address epistemological, theoretical and methodological issues I will attempt to resolve. This article will discuss how 4CT diverges from current cognitive models about several widespread hypotheses (e.g., notion of routine, direct and automatic activation of tool knowledge, simulation-based tool knowledge).

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs11065-014-9260-y.pdf

What Neuropsychology Tells us About Human Tool Use? The Four Constraints Theory (4CT): Mechanics, Space, Time, and Effort

Training is a neglected area for improvement of industrial inspection performance. Previous work shows that training can be effective but provides the reader with general principles rather than det...

Training Programs for Inspection

This study investigated the effectiveness of three different training devices with respect to initial training, retention, and transfer of training. The training devices evaluated during the study were designed to require varying degrees of visual imagery utilization through reductions in the stimuli that provide visual cueing and feedback. The particular task used was representative of the many sequential procedures performed which range from operating master control panels in industrial plants to conducting normal and emergency procedures in air vehicles. The results of the study indicate that: (1) training devices do not need to be of high fidelity to be effective in training procedural tasks and (2) the use of a training strategy that requires the trainees to provide their own cueing and feedback from memory is effective in increasing the retention of procedure-following skills. These results have important implications for both the dollar cost and logistics of initial and refresher training, as well ...

Effect of Training Device on Retention and Transfer of a Procedural Task

The human factor is an important component to consider in the evaluation of a quality control system. This is particularly the case when the human is required to accept or reject items on the basis of his visual detection capability. This paper discusse..

An Analysis of Human Reliability Measures in Visual Inspection

A significant problem encountered in designing operator training programmes is the lack of a method for establishing appropriate training criteria (final performance levels). This paper presents such a method which has been derived on the basis of integrating three relatively distinct technical areas: (1) learning curve modelling, (2) quality assurance concepts, and (3) economic analysis. The information requirements for making training decisions are discussed and sources of that information are proposed. The end result of applying the method is a quantifiable measure of the cost effectiveness of a training programme.

Steven L. Johnson

Papers

Effect of Training Device on Retention and Transfer of a Procedural Task

An Analysis of Human Reliability Measures in Visual Inspection

A cost analysis method of establishing training criteria