A Theoretical Model of Situation Awareness Based on Information Processing and Cognitive Activation State

The ship information display interface is an important medium for human-computer interaction. The presentation of information elements directly affects the process of perception, comprehension, and prediction, thereby influencing situation awareness (SA) of the crew. In order to analyze the relationship between SA and interface information elements more comprehensively, this study combined the process and outcome of SA to establish a theoretical model of SA based on information processing and cognitive activation state through qualitative analysis and quantitative calculation. To verify the validity of the model, twenty-three participants were recruited to conduct simulated maritime tasks in four different scenarios, and multi-dimensional data including task performance, scale, and eye movement were collected. The results of the correlation analysis presented high consistency between the prediction of SA model and the level of SA reflected by experimental data. The theoretical model of SA established in this study can be used for the ergonomic evaluation of interface design, thus optimizing the display interface in the ship system and improving the crew's SA.