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Adaptive Perspectives on Human Technology Interaction
Methods and Models for Cognitive Engineering and
Human Computer Interaction 1st Edition Alex Kirlik
Digital Instant Download
Author(s): Alex Kirlik
ISBN(s): 9780195171822, 0195171829
Edition: 1
File Details: PDF, 2.53 MB
Year: 2006
Language: english
 Adaptive Perspectives on
Human–Technology
Interaction:
Methods and Models for
Cognitive Engineering and
Human–Computer Interaction

Alex Kirlik,
Editor

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

ADAPTIVE

PERSPECTIVES o n Human–Technology Interaction

SERIES IN HUMAN–TECHNOLOGY INTERACTION

S E R I E S E D I T O R

Alex Kirlik

Adaptive Perspectives on Human–Technology Interaction: Methods and Models for Cognitive

Engineering and Human–Computer Interaction
Edited by Alex Kirlik
PCs, Phones, and the Internet: The Social Impact of Information Technology
Edited by Robert Kraut, Malcolm Brynin, and Sara Kiesler
ADAPTIVE
PERSPECTIVES

on

Human–Technology
Interaction
Methods and Models for Cognitive Engineering
and Human–Computer Interaction

E D I T E D B Y

Alex Kirlik

1
2006
1
Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Adaptive perspectives on human-technology interaction : methods and models for cognitive
engineering and human-computer interaction / edited by Alex Kirlik.
p. cm. — (Human-technology interaction)
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN-13 978-0-19-517182-2
ISBN 0-19-517182-9
1. Human-computer interaction. 2. Human-machine systems. I. Kirlik, Alex. II. Series.
QA76.9.H85A34 2005
004'.01'9—dc22 2005009304

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
To Egon Brunswik and Kenneth R. Hammond
This page intentionally left blank
 Kenneth R. Hammond

Foreword

This book will no doubt stand as an advance for variables could be employed (as in factorial design),
cognitive engineering, but it will also stand as an they were required, and research blossomed, along
affirmation of Egon Brunswik’s claims for the with scientific prestige—well, a little, anyway. And
significant change he claimed was necessary for you better not try to publish in a major journal
the advancement of psychology. His claims—put without a prominent use of ANOVA. Yet it was this
forward in very scholarly yet unusually bold terms very technique—this goose that was laying the
—were that behaviorism built on narrow, determin- golden egg of scientific respectability—and research
istic, stimulus-response theory, and its accompany- money—that Brunswik was trying to kill. Of course,
ing methodology (the rule of one variable) derived his challenge didn’t stand a chance, and it didn’t get
from a physicalistic theme that should be given up one.
in favor a theme almost exactly opposite to that. It In 1941, however, Brunswik got his chance to
has taken over a half century for change in that di- go head to head with Clark Hull and Kurt Lewin,
rection to reach this point, but as the many con- the leaders of the conventional approaches to psy-
tributors to this volume show, a firm step in the chology. In his presentation Brunswik made this
direction Brunswik advocated has now been taken. statement:
Although Brunswik’s book Perception and the
Representative Design of Psychological Experiments The point I should like to emphasize is . . .
(1956) presented his arguments in a coherent and the necessary imperfection, inflicted upon
substantive fashion, it could not have appeared at achievements . . . by the ambiguity in the
a worse time for his thesis to be considered. The causal texture of the environment. . . . Because
methods of analysis of variance (ANOVA) intro- of this environmental ambiguity, no matter
duced by Fisher some 30 years earlier had by then how smoothly the organismic instruments and
been discovered by psychologists and found to be mechanisms may function, relationships cannot
an answer to their dreams. No longer would they be foolproof, at least as far as those connecting
be restricted to Woodworth’s 1938 dictum about with the vitally relevant more remote distal
the “rule of one variable” that exhausted the experi- regions of the environment are concerned.
mental methodology of the day, and once multiple (Hammond & Stewart, 2001, p. 59)
viii Foreword

Now, to be frank, in 1941 no psychologist but Brunswik was fully aware of the hard road he
Brunswik spoke like this: “causal texture?” “Envi- faced in trying to direct the attention of the psy-
ronmental ambiguity?” “Vitally relevant more re- chologists of the mid-twentieth century to the role
mote distal regions of the environment?” None of of the causal texture of the environment, and in
these terms were part of a psychologist’s vocabu- 1955 he made his final effort with the publication
lary in the 1940s. As a result, many simply refused of Perception and the Representative Design of Psycho-
to try to understand what he was saying and re- logical Experiments (published posthumously in
jected everything with scornful remarks about 1956). In the preface of that book he stated: “This
Brunswik’s inability to write. Although it is prob- book has been written with two major purposes in
ably true that some readers even today won’t be mind. One is the exposition of the more complex
familiar with those words and what they signify, attainments of perception, those attainments that
they will come much closer than Hull and Lewin help stabilize our grasp of the relevant features of
did to understanding that Brunswik was saying a the physical and social environment. The other
great deal, albeit in unfamiliar language applicable purpose is the development of the only methodol-
to a bold new conception of psychology. ogy by which the [aforesaid goal] can be reached,
Today’s cognitive engineers, however, won’t be that is, representative design” (Brunswik, 1956,
afraid of that sentence because the ideas in it— p. vii). Those complex attainments will be exactly
wholly mystifying to mid-century learning theo- those that interest cognitive engineers, and the
rists—are now common. Brunswik was pointing methodology of representative design will be one
out that human beings were going to make inaccu- that they will struggle with for some time; their
rate empirical judgments (“the necessary imperfec- results need to generalize to the environment of
tion, inflicted upon achievements”) and these will interest. In short, it is essential to their purposes.
occur not through any fault of their own (“no mat- The reader will see some of those struggles in
ter how smoothly the organismic instruments and the following chapters, for it is no accident that
mechanisms may function”) but instead because Kirlik chose to collate these chapters within the
of “environmental ambiguity,” and that this was Brunswikian framework. He chose them because no
particularly true of the more important (“vitally paradigm is more conducive to the goals of cogni-
relevant more remote distal regions of the environ- tive engineering than the Brunswikian one, and that
ment”) judgments we make, about other people, is because no other paradigm so clearly differenti-
for example. Thus he prepared the way for differ- ates proximal and distal environmental material
entiating among various cognitive goals (ranging both theoretically and methodologically (even his-
from accurate proximal judgments close to the skin torically). Whereas Brunswik focused his work on
along a continuum to accurate judgments about the natural environment to speak to the academic
covert distal personal or meteorological variables). psychologists of the day, he was mindful of the
Communication failed not because he was poor strong implications his paradigm held for the arti-
writer (he was highly precise), but because in call- ficial, or “engineered, ” environment. Those impli-
ing attention to environmental ambiguity, no one cations can be reduced to one: The environment
knew or was interested in what he was talking toward which the researcher intends to generalize
about, and that was because no one was then giv- should be specified in advance of the design of the
ing any consideration to the environment. The or- experiment. That (a priori) specification should
ganism and its “instruments and mechanisms” include theory as well as method. Conventional
dominated everything; all that was needed was a academic psychology ignored both requirements
stimulus to get it going and produce a response. But throughout the twentieth century and suffered the
not for cognitive engineers: Given the goals of their consequences of producing floating results; “float-
profession—and these include the design of the ing” because the simple logic of generalization was
environment, and the design of technical displays— applied only to subject populations; environmen-
cognitive engineers know exactly what Brunswik tal generalization was ignored; consequently, the
was saying to psychologists, and that was: Consider implications of the results were left unanchored.
the informational characteristics of the environment The studies Kirlik chose to include here may not
and how these affect the judgments of individuals. meet Brunswikian ecological criteria in every way
 Foreword ix

in every case, yet they will illustrate the need chapters in this volume show (see especially chap-
for meeting them and will bring us closer to our ter 12 and chapter 18).
goal of understanding the problems of cognitive If the cognitive engineering of information is
engineering. now indispensable, it is also highly varied and com-
It would be hard to find a field that will evoke plex. A glance at the table of contents of this book
a greater fit for the Brunswikian paradigm than will be sufficient to grasp that it involves an aston-
cognitive engineering, for here the distinctions ishingly wide range of topics. This can also be seen
between natural environments and engineered en- in the editor’s introductions to the various parts;
vironments arise immediately. An organism in a they offer an education in the struggle to make psy-
natural environment is required to cope with what chological knowledge useful. This broad vision
Brunswik called an “uncertainty-geared” environ- works to the reader’s advantage, for it removes cog-
ment; probabilism is at its core. (This was an idea nitive engineering from mere application of knowl-
neither Hull and Lewin could stomach in that sym- edge already at hand to the forefront of knowledge
posium in 1941, and they made their revulsion acquisition, which was surely the editor’s intention.
known to Brunswik.) But accepting that contrast This sophisticated consideration of theory and
between uncertainty-geared and certainty-geared method together with the pursuit of utilization led
environments made clear exactly what the goal of to the conclusion that representing the environment
cognitive engineering would be, namely, replacing was essential; theory and method would have to be
the uncertainty-geared natural environment with a adjusted accordingly. Thus cognitive engineering is
certainty-geared environment; the optimal replace- changing not only applied psychology but psychol-
ment created by cognitive engineers. ogy itself.
Indeed, one might say that such replacement Therefore this book does more than just affirm,
defines the field of cognitive engineering. Why? it points to the future. The down-to-Earth charac-
Because uncertainty in the environment means er- teristics of its contents will show how the recogni-
ror in judgment, errors of judgment can be extraor- tion of the duality of error increased the research
dinarily costly, therefore in situations in which sophistication of its authors, thanks largely to the
errors are costly, cognitive engineers should drive fruitfulness of the application of such techniques
out or at least reduce to a minimum environmen- as signal detection theory (SDT) and the Taylor-
tal uncertainty. Russell (T-R) diagram. Although introduced roughly
Possibly the best and most successful example a decade earlier than SDT, it was not applied in
of meeting the challenge to cognitive engineering the field of cognitive science until much later (see
to reduce environmental uncertainty is illustrated Hammond, 1966, for a brief history of both). Both
in aviation psychology. Aviation is an example of a techniques are directed toward the idea of separat-
trade or profession that began with its practitio- ing false positive errors and false negative errors
ners—the pilots—utterly dependent on informa- and that separation immediately made apparent
tion provided by perceptual (including kinesthetic) the critical role of cost, benefits, and, most impor-
cues afforded by the uncertainty-geared natural tant, values and trade-offs among them. SDT and
environment. But aviation engineering has now the T-R diagram offered valuable quantitative means
moved to the point where information from this of clarification of these relationships in a manner
environment is ignored in favor of information from not seen before. The future will bring these ideas
an artificial certainty-geared, wholly engineered to a new prominence, and in doing so new dis-
environment. Uncertainty has been driven out of tinctions will appear that will advance theory and
the flight deck to a degree unimaginable when avia- research. For example, it will become obviously
tion began. That change made commercial airline necessary to distinguish between environments of
travel practical and saved countless lives. Exactly reducible and irreducible uncertainty both theoreti-
how much the study of cognition contributed to cally and methodologically.
that engineering achievement is unclear, but history Environments that permit reducible uncertainty
is not likely to give it much credit. We are now at a will be targets of opportunity for cognitive engi-
point, however, where cognitive engineering of in- neers—provided other engineers haven’t already
formation for the pilot is indispensable, as several exploited them. The aviation industry was already
x Foreword

exploited because the essentially uncluttered nature irreducible uncertainty. Such “territories” offer the
of the sky invited exploitation, and the necessary best example of requiring humans to cope with
technology fit with the rapid development of elec- environments of irreducible uncertainty. Here is the
tronics. The navigational (and traffic) uncertainties strong future challenge to cognitive engineers; they
of the uncluttered sky were steadily reducible by need not and should not restrict themselves to situ-
electronic means of measurement and communica- ations involving gauges and electronics and me-
tion. Allow me a brief anecdote to show how recent chanical artifacts. Their knowledge and skills are
that was. In 1941 I was an observer in the Weather badly needed in areas where disputes remain largely
Bureau at the San Francisco Airport. On the night at the level of primitive people past and still in
shift I often talked with the janitor, a bent-over old modern times regularly leading to mayhem, mur-
man who had been a sky-writer pilot in the early der, and wholesale slaughter, not to mention deg-
days of such stunts. His stories were fascinating; he radation and poverty. But cognitive engineers are
often mentioned lack of instruments (“we had al- accustomed to work at abstract systems levels;
most nothing”) and what that meant (attacks of the therefore their theories and methods should be
“bends”) due to a too-rapid descent. Thus, in less applicable, albeit at a level of complexity that will
than a century aviation engineering went from al- demand innovation in theory and method and
most nothing to the glass cockpit in which infor- thought because of the shift to environments char-
mation from inside the cockpit means more than acterized by irreducible uncertainty.
information from without. That uncluttered envi- At the level of irreducible uncertainty the
ronment was successfully exploited by conven- Brunswikian approach will be of considerable as-
tional, largely electronic engineering and remains sistance to cognitive engineers because it will allow
now only to be tidied up by cognitive engineers. the broadest range of theories and methods to be
There remain many other environments that offer included. Domains of reducible uncertainty will be
reducible uncertainty that cognitive engineers will conquered with and without the aid of cognitive
exploit to the benefit of all of us. engineers, as indeed the domain of aviation psy-
Fortunately, Brunswikian theory and method chology already has. But the domains of irreduc-
provides a big tent; it is inclusive rather than ex- ible uncertainty will demand all the knowledge
clusive. By virtue of its demand that the study and skills and ingenuity of the modern cognitive
must be designed to justify generalization to the engineer to cope with the consequences of the
environment of interest, it permits the use of any duality of error that follow from irreducible un-
design that meets that criterion. That means that certainty. That demand will surely include the
when generalization can be met by factorial or newfound knowledge of Brunswikian psychology
other forms of ANOVA, then these designs will be that includes cognitive theory and the methodol-
appropriate. When, however, the situation toward ogy appropriate to it.
which the generalization is intended involves in-
terdependent variables and other features not rep-
resented by factorial and similar designs, then they References
should not be used because the generalization will
Brunswik, E. (1956) Perception and the representative
not be justified. Representation, whatever its form,
design of psychological experiments. Berkeley, CA:
is key to generalization.
University of California Press.
But contrast that virgin—“blue sky”—territory Hammond, K. R. & Stewart, T. R. (2001) The essential
with its reducible uncertainty with the murky ter- Brunswik: Beginnings, explications, applications.
ritories, such as social policy formation, that entail New York: Oxford University Press.
Contents

Foreword vii
K. R. Hammond

Contributors xv

I Background and Motivation

1 Cognitive Engineering: Toward a Workable Concept of Mind 3
Alex Kirlik

2 Introduction to Brunswikian Theory and Method 10

William M. Goldstein

II Technological Interfaces
Introduction 27
Alex Kirlik

3 Knowledge versus Execution in Dynamic Judgment Tasks 29

Ann M. Bisantz, Alex Kirlik, Neff Walker, Arthur D. Fisk. Paul Gay, and Donita Phipps

4 Understanding the Effects of Computer Displays and Time Pressure on the

Performance of Distributed Teams 43
Leonard Adelman, Cedric Yeo, and Sheryl L. Miller

5 Supporting Situation Assessment through Attention Guidance and

Diagnostic Aiding: The Benefits and Costs of Display Enhancement
on Judgment Skill 55
William J. Horrey, Christopher D. Wickens, Richard Strauss, Alex Kirlik,
and Thomas R. Stewart
xii Contents

6 Applying the Multivariate Lens Model to Fault Diagnosis 71

Pratik D. Jha and Ann M. Bisantz

III Automation and Decision Aiding

Introduction 89
Alex Kirlik

7 Measuring the Fit between Human Judgments and Alerting Systems:

A Study of Collision Detection in Aviation 91
Amy R. Pritchett and Ann M. Bisantz

8 Trust, Automation, and Feedback: An Integrated Approach 105

Younho Seong, Ann M. Bisantz, and Gordon J. Gattie

9 Human–Automated Judgment Learning: Enhancing Interaction with

Automated Judgment Systems 114
Ellen J. Bass and Amy R. Pritchett

IV Alternatives to Compensatory Modeling

Introduction 129
Alex Kirlik

10 Inferring Fast and Frugal Heuristics from Human Judgment Data 131
Ling Rothrock and Alex Kirlik

11 Viewing Training through a Fuzzy Lens 149

Gwendolyn E. Campbell, Wendi L. Van Buskirk, and Amy E. Bolton

12 Achieving Coherence: Meeting New Cognitive Demands

in Technological Systems 163
Kathleen L. Mosier and Shane T. McCauley

V Into the Field: Vicarious Functioning in Action

Introduction 177
Alex Kirlik

13 What Makes Vicarious Functioning Work? Exploring the Geometry

of Human–Technology Interaction 179
Asaf Degani, Michael Shafto, and Alex Kirlik

14 Understanding the Determinants of Adaptive Behavior in a Modern

Airline Cockpit 197
Stephen M. Casner

15 Abstracting Situated Action: Implications for Cognitive Modeling

and Interface Design 212
Alex Kirlik

VI Ecological Analysis Meets Computational Cognitive Modeling

Introduction 227
Alex Kirlik
 Contents xiii

16 The Emerging Rapprochement between Cognitive

and Ecological Analyses 230
Wayne D. Gray

17 The Use of Proximal Information Scent to Forage for Distal Content

on the World Wide Web 247
Peter Pirolli

18 Kilograms Matter: Rational Analysis, Ecological Rationality, and

Closed-Loop Modeling of Interactive Cognition and Behavior 267
Michael D. Byrne, Alex Kirlik, and Chris S. Fick

VII Reflections and Future Directions

19 Reflections from a Judgment and Decision Making Perspective 287
Terry Connolly

20 Reflections from a Cognitive Engineering and Human

Factors Perspective 292
Kim J. Vicente

Name Index 297

Subject Index 303
This page intentionally left blank
Contributors

Leonard Adelman Stephen M. Casner

Department of Systems Engineering and Human Factors Research and Technology
Operations Research Division
George Mason University NASA Ames Research Center

Terry Connolly
Ellen J. Bass
Department of Management and Policy
Department of Systems and Information
University of Arizona
Engineering
University of Virginia
Asaf Degani
Computational Sciences Division
Ann M. Bisantz NASA Ames Research Center
Department of Industrial Engineering
University at Buffalo, State University of Chris S. Fick
New York Department of Psychology
Rice University
Amy E. Bolton
Training Systems Division Arthur D. Fisk
U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center School of Psychology
Georgia Institute of Technology

Michael D. Byrne Gordon J. Gattie

Psychology Department Department of Industrial Engineering
Rice University University at Buffalo, State University
of New York
Gwendolyn E. Campbell
Training Systems Division Paul Gay
U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center Delta Airlines

xv
xvi Contributors

William M. Goldstein Ling Rothrock

Department of Psychology The Harold and Inge Marcus Department of
University of Chicago Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
Pennsylvania State University
Wayne D. Gray
Department of Cognitive Science Michael G. Shafto
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Exploration Systems Mission Directorate
NASA Headquarters
Kenneth R. Hammond
Department of Psychology Younho Seong
University of Colorado Department of Industrial & Systems
Engineering
William J. Horrey North Carolina A&T State University
Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety
Thomas R. Stewart
Pratik D. Jha
Center for Policy Research
Titan Corporation
University at Albany, State University of
New York
Alex Kirlik
Human Factors Division and Beckman
Richard Strauss
Institute
Fatwire Software
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Wendi L. Van Buskirk

Shane T. McCauley
Training Systems Division
Department of Psychology
U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center
San Francisco State University

Sheryl L. Miller Kim J. Vicente

Department of Systems Engineering and Department of Mechanical and Industrial
Operations Research Engineering
George Mason University University of Toronto

Kathleen L. Mosier Neff Walker

Department of Psychology UNAIDS
San Francisco State University
Christopher D. Wickens
Donita Phipps Human Factors Division and Department of
Department of Psychology Psychology
Georgia Institute of Technology University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Peter Pirolli Cedric Yeo

User Interface Research Department of Systems Engineering and
PARC Operations Research
George Mason University
Amy R. Pritchett
School of Industrial and Systems
Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
I
Background and Motivation
This page intentionally left blank
1 Alex Kirlik

Cognitive Engineering: Toward a

Workable Concept of Mind
It seems plain to me now that the “cognitive revolution” . . . was a response to the technologi-
cal demands of the Post-Industrial Revolution. You cannot properly conceive of managing a
complex world of information without a workable concept of mind.
—Bruner (1983, p. 63)

Perhaps no one has understood the depth to which provide methods and models that can be fruitfully
the ever-increasing technological nature of the applied to solving practically relevant problems in
human ecology has shaped psychological theory human–technology interaction. These problems in-
better than Jerome Bruner. In his memoir In Search clude designing and evaluating technological inter-
of Mind (1983), Bruner shared his reflections on faces, decision aids, alerting systems, and training
the origins of the cognitive revolution. Although technology, as well as supporting human–automa-
a great many factors may have played a role (e.g., tion interaction and human–computer interaction.
Chomsky, 1959; Miller, 1956; Newell & Simon, In short, the aim of this book is to provide practi-
1972), Bruner turns much conventional thinking cal resources for addressing the menagerie of prob-
on its head, implying that scientists had to invent a lems making up cognitive engineering (Hollnagel &
theory of mind in response to the practical demands Woods, 1983; Kirlik & Bisantz, 1999; Norman,
of finding coherent ways of understanding and 1986; Rasmussen, 1986). Along the way, many con-
coordinating a largely invented world of people tributors to this volume also present insights and
engaged with post–Industrial Revolution technolo- approaches that may shed light on fundamental
gies. The seeds of this scientific revolution, it seems, problems in the science of adaptive cognition and
were not so much “in the air” as in the digital cir- behavior. This may be especially true when it comes
cuitry and in the need to understand and manage to the challenge of understanding and formally ar-
“a complex world of information.” ticulating the role of the environment in cognitive
theory.
Six themes unite the contributors’ orientation
A Workable Concept of Mind toward developing a concept of mind that is both
workable and valuable from a cognitive engineer-
The purpose of this book is to take additional steps ing perspective. These themes are illustrated in the
toward building what Bruner referred to as a “work- selection of research problems, methods, and analy-
able concept of mind.” Special emphasis is given sis and modeling techniques presented in the fol-
here to the word workable. The central goal is to lowing chapters.

3
4 Background and Motivation

1. An Ecological or and “cognitive analysis” to highlight the study of the

Systems Perspective internal or mental activities of their human com-
ponents, the intended meaning of each term will
Pioneers of the cognitive engineering discipline, be clear from context. At this point, suffice it to say
such as Rasmussen (1990) and Woods (1995), have that the perspective taken in this book is that a psy-
emphasized the essential ecological character of the chological theory or model, especially one capable
cognitive engineering enterprise. What does this of providing cognitive engineering with a workable
mean, and why is it the case? The answers to these concept of mind, should include a description of
questions lie in the nature of the systems studied the “whole” human–technology–environment sys-
and the practical problems associated with their tem and not merely internal cognition.
analysis and design. Cognitive engineering research This systems or ecological orientation toward
is largely concerned with the analysis and design of cognitive engineering has long roots in human fac-
human–technology systems and the role of technol- tors, and especially within the field of “human–
ogy as a mediator between humans and the external machine systems.” As noted by Sheridan (2002,
objects and events comprising a work domain. As p. 5), shortly after World War II human factors re-
such, cognitive engineering is fundamentally con- searchers increasingly began to borrow modeling
cerned with systems composed of humans, mediat- techniques from engineering, such as mathemati-
ing technologies and task environments, as well as cal theories of estimation, information, decision,
the interactions among these system components. Of and control. They did so “to look at information,
all the schools or approaches to psychology relevant control, and decision making as a continuous pro-
to cognitive engineering (and there are many), both cess within a closed loop that also included physi-
the theoretical orientation and unit of analysis pre- cal subsystems—more than just sets of independent
sumed by ecological psychology are perhaps best stimulus-response relations” (Sheridan, 2002, p. 4).
aligned with the task of understanding and support- The rationale for including a description of physi-
ing the mediated coupling between humans and cal subsystems within such models, that is, descrip-
their environments. By reviewing the Instructions tions of the task environment and any mediating
for Authors appearing in each issue of Ecological technology, was well expressed by Baron, a human–
Psychology, one learns that the focus of the disci- machine systems engineer: “Human behavior, either
pline is a broad range of psychological problems (per- cognitive or psychomotor, is too diverse to model
ception, cognition, communication, development, unless it is sufficiently constrained by the situation
learning, etc.), but with one noteworthy constraint. or environment; however, when these environmen-
In particular, ecological psychology is concerned with tal constraints exist, to model behavior adequately,
those problems only “to the extent that those prob- one must include a model for that environment”
lems derive from a consideration of whole animal- (Baron, 1984, p. 6).
environmental systems, rather than animals or Exactly this point, the need for a psychological
environments in isolation from each other.” model to include an environmental model, was one
This broad and inclusive perspective on what of the defining features of the theory and method
it means to take an ecological approach to cogni- developed by one of ecological psychology’s pio-
tive engineering is the one presumed in this book. neers, Egon Brunswik (1903–1955). As will be
As such, the approach is much in the spirit of the discussed in greater detail by Goldstein in the fol-
Joint Cognitive Systems tradition in cognitive sys- lowing chapter, Brunswik is perhaps best known
tems engineering (Hollnagel, Mancini, & Woods, for his lens model, whose ecological nature is di-
1986). It is inherently a systems approach in which rectly apparent in its symmetrical arrangement as
each element of the human–technology–environ- a pair of joined human and environmental mod-
ment unit of analysis receives attention and treat- els (Brunswik, 1952, 1956; also see Hammond &
ment during analysis and design and where each Stewart, 2001). The pervasive influence of Bruns-
element is considered in light of its functional role wik’s theory of probabilistic functionalism and
within the overall human–technology–environment experimental methodology of representative design
system. Although some authors in this book use the is evident throughout this volume.
phrase “ecological analysis” to highlight the study This is not to imply, of course, that only Bruns-
of the environmental components of these systems wik’s ecological theory is capable of giving rise to
 Cognitive Engineering: Toward a Workable Concept of Mind 5

workable resources for cognitive engineering. For gramming a VCR or the flight control automation
example, Vicente (1999) has drawn heavily and in a modern glass cockpit airliner (Degani, Shafto,
profitably on the ecological theory of James J. & Kirlik, 1999; Sarter & Woods, 1992).
Gibson (1979/1986) in the development of his One reason the authors of this volume have
Cognitive Work Analysis and Ecological Interface become attracted to Brunswik’s functionalist theory
Design (also see Burns & Hajdukiewicz, 2004) cog- of cognition and behavior is its grounding in ex-
nitive engineering techniques. As both Vicente actly these gulfs. In particular, and as explained in
(2003) and Kirlik (1995, 2001) have observed, it greater detail by Goldstein in chapter 2, Brunswik’s
is possible to view the ecological theories of Bruns- theory is founded in an examination of the proxi-
wik and Gibson to be complementary rather than mal–distal relationships characterizing a person’s
conflicting, despite what much of the psychologi- encounter with the world (also see Tolman &
cal research conducted in each of the two traditions Brunswik, 1935). A technological interface provides
may lead one to believe. As such, one should view us with both proximal, or directly available, infor-
the research presented in the current volume, mation sources and proximal opportunities for
largely grounded in Brunswikian theory, and the action. The intended target of our interaction, how-
research program of Vicente and his colleagues, ever, is all too often distal, or not so directly avail-
influenced by Gibsonian theory, as similarly com- able to us: a goal state to be achieved by taking a
plementary rather than conflicting. Neither sub- correct sequence of proximal actions, and an un-
sumes the other with respect to the central derstanding of whether we have achieved our goal,
problems addressed or the techniques provided. which can often be gained only by correctly inte-
The same could also be said of the distributed cog- grating proximally available information.
nition approach (e.g., Hollan, Hutchins, & Kirsh, In 1972, Newell and Simon began their semi-
2000; Hutchins, 1995) and any other framework nal book, General Problem Solving, with an expres-
embodying the ecological notion that the unit of sion of debt to Tolman & Brunswik’s (1935)
psychological analysis and modeling must span the Psychological Review article emphasizing the neces-
human–environment boundary if it is to provide sity of a detailed analysis of these proximal–distal
cognitive engineering with a workable concept of relations to understand goal-directed behavior.
mind (also see Clark, 2003; Dourish, 2001; Kirlik, Newell and Simon appreciated the insight that such
1998; Kirsh, 1996; Olson & Olson, 1991; Zhang behavior is typically directed toward distal objects
& Norman, 1997). or ends that can be achieved only by the adaptive
use of proximal information and action resources.
One result was Newell and Simon’s characterization
2. An Adaptive, of problem solving as a search through a “problem
Functional Perspective space” to find a series of proximal actions that would
lead to distal goals. A problem space is a model of a
Anyone who has ever read (or even better, taught problem solver’s environment.
from) Donald Norman’s (1988) insightful book The Every chapter in this volume deals in one way
Psychology of Everyday Things will almost certainly or another with an examination of the proximal–
recognize his characterization of the problems faced distal relations characterizing or mediating one’s
by a technology user in terms of bridging a “gulf of encounter with the environment and a parallel ex-
execution” and a “gulf of evaluation.” How do I get amination of the degree to which humans are well
it to work? What is it doing? These are questions adapted to these relations. This is what is meant
we find ourselves asking all to often in our interac- here by an adaptive, functional perspective on cog-
tions with technology. As one who has graded over nition and behavior. There is no initial assumption
a thousand students’ answers to “define and give an that people are either well or poorly adapted to the
everyday example” exam questions about these demands and opportunities of any particular situ-
gulfs, I have found that if a student is going to get ation. Instead, the approach taken in the following
anything correct on an exam it is likely to be these chapters is to perform detailed functional analyses
questions. These concepts are immediately intuitive of task environments and then empirically measure
to anyone who has ever experienced difficulty or the degree of adaptivity attained in light of both the
frustration when using technology, whether in pro- cognitive and environmental resources available.
6 Background and Motivation

Various chapters in parts IV, V, and VI of this book goal of “conducting one’s study with representative
also examine the relationship between Brunswik’s samples of subjects, tasks, and contexts to which
original approach to these problems and more re- one wishes to generalize” (Lipshitz et al., 2001b,
cent yet related adaptive approaches to cognition p. 386). This is illustrated in this volume by the com-
such as Anderson’s (1990) Rational Analysis and plete reliance on either field observation or the use
ACT-R model (Anderson & Lebiere, 1998), and of dynamic and interactive simulations modeled
the Ecological Rationality approach developed by after the target context of scientific generalization.
Gigerenzer, Todd, and their colleagues (Gigerenzer, As will be described by Goldstein in more detail in
Todd, & the ABC Research Group 1999). chapter 2, this methodological commitment is con-
sistent with Brunswik’s methodology of represen-
tative design. However, as will be illustrated in
3. Embracing Uncertainty nearly all of the chapters that follow, this orienta-
tion does not preclude the use of systematically
Another aspect of Brunswik’s thinking adopted by designed interventions in representatively designed
the authors in this volume is the idea that the re- experiments. This book is filled with examples of
lationship between the human and environment investigators using hybrid representative/systematic
must often be characterized in probabilistic terms. experimental designs to both foster the generaliza-
Note, however, that this does not reflect an a priori tion of results to a target context and also to test
commitment to probabilism but instead the need various hypotheses regarding the efficacy of design,
to have conceptual and technical resources avail- training, or aiding interventions and to examine
able for measuring and modeling uncertainty where how adaptivity may be influenced by factors such
it is found to exist. Having techniques available to as time stress.
represent the possible probabilistic structure both
within a task environment and within the opera-
tions of inner cognitive processes is especially im- 5. A Formal Perspective
portant for the purpose of evaluating the adaptivity
of behavior, and also when motivating interventions The research presented in this volume displays a
aimed at enhancing it. Why? commitment to abstraction and formalization in the
First, environmental uncertainty places a ceiling creation of modeling and measurement techniques
on the accuracy of adaptive behavior in any given (also see Byrne & Gray, 2003). The contributors to
instance. As Lipshitz et al. (2001a) have (qualitatively) this volume, as illustrated by their demonstrated
put it, “Uncertainty is intimately linked with error: the commitment to study cognition and behavior in
greater the uncertainty, the greater the probability of context and to perform formal (mathematical or
making an error” (p. 339). As such, it is important to computational) modeling, agree with Todd and
recognize the existence of environmental uncertainty Gigerenzer (2001) in noting that the alternatives
from a forensic perspective because human “error” for describing context-sensitive, adaptive cogni-
must always be expected when people are perform- tion “are not context-free formal modeling versus
ing in environments with irreducible uncertainty context-bound informal modeling” (p. 382).
(Hammond, 1996). Second, the possible presence of Instead, I hope that the chapters that follow
uncertainty suggests that questions about adaptive illustrate that it is quite possible to have a deep
cognition be addressed and answered at the level of appreciation for the role of the environmental con-
how well tailored or calibrated a performer’s judg- text in cognition and behavior, yet also to have an
ments or actions are to the environment on average, appreciation for and ability to formally model the
or at a distributional level of analysis, rather than on essential aspects of this context. As I have pointed
an instance-by-instance basis. out elsewhere (Kirlik, 2003), research in fields such
as human factors and cognitive engineering nearly
always begins (or should begin) with a qualitative,
4. Embracing Representativeness naturalistic phase to identify and distill the central
features of a target problem to be solved or phenom-
The research presented in this book shares with the ena to be investigated. Yet if attention then turns
Naturalistic Decision Making (NDM) paradigm the directly to creating an intuitive solution or qualita-
 Cognitive Engineering: Toward a Workable Concept of Mind 7

tive account (regardless of how well received by models presented here appreciate that these tech-
stakeholders), without bringing these central fea- niques are all works in progress, and additional
tures to an abstract level, it is often impossible to progress depends on extending and elaborating
know the conditions in which that same solution these tools and techniques. Only then will cogni-
will prove useful. As such, each cognitive engineer- tive engineering come to possess the kind of diverse
ing problem will have to be solved largely from and reusable toolbox of measurement, analysis, and
scratch. A workable concept of mind useful for cog- modeling techniques characteristic of other engi-
nitive engineering should be one that is fertile in neering disciplines.
giving rise to a toolbox of formal analysis and mod-
eling techniques, as scientific generalization rides
chiefly on the winds of abstraction. Conclusion

After the immediately following chapter on theory

6. A Problem-Solving Perspective and method, this volume consists of a set of chap-
ters presenting research adhering to each of the six
The problem-solving orientation displayed in the general themes or perspectives outlined in this
research presented herein will be immediately ap- chapter. Although it is traditional in a volume such
parent. What might be less obvious in these pages as this to provide an introductory overview and
is that in virtually every case researchers had to roadmap of the chapters that follow, this is unnec-
work with the behavioral situation given to them, essary for two reasons. First, in chapter 2 Goldstein
and this required them to invent a wide variety of provides an introduction and tutorial that explic-
novel extensions and improvisations on the general itly situates each chapter by name within its intel-
theoretical perspective uniting these studies within lectual and historical place in Brunswik’s thought
a common intellectual and historical perspective. and scholarship. Second, I have provided introduc-
It is likely that the more important contributions tory overviews prefacing each of the volume’s subse-
within these chapters lie in the development of these quent sections. Should one desire to gain a quick
extensions to current theory and method, rather than overview of the substantive contents of the volume,
in any particular empirical findings presented. It may reading Goldstein’s chapter and/or reading through
be useful to highlight this aspect of the book at the each of these brief section introductions should
outset. serve this purpose well.
To explain, the study of human–technology in-
teraction and the disciplines of cognitive engineering,
human factors, and human–computer interaction are References
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10 Background and Motivation

2 William M. Goldstein

Introduction to Brunswikian
Theory and Method

Egon Brunswik (1903–1955) was a perceptual psy- butions it has facilitated in the remaining chapters
chologist with deep interests in the history and phi- of this book.
losophy of science. His work on perception led him It might help to introduce Brunswik’s thinking
to develop a general vision for psychology called by outlining the kind of research problem that in-
probabilistic functionalism (Brunswik, 1952, 1956; spired it. Brunswik’s early research, conducted
Hammond, 1966; Hammond & Stewart, 2001). during the 1920s and 1930s when he was a mem-
Brunswik’s thinking had a systemic integrity with ber of the Vienna Psychological Institute, concen-
interwoven perspectives on the nature of psychol- trated on various perceptual constancies. Size
ogy, its definitive problems, and proper methodol- constancy, for example, is demonstrated by the
ogy. Unfortunately, some of Brunswik’s positions fact that the apparent (e.g., estimated) size of an
were out of step with the mainstream psychology of object tends to remain more or less constant at
his day, and his work was not well received at the various distances from an observer, even though the
time (Gigerenzer, 1987; Kurz & Tweney, 1997; object’s projection on the retina differs. Other fea-
Leary, 1987). Even today, although a number of tures, such as shape and color, similarly tend to be
Brunswik’s ideas are widely employed by psy- perceived as relatively constant despite changes in
chologists who may be unaware of their origins, the proximal information available to the observer.
Brunswikian thinking is represented mainly by a The issue of perceptual constancy, stated this way,
vocal minority of researchers who study judgment contains the seeds of some enduring concerns for
and decision making (Goldstein, 2004). However, Brunswik: (1) the relationship between the proxi-
Brunswik’s probabilistic functionalism has been mal information available to the observer and the
receiving increasing attention from researchers in distal state of affairs, emphasizing the ambiguous
cognitive engineering (see chapter 1), and one or even misleading implications of individual items
purpose of this book is to announce, explain, and of proximal information taken in isolation; (2) the
promote that trend. The purpose of this chapter establishment of a stable percept despite (or per-
is to acquaint readers with the basics of probabi- haps because of) variability and interrelationships
listic functionalism so that they can see its appeal among the items of proximal information; and (3)
for cognitive engineering and evaluate the contri- the accuracy of the stabilized percept. Briefly,

10
 Introduction to Brunswikian Theory and Method 11

Brunswik highlighted the importance of the ind- including aviation (piloting and pilot–automation
ividual’s adjustment to the world (i.e., not just in- interaction: Bass & Pritchett, chapter 9; Byrne, Kirlik,
ner perceptual processes), and he portrayed the & Fick, chapter 18; Casner, chapter 14; Degani,
individual’s understanding of the world as mediated Shafto, & Kirlik, chapter 13; Mosier & McCauley,
by proximal information that could be unreliable. chapter 12; Pritchett & Bisantz, chapter 7), military
Although Brunswik continued to emphasize per- applications (threat assessment, resource allocation,
ceptual examples, he extended his thinking to overt identification of unknown craft, and other aspects
action after a visit from Edward Chase Tolman re- of command and control: Bisantz, Kirlik, Walker,
sulted in collaboration (Tolman & Brunswik, Fisk, Gay & Phipps, chapter 3; Campbell, Van
1935). For overt action, Brunswik again empha- Buskirk , & Bolton, chapter 11; Gray, chapter 16;
sized the individual’s adjustment to the world (i.e., Horrey, Wickens, Strauss, Kirlik, & Stewart, chap-
the ability to bring about distal states of affairs that ter 5; Seong, Bisantz, & Gattie, chapter 8; Rothrock
match one’s internal desires) and the unreliable & Kirlik, chapter 10), dynamic system or process
mediation of that adjustment (i.e., by proximal ac- control (fault diagnosis, worker-tool-environment
tions that may or may not have the desired distal interaction: Jha & Bisantz, chapter 6; Kirlik, chap-
effects). ter 15), team performance (Adelman, Yeo, & Miller,
The highlighting of (1) adjustment to the world chapter 4), and human-computer interaction (Gray,
and (2) the mediated nature of that adjustment are chapter 16; Pirolli, chapter 17).
exactly the features of probabilistic functionalism In this chapter, I introduce Brunswik’s ideas in
that make it attractive to cognitive engineering. As a way that will illuminate their use in these many
stressed by Alex Kirlik (chapter 1), cognitive engi- applications. In the first section, I review some of
neering is a problem-centered field where the goal the core principles of Brunswik’s probabilistic func-
is to develop and use technology that will help tionalism, concentrating on: (1) functionalism, (2)
people accomplish tasks more effectively. It is not vicarious functioning, (3) probabilism, and (4) rep-
a field that can be content to study only the inner resentative design. In the second section, I outline
psychological processes underlying people’s inter- some theoretical extensions and lines of empirical
actions with technology; the ultimate goal is to research that have led to social judgment theory, a
improve people’s adjustment to the world. More- Brunswikian approach to the study of judgment. In
over, that adjustment is increasingly mediated by the third section, I draw connections between chap-
complex technology whose connection to the world ters in this book and aspects either of Brunswik’s
may be less than obvious to the user. Technology original theory or its subsequent extension in the
augments and/or replaces components of a percep- form of social judgment theory.
tion- or evaluation-like process when it is used (1)
to sense and collect information, (2) to display in-
formation, or (3) to suggest inferences. Technology Fundamentals of Brunswik’s
augments and/or replaces components of overt ac- Probabilistic Functionalism
tion when it is used to respond with great speed,
strength, or precision; across great distances; or Functionalism
with any type of performance that humans them-
selves cannot execute. Technology may also com- Adjustment to the World
bine the processes of perception/evaluation and The term functionalism refers to too many schools
overt action in various forms of automation (e.g., and movements in psychology (and other disci-
flying on autopilot). A source of theoretical and plines) for it to be meaningful without elaboration.
methodological ideas for studying such technologi- Brunswik was a functionalist in at least two senses.
cally mediated relationships with the world is surely First, he considered psychology to be “concerned
worth the consideration of cognitive engineers. with the interrelationships between organism and
This is where probabilistic functionalism and environment” (Brunswik, 1957, p. 5), with special
its extensions come in. The contributors to this emphasis on the interrelationships by which organ-
volume apply or extend Brunswik’s ideas to the isms manage to perform important tasks (i.e., to
technological mediation of perception/evaluation “function”) in their environments. This sense of
and overt action in many substantive domains, functionalism has Darwinian connotations and can
12 Background and Motivation

be linked to the functionalist movement of early mic and environmental systems. Brunswik explic-
twentieth-century American psychology (e.g., Angell, itly recognized that whatever degree of central–
1907). Second, Brunswik also had ties to the nine- distal correspondence the organism managed to
teenth-century European functionalism (also known achieve, it brought it about by the mediation of
as act psychology) of Franz Brentano (1874/1973). proximal events and processes. Moreover, these
Act psychology was known for its insistence that mediating processes drew a great deal of Bruns-
mental states have the quality of being “about” wik’s theoretical attention. However, as we will
something (e.g., about the outside world). Mental see shortly, Brunswik thought they should be re-
states are said to be “intentional,” in the technical garded as secondary in empirical investigations.
sense that philosophers give to this term. That is,
they point to or “intend toward” something outside Vicarious Functioning
themselves. Both senses of functionalism direct at-
tention to people’s adjustment to the world, and Stabilization of Central–Distal Relationships
both are reflected in Brunswik’s emphasis on cen- via Adaptable Mediation
tral–distal (cognition–world) relationships. “Vicarious functioning” is a phrase that Brunswik
borrowed from Hunter (1932) to refer to a critical
Central–Distal Correspondence property of mediating processes. Hunter was at-
Brunswik (1957, p. 5) considered the organism and tempting to distinguish the subject matter of psy-
environment to be distinct systems, each with its chology from that of physiology. He indicated that
own “surface and depth, or overt and covert re- whereas the physiological functions of one organ
gions,” and he argued that the “coming to terms” are rarely carried out by another organ, it is typical
of these “equal partners” most crucially involved the of the behavior studied by psychologists that if the
development of “rapport between the central, co- parts of the body normally used in a performance
vert layers of the two systems.” The central, covert are impaired, other parts of the body can function
layer of the environment contains the distal vari- “vicariously” to perform the behavior. Generalizing
ables the organism cares about, all of which are from Hunter’s examples, Brunswik used the phrase
objects, events, or properties that are remote from “vicarious functioning” to refer more broadly to
the organism in space and/or time. The organism’s exchangeability of means to an end. He emphasized
own central, covert variables include especially its that through the flexible adaptation of means to an
perceptions, understandings, and motivational states. end the observable hallmark of purposive behavior
(In what follows, the term “central” will be restricted is achieved: the “ ‘stabilization’ of the end stage” and
somewhat to refer to the covert layer of the organ- the “diversity of preceding stages” (Brunswik, 1952,
ism only.) Brunswik’s emphasis on the correspon- p. 17). That is, overt behavior mediates the relation-
dence between covert distal and central variables ship between organisms’ (central) desires and the
followed from his functionalist orientation, in both (distal) state of affairs, and vicarious functioning in
of the senses discussed earlier. Adequate adjust- their overt behavior enables organisms to stabilize
ment to the world requires accurate perception and this relationship, helping them reach their goals
effective actions, and these are matters of central– even if different means must be employed on dif-
distal correspondence: (1) bringing one’s (central) ferent occasions. (In the tradition of Gibsonian,
perceptions into line with (distal) objects and (2) rather than Brunswikian, ecological psychology,
bringing about (distal) states of affairs that coincide vicarious functioning is more commonly discussed
with one’s (central) desires. Brunswik referred to in terms of the “context-conditioned variability” of
central–distal correspondence as “achievement,” behavior, e.g., Turvey, Fitch, & Tuller, 1982.)
“attainment,” or “functional validity.” In today’s Brunswik extended this line of thought by ap-
parlance, this correspondence is perhaps most fre- plying a similar analysis to perception. In this case
quently discussed in terms of the “adaptive” charac- the “end stage” refers to the formation of a (central)
ter of behavior or cognition (e.g., Anderson, 1990). percept rather than the reaching of a goal, and the
It is important to note that by emphasizing the (mediating) “preceding stages” refer to the orga-
rapport between the central and distal layers, nism’s collection and use of sensory information
Brunswik was deemphasizing the proximal/periph- rather than its overt behavior. It is not obvious that
eral layer that is the interface between the organis- perception requires the same adaptable mediation
 Introduction to Brunswikian Theory and Method 13

Functional arc Vicarious mediation

as goal pursuit. However, Brunswik saw (1) that (probabilistic (family-hierarchy of
stabilization, cues, habits)
percepts must be inferred or constructed from achievement) Feedback

proximal sensory “cues” to the distal object’s prop-

erties and (2) that proximal cues must be selected
and used differently to perceive objects under dif- Process Process
detail detail
ferent environmental conditions. For example, con- Initial Terminal
focal focal
cerning proximal cues to the distance between variable variable
oneself and an object (e.g., binocular parallax, con- Stray
causes
Stray
effects
vergence of the eye axes, etc.), Brunswik wrote:
Figure 2.1. The lens model: Composite picture of
[N]one of these proximal variables can be the functional unit of behavior. Reprinted by
considered to be the distance cue in the sense permission of University of Chicago Press from
of an effect which would be present without Brunswik, 1952, p. 20.
exception whenever the distal condition
should obtain. Some of the cues will more
initial focal variable, and the scatter of rays repre-
often, others less often, be present, depending
sents a set of proximal means among which the
on circumstances, and occasionally all of them
organism selects, all of which lead to the same dis-
may be cut off (so that the fact of a certain
tal end shown as the terminal focal variable. In dif-
distance relationship must remain unrecog-
ferent contexts, organisms select different subsets
nized by the organism in question). (Brunswik,
of cues or means to achieve similar ends, and the
1943, p. 256, emphasis in original)
composite picture shows the collection of cues or
Thus, adaptable mediation again enables organisms means that are used over a large number of contexts.
to stabilize the relationship between their (central)
percepts and (distal) objects, thereby producing On Research in Psychology
the perceptual constancies that initially attracted When Brunswik referred to particular variables as
Brunswik’s attention. Brunswik referred to multi- focal, in Figure 2.1, he was not merely alluding to
plicity and flexibility in the use of both cues and the picture’s resemblance to a convex lens. Rather,
means to an end as vicarious functioning, and he he was distinguishing between variables that can
took vicarious functioning (broadly construed to and cannot be brought into stable relationships with
include multiplicity, flexibility, intersubstitutability, each other. Relationships between focal variables
and combination of both cues and means) to be are stabilized by the adaptable mediation of vicari-
the core feature that makes behavior interesting to ous functioning. The fact that it is central and dis-
psychologists. tal variables that turn out to be focal, on Brunswik’s
analysis, reinforced his emphasis on functional ac-
The Lens Model hievement (i.e., central–distal correspondence) as
Brunswik’s lens model derives its name from the the proper subject matter of psychology. As argued
fact that a pictorial representation of vicarious func- earlier, functionalism identifies central–distal rela-
tioning resembles a diagram of a convex lens. Fig- tionships as the ones of primary importance to the
ure 2.1 shows the lens model as it appeared in organism. In addition, the lens model indicates that
Brunswik’s (1952, p. 20) book, where he referred these are the relationships that will be stable enough
to it as a “composite picture of the functional unit to bear scientific investigation.
of behavior.” The figure is shown in a general form By contrast with his support for studying
that is applicable to both perception and overt be- central–distal relationships, Brunswik was wary of
havior. Interpreted in terms of perception, the im- research on mediating processes, especially the me-
age is one in which a distal stimulus at one focus diating internal processes that occupy the majority
(i.e., the “initial focal variable”) emits a scatter of of attention of today’s cognitive scientists. Vicarious
rays, representing proximal cues, from among functioning is a stabilizing process (i.e., it produces
which the organism selects a subset to be recom- stable relationships between central and distal vari-
bined into the central perception at the other focus ables) but is itself unstable (i.e., it exhibits flex-
(i.e., the “terminal focal variable”). For overt behav- ibility and variability), producing “relative chaos
ior, a central motivational state is pictured as the in the regions intervening between focal variables”
14 Background and Motivation

(Brunswik, 1952, p. 20). Therefore, Brunswik terms of perception (with a comparable statement
thought mediating processes to be a difficult and applying to action), this means the following. First,
unpromising area for research. In his early writings, the environment must be studied to determine what
he suggested that a classification of the kinds of Brunswik called the “ecological texture.” That is,
distal objects “attained” by an organism would pro- one must (1) identify the features that correlate with
vide a description of its abilities and performance, the distal object (and are therefore candidates for
and he favored the pursuit of such inventories over being used by the organism as proximal/peripheral
the investigation of mediating processes. Brunswik’s cues), (2) ascertain the strengths of the relationships
later writings, on the other hand, did acknowledge between the distal object and the (potential) proxi-
the study of mediating processes as important, but mal/peripheral cues (i.e., the “ecological validities”
his enthusiasm for the subject remained restrained, of the cues), and (3) assess the interrelationships
and he urged psychologists to keep research prob- among the cues (for this is part of what permits the
lems in perspective. Specifically, he warned against cues to function vicariously for one another). Sec-
replacing the functionalist study of organisms’ ond, one must study the organismic system to de-
adjustment to the world with a focus on quasi- termine which of the (potential) proximal/peripheral
solipsistic “encapsulated” organisms in isolation. In- cues are actually used and in what strengths. Finally,
deed, Brunswik implied that such a trend had already the environmental and organismic systems must be
gone too far when he wrote, “Psychology has forgot- compared to see if the organism’s utilization of cues
ten that it is a science of organism-environment is appropriate, where “[w]e may call it appropriate
relationships, and has become a science of the or- in a generalized sense if the strength of utilization of
ganism” (Brunswik, 1957, p. 6). In this comment a cue is in line with the degree of its ecological va-
he presaged the critique of cognitive science to be lidity” (Brunswik, 1957, p. 11).
leveled some 35 years later by Donald Norman In sum, Brunswik’s theoretical ideas about func-
(1993), who caricatured its nearly sole focus on tionalism and vicarious processing lead to a general
internal processes as resulting in a theory of cogni- outline for investigations of human–environment
tion as “disembodied” and cut off from the world relations, an outline that continues to apply when
in which it is embedded. these relations involve mediation by technologies of
Consequently, Brunswik addressed the study various sorts. This is part of Brunswik’s appeal for
of mediating processes with caution and circum- cognitive engineers, and further details that elabo-
spection. In particular, he distinguished between rate this outline will be given in what follows. First,
studies of “macromediation” and “micromediation.” however, some of Brunswik’s other theoretical ideas
The former examine “the gross characteristics or that also have implications for methodological prac-
macrostructure of the pattern of proximal and pe- tice will be discussed in the next two subsections.
ripheral mediation between the distal and central
foci,” and thereby address “the problem of the grand Probabilism
strategy of mediation” (Brunswik, 1957, p. 8). The
latter “attempt to break down the cognitive process Although in principle the relationship between
further into its component parts” and thus concern proximal/peripheral and distal variables must be
“mediational tactics” (p. 9). As he (p. 9) put it, determined in studies of ecological texture, Bruns-
“Achievement and its strategy are molar problems; wik was convinced that these relationships would
tactics is a molecular problem,” and clearly he felt virtually always prove to be somewhat unreliable,
the former problems should precede and inform the ambiguous, or “equivocal.” At least, this was the
latter. argument for individual cues and means. The ex-
The lens model helps clarify what is involved in tent to which an organism could combine cues and
elucidating the (macromediational) “grand strategy” select means to overcome their limitations when
by which an organism achieves a stable central–distal taken singly is, of course, the problem of achieve-
relationship. Specifically, beyond assessing the de- ment—the main subject of research in Brunswik’s
gree of achievement that the organism actually functionalist view.
reaches, the organismic (for the purposes of this The equivocality of means may be more readily
book, human) and environmental systems must be apparent than that of cues. A proverb reminds us
analyzed separately and compared. Expressed in that the best-laid plans of mice and men oft go
 Introduction to Brunswikian Theory and Method 15

awry, and it is easy to see that failure is possible even make a posit, or wager” (Brunswik, 1943, p. 259),
in simple cases. Regarding perception, Brunswik gave and wagers are occasionally lost (e.g., see Byrne,
numerous examples of proximal cues that were Kirlik & Fick, chapter 18; Rothrock & Kirlik, chap-
ambiguous, and he suggested that this would be ter 10). Brunswik (1943, p. 270) concluded that
typical. A trapezoidally shaped retinal image may “there can be no truly molar psychology dealing
be due to a rectangular object seen at an angle, or with the physical relationships of the organism with
the object may actually be trapezoidal. Of two ob- its environment unless it gives up the nomothetic
jects, the one with the larger retinal projection may [universal, lawlike] ideal in favor of a thoroughly
be the closer, or its larger image may be due to its statistical conception.”
great physical size. These examples are telling be- An implication for cognitive engineers is that
cause they indicate a pattern: In both cases the cue they should expect technological aids to produce
is ambiguous not because of an inherently proba- no more than a probabilistic relationship between
bilistic environment but because of incompleteness a person and the environment (also see Kirlik, 2005;
of the information. Without challenging determin- Vicente, 1999). Even when technology is designed
ism, Brunswik argued that organisms usually have specifically to reduce the uncertainty in this rela-
access to sets of proximal cues that are incomplete tionship (e.g., by responding with greater precision
or otherwise inadequate for applying the laws that than people are capable of), a person’s central goals
govern distal objects and distal–proximal relation- or judgments might fail to correspond with the dis-
ships. He wrote, “The universal lawfulness of the tal environment because of conditions the technol-
world is of limited comfort to the perceiver or ogy was not designed to handle. Although these
behaver not in a position to apply these laws. . . ,” situations don’t reflect a failure of the technologi-
and that “ordinarily organisms must behave as if in cal aid, they nonetheless render the central–distal
a semierratic ecology” (Brunswik, 1955, p. 209). relationship uncertain.
That is, the environment must appear to organisms
to be probabilistic, even if in a philosophical sense Representative Design
it is deterministic. To emphasize the organism’s pre-
dicament, Brunswik coined the metaphor that the The last aspect of Brunswikian theory to be
perceptual system must act as an “intuitive statisti- discussed here was and remains one of the most
cian” (e.g., Brunswik, 1956, p. 80). controversial. By the 1950s, it was commonly ap-
From these observations, Brunswik drew an preciated that participants in psychological inves-
important implication for both theory and method. tigations must be sampled at random from a
Specifically, certain parts of the project to explicate specified population for the findings to generalize
achievement and its strategy must be expressed in beyond the participants themselves. Brunswik ar-
probabilistic terms. First, as just argued, the envi- gued similarly that for findings to generalize beyond
ronment or that part of it accessible to an organ- the particular stimuli and conditions employed in
ism must appear to it to be probabilistic. Therefore, a study, they also must be sampled to be represen-
studies of ecological texture, which aim to describe tative of the ecology. Such experiments had what
the relationships between distal variables and the Brunswik called a “representative design,” in con-
accessible proximal/peripheral cues and means, trast to the more typical “systematic design” where
must describe a set of probabilistic relationships. experimenters manipulate the stimuli and condi-
For example, although the relationship between tions to produce orthogonal independent variables
size of retinal projection and size of distal object is that are convenient to analyze yet often uncharac-
deterministic for objects at a fixed distance from the teristic of the ecology.
organism, the relationship is probabilistic when it Recall that Brunswik’s project to study achieve-
must be taken over objects at the various distances ment and its strategy decomposed into four parts:
the organism encounters in its environment. Sec- (1) the study of achievement itself, (2) the study of
ond, in addition to ecological texture, achievement ecological texture, (3) the study of the organism’s
itself must be described in probabilistic terms. The utilization of cues, and (4) a comparison of the eco-
reason is that, faced with ambiguous, apparently logical and organismic systems. It is relatively easy
probabilistic cues, “[a]ll a finite, sub-divine indi- to see the importance of representative design for
vidual can do when acting [or perceiving] is . . . to the first two of these four parts. Clearly achievement
16 Background and Motivation

can be made excellent or poor by the use of stimuli one might reply that sensitivity to task environment
that in the appropriate sense are easy or hard. Little is an empirical question. The frequency with which
is revealed about achievement in a target environ- cognitive engineers have heard experienced per-
ment unless the stimuli and conditions are represen- formers (e.g., pilots) complain about even minor
tative of those that occur in that target environment. issues associated with the lack of complete repre-
Even more clearly, the ecological texture of relation- sentativeness of a research environment (e.g., a
ships among distal and proximal/peripheral variables flight simulator) should bring this point home.
cannot be studied adequately in a set of stimuli that As indicated, the need for representative design
distorts the relationships to be studied. The real con- remains a controversial issue, turning in large part
troversy surrounding the use of representative de- on empirical questions about people’s sensitivity to
sign centers on its application to studies of cue task environments (see Goldstein, 2004, for further
utilization, and only a sketch of the issues can be comments). At the very least, an implication for
given here, stated in terms of the sampling of stimuli. cognitive engineers is that they should be wary of
One argument for representative design, even in assessing technological aids in test environments
studies of cue utilization, holds that the logic of sta- that depart from the settings in which they are in-
tistical inference requires the probability sampling of tended to be used. Such a sentiment is reflected in
units from populations. Generalizing beyond the attempts to study or simulate field conditions rather
specific stimuli employed in the study requires this than use abstract laboratory tasks (as demonstrated
no less than generalizing beyond the specific par- in nearly all of the chapters of this volume).
ticipants. Some might find this argument uncon-
vincing, either because there are other, nonstatistical
bases for generalization (e.g., theory-guided infer- Development of Social
ence) or because they are not convinced that or- Judgment Theory
ganisms are sufficiently sensitive to their task
environments for the orthogonalization of stimulus As mentioned earlier, Brunswikian research in
properties to affect their cue utilization. One might psychology has been pursued most vigorously by
reply, however, that sensitivity to the task environ- a group of researchers who study judgment and
ment is itself a matter for empirical investigation. decision making (Goldstein, 2004). The point of
A second argument for representative design departure for these researchers was a paper by
meets a similar objection, and one might give a simi- Hammond (1955), in which he drew an analogy
lar reply. Specifically, the heart of cue utilization— between Brunswik’s analysis of perception and the
and from a Brunswikian perspective the main problem of clinical judgment. Specifically, just as
interest in a study of cue utilization—is vicarious people must infer or construct a percept from a
functioning. Therefore, organisms should be given collection of sensory cues that provide only incom-
full scope to display the vicarious functioning they plete and fallible information, Hammond argued that
normally employ in their environment. Moreover, a patient’s behaviors, expressions, and test scores
vicarious functioning includes the flexible selection provide ambiguous cues to the patient’s personality
of cues, that is, allowing some cues on occasion to and diagnosis. In both cases the clinician/perceiver
substitute for other cues, on the basis of prior learn- must use multiple cues and indicators to infer some-
ing of cue intercorrelations in the environment. thing that goes beyond the cues themselves.
Deliberately destroying these cue intercorrelations Subsequent work by Hammond and colleagues
in an orthogonal design could easily produce “inter- produced a voluminous literature of empirical find-
combinations of variates [that] may be incompatible ings, as well as theoretical and methodological ex-
in nature or otherwise grossly unrealistic” (Brunswik, tensions of Brunswik’s approach. The work evolved
1955, p. 205). Encountering such strange stimuli into an approach called social judgment theory
might confuse the participants, prevent them from (Brehmer, 1988; Brehmer & Joyce, 1988; Doherty,
taking the task seriously, or at least make them wary 1996; Hammond et al., 1975, 1977; see also Ham-
of relying on the intersubstitutability of cues that mond, 1996, 2000; Hammond & Joyce, 1975; Ham-
would normally characterize their vicarious function- mond & Stewart, 2001; Hammond & Wascoe, 1980;
ing. As before, a critic might suggest that participants Juslin & Montgomery, 1999; Rappoport & Sum-
are not so sensitive to their task environments, and mers, 1973). In this section, I selectively review
 Introduction to Brunswikian Theory and Method 17

some of the developments that are of particular Tucker, 1964). The lens model equation (LME) is
relevance to cognitive engineers and/or connect to a formula for decomposing the achievement coef-
the contributions in this book. ficient, that is, the correlation between criterion and
judgment, for a given set of proximal cues:
The Lens Model Equation
ra = GReRs + C√(1 – R2e)√(1 – R2s),
Figure 2.2 shows the lens model as it was adapted
where (see Figure 2.2):
(Hammond, 1955; Hammond et al. 1975) for the
study of judgment. Modeled on the case of percep- ra is the achievement coefficient, that is, the
tion, rather than action, the to-be-judged criterion correlation between the criterion variable Ye
variable Ye plays the role of the distal stimulus at the and the judgment variable Ys;
initial focus, whereas the person’s judgments Ys play Re is the multiple correlation of the criterion
the role of central perceptions at the terminal focus. variable with the proximal cues;
The proximal cues X1, X2, . . . , Xn constitute the in- Rs is the multiple correlation of the judgments
formation available to the judge and are related to the with the proximal cues;
criterion by ecological validities (i.e., cue–criterion G is the correlation between the linear
correlations) and to the judgments by cue utilization components of the criterion and judgment
coefficients (i.e., cue–judgment correlations). Judg- variables, that is, the correlation between the
mental accuracy or achievement is assessed by the values Y'e that are predicted by linear
correlation between judgment and criterion values. regression of the criterion variable on the
At the time of Brunswik’s death, the environ- proximal cues and the values Y's that are
mental and organismic systems could be modeled predicted by linear regression of the
separately (e.g., by linear regression), but only a judgments on the proximal cues; and
qualitative and impressionistic comparison of the C is the correlation between the nonlinear
two systems could be offered. That situation was components of the criterion and judgment
changed by the development of the lens model variables, that is, the correlation between the
equation (Hursch, Hammond, & Hursch, 1964; residuals Ye – Y'e and the residuals Ys – Y's.

Achievement (ra)

X1

re,1 rs,1
X2
re,2 rs,2
ri,j
Criterion Ye Ys Judgment
re,3 rs,3
X3

.
re,n . rs,n
.
Ecological Cue Utilization
Validities (re,i) Xn
Coefficients (rs,i)

Y’e Proximal Cues (Xi) Y’s

Figure 2.2. Brunswik’s lens model as modified for social judgment theory, shown together with compo-
nents of the lens model equation. See text for details.
18 Background and Motivation

The LME has become a standard tool of Bruns- Phipps, where it is found to explain individual dif-
wikian research because it allows the investigator ferences in performance in a combat information
to decompose performance in a meaningful way center environment, and in chapter 4 by Adelman,
and to see which component(s) of performance are Yeo, and Miller, where it is used to explain group
affected by various manipulations (e.g., different achievement with different computer displays un-
kinds of feedback about one’s task performance, der time pressure. A number of chapters (to be dis-
introduction of a technological aid). The indices Re cussed shortly in a somewhat different context)
and Rs indicate the linear predictability of the two suggest alternatives to the LME’s implicit linear and
systems, environmental (criterion) and organismic static modeling of both the environment and the
(judgment), respectively, based on a particular set organism. Still others consider various mathemati-
of proximal cues. The indices G and C indicate the cal extensions or embeddings of the LME in other
extent to which the judge has succeeded in match- decompositions of performance (chapter 5; chap-
ing his or her own systematic use of the proximal ter 6; also see Stewart, 2001).
cues (linear/additive and nonlinear/configural, re-
spectively) with the criterion variable’s systematic Individual Learning
dependence (linear/additive and nonlinear/con-
figural) on the proximal cues. In a sense, then, G Brunswik portrayed organisms as having to adapt
and C assess the judge’s knowledge of the task. to environments whose distal properties were in-
It is relatively common to find that neither the dicated only probabilistically by proximal cues. This
criterion variable nor the judge has any consistent raises the question of how organisms learn proba-
nonlinear or configural dependence on the proximal bilistic relationships, and Brunswikian researchers
cues, and this situation simplifies both the LME it- have produced a large body of literature on the
self and the interpretations of the indices. In this case, subject using a paradigm called multiple-cue prob-
the LME reduces to the following approximation: ability learning (MCPL). On each trial of an MCPL
study, the respondent examines a profile of cue
ra ≈GReRs
values and predicts the value of a criterion variable.
because in the absence of systematic nonlinear vari- In a study using outcome feedback, the respondent
ance the expected value of C equals zero. The indi- is then told the correct criterion value and must
ces Re and Rs, then, indicate the total predictability learn the cue–criterion relationships over many tri-
of the environmental and organismic systems, re- als (for a review, see Klayman, 1988). In general,
spectively (i.e., linear/additive predictability is all learning from outcome feedback tends to be sur-
there is, apart from sampling fluctuations). The prisingly slow and limited. Todd and Hammond
index Rs indicates the consistency with which the (1965) introduced the notion of cognitive feedback,
judge executes the (only) systematic component of where respondents are shown statistical properties
his or her judgment, and therefore the index is over blocks of trials rather than the outcomes of
called cognitive control (Hammond & Summers, single trials. The result is that learning is generally
1972). The index G indicates the extent to which faster and better than with outcome feedback. (See
the (only) systematic component of the judge’s Balzer, Doherty, & O’Connor, 1989, for a decom-
performance is related to the (only) systematic com- position of cognitive feedback into components
ponent of the task environment and therefore is that are differentially responsible for the improved
called knowledge. The LME reveals the fact that performance.)
even when knowledge is perfect (G = 1), achieve- A number of the chapters in this book touch
ment is limited by the consistency with which this on issues of feedback and training, sometimes in
knowledge is executed (Rs) and the consistency of the context of other concerns. For example, Seong,
the task environment (Re). Bisantz, and Gattie (chapter 8) discuss the use of
Many of the chapters in this volume either cognitive feedback, although their main interest has
employ the LME as a tool for analyzing the impact to do with human trust of automated systems, and
of technological aids or address the LME itself by Bass and Pritchett (chapter 9) provide a feedback-
proposing modifications and extensions. For ex- based technique for improving the correspon-
ample, cognitive control figures importantly in dence between human and automated judgments.
chapter 3 by Bisantz, Kirlik, Walker, Fisk, Gay, and Chapters by Rothrock and Kirlik (chapter 10) and
 Introduction to Brunswikian Theory and Method 19

Campbell, Van Buskirk, and Bolton (chapter 11) examined in investigations of interpersonal learn-
also address issues of training, although they are ing and conflict. Hammond et al. (1975) review the
mainly concerned with using nonlinear models to effects of task consistency, ecological validity of
represent human performance. cues, cue-criterion function forms, and cue inter-
correlations. (For other reviews and discussions,
Interpersonal Conflict and including extensions to negotiations and small-
Interpersonal Learning group processes, see Adelman, Henderson, & Miller,
2001; Brehmer, 1976; Cooksey, 1996; Mumpower,
The LME was described earlier as applying to the 2001; Rohrbaugh, 2001.)
correlation between judgments and criterion values. The relevance of these studies and these sorts
However, the LME applies to the correlation between of analyses for cognitive engineering is that the vari-
any two variables that are each in turn related to the ous judges in an N-system lens model may be pro-
same set of cues. Therefore, one can use it to decom- vided with different kinds of displays of the cues,
pose the correlation between two people’s judg- so that (dis)agreement between judges reflects the
ments. Indeed, one can decompose the correlation impact of display conditions. Pritchett and Bisantz
between any pair of variables in a group of variables. (chapter 7) present just such an analysis of judges
In such a case, the model is referred to as the N-sys- employing different cockpit display designs in a
tem lens model. If one of the N systems is a criterion simulated conflict detection task. They also apply
variable and there are N – 1 judges, then N – 1 of the N-system lens model to assess the agreement
the correlations will refer to judges’ achievement and between human judges and automated systems that
the remaining (N – 1)(N – 2)/2 correlations will re- are designed to produce suggested judgments. Com-
fer to agreement between pairs of judges. Changes parable issues are examined by Horrey, Wickens,
in the LME components of each correlation, over Strauss, Kirlik, and Stewart (chapter 5) in a simu-
blocks of trials, indicate the results of the interactions lation of military threat assessments and resource
taking place among the people in addition to any allocation decisions. These investigators evaluate
other feedback that might be available. people’s performance with and without display
Social judgment theory has generated a large conditions that highlight the most threatening en-
number of experiments that examine the resolution emy units and with and without the use of an au-
of conflicts between people who must reach con- tomated display enhancement that suggests an
sensus judgments despite their (initial) differences appropriate allocation of resources. The contri-
in the use of proximal cues (Hammond, 1965, butions by Seong, Bisantz, and Gattie (chapter 8)
1973). In addition, social judgment theory has ad- and by Bass and Pritchett (chapter 9) further exam-
dressed two different kinds of interpersonal learn- ine the interactions between humans and automated
ing. First, there is the case in which one person systems for suggesting judgments and decisions, the
learns from another about the skillful performance latter chapter explicitly drawing on social judgment
of the task (Earle, 1973). A second kind of inter- theory research on interpersonal learning.
personal learning can be studied in a procedure that
adds a phase to the experiment, after the interac-
tion between people, where the participants are Further Applications and Extensions
separated and each is asked to judge new cases as of Brunswikian Principles
well as to predict the other participant’s judgments
of these cases. Using this procedure (Hammond, The areas of research reviewed in the previous sec-
Wilkins, & Todd, 1966), one can study what par- tion are the classic ones that contributed directly
ticipants learn about each other (i.e., what they learn to the development of social judgment theory.
about the judgmental systems of their partners) as However, this brief review cannot begin to convey
well as what they learn from each other (i.e., how the range of theoretical issues and domains of ap-
their own judgmental systems are changed due to plication where Brunswikian-inspired research on
exposure to their partners). (It is the social nature judgment has been fruitful. In this section, I touch
of these lines of research that gave social judgment on some of the applications and extensions of so-
theory its name.) Many of the same factors that have cial judgment theory to which the chapters in this
been manipulated in MCPL studies have also been volume make contributions.
20 Background and Motivation

Dynamic Tasks and Time Stress to describe (1) criterion–cue relationships and (2)
cue–judgment relationships. Studies that focus on the
Because many tasks involve time as a key element latter type of model are often referred to in social judg-
in one form or another, a number of researchers ment theory as efforts in “policy capturing” (referring
have been interested in tasks that go beyond that to the judge’s “policy” for using the cues; see Brehmer
of static judgment or the one-shot choice of an ac- & Brehmer, 1988). Moreover, in keeping with Bruns-
tion. For example, information may be accrued over wik’s advice to study macromediation before micro-
time, judgments or actions may be required under mediation (see previous discussion), researchers
time pressure, actions may need to be adjusted as frequently fit models to people’s judgments without
their results unfold over time, and so on. Research- much concern for the model’s fidelity to the “process
ers working within the context of individual learn- detail” (using Brunswik’s expression as it is repro-
ing (see previous discussion) have studied dynamic duced in Figure 2.1) by which people are “actually”
environments in which the validity of cues can using the cues. Models that describe criterion–cue re-
change (Dudycha, Dumoff, & Dudycha, 1973; Peter- lationships while remaining uncommitted about the
son, Hammond, & Summers, 1965; Summers, 1969) detailed time course of the underlying cognitive pro-
or where the value of the criterion variable is affected cesses are often called paramorphic (Hoffman, 1960;
by the respondent’s predictions or actions (Camerer, see Doherty & Brehmer, 1997, for a different view of
1981; Kleinmuntz, 1985; Kleinmuntz & Thomas, paramorphic models).
1987; Mackinnon & Wearing, 1985; for research on Some of the contributions to this volume in-
learning in even more complex dynamic environ- volve efforts in this spirit. That is, models are fit to
ments, see Brehmer, 1992, 1995, 1996). capture the structure and predictability of people’s
Several of the contributions to this volume behavior, but the authors refrain from making
share this concern with dynamic aspects of task strong claims that the models describe underlying
environments and performance (chapter 4; chap- processes. All of the chapters presenting applica-
ter 18; chapter 16; chapter 6; chapter 10). The chap- tions of the linear-additive formulation of the lens
ter by Bisantz, Kirlik, Walker, Fisk, Gay and Phipps model are of this type. In addition, the canonical
(chapter 3) in particular extends the lens model correlation analysis by Degani, Shafto, and Kirlik
approach by developing time-stamped, idiographic (chapter 13) and Casner’s analysis of adaptation
(individualized) models of the task environment, (chapter 14) are concerned with determining the
which is necessary for examining judgment in dy- task demands and environmental conditions to
namic tasks. The chapter by Kirlik (chapter 15) which aircraft pilots are sensitive in deciding where
provides a technique for formalizing both percep- to set the aircraft’s mode of control on a continuum
tion and action cue-criterion relationships in a uni- between fully manual and fully automatic. In both
fied environmental model, which is necessary for cases, the goal of describing the internal details of
studying interactive tasks where the performer has the pilot’s decision process is deferred.
some control over available stimulation. These con- In other chapters, the authors depart more radi-
tributions complement the work described next, in cally from the use of linear models and techniques
which researchers extend the other (internal) “half” (see Dawes, 1979; Dawes & Corrigan, 1974) to
of the lens model by proposing nonlinear models describe people’s judgment policies. Instead, the
of the organism. authors employ models that are thought by some
to be more consistent with cognitive theory and
Macromediation: Gross Characteristics with people’s verbal reports of their processes. In
of the Pattern of Proximal and particular, Rothrock and Kirlik (chapter 10) present
Peripheral Mediation between a method for inferring rule-based heuristics from
Distal and Central Foci people’s judgments. These simplified, noncompen-
satory strategies are more plausible descriptions of
As discussed earlier, Brunswik’s project to illuminate people’s judgment processes, especially when people
achievement and its “grand strategy” requires sepa- are time-stressed or otherwise facing cognitive
rate models of the environment and the organism and limitations. Similarly, Campbell, Van Buskirk, and
a comparison of those models. Phrased in terms of Bolton (chapter 11) investigate the use of fuzzy logic
judgment, that means that separate models are needed for modeling people’s judgments and decisions.
 Introduction to Brunswikian Theory and Method 21

Micromediation: Breaking Down page) to predict the utility of distal pages, and this
the Cognitive Process into predictive activity is modeled with spreading acti-
Its Component Parts vation in a network of nodes that represent the
person’s understanding of the search domain.
Still other chapters are more explicit in attempting Degani, Shafto, and Kirlik (chapter 13) do not
to flesh out the process detail of people’s adapta- so much attempt to contribute to theory of cogni-
tion to the environment. Recall that it was late in tive processes but instead to draw on recent cogni-
Brunswik’s career before he explicitly incorporated tive theory to address fundamental questions in
the study of inner psychological processes into his Brunswik’s probabilistic functionalism. In particu-
framework (but see Goldstein & Wright, 2001). As lar, they ask the question “What makes vicarious
noted earlier, Brunswik was restrained about stud- functioning work?” They are motivated to ask this
ies of cognitive processes for two reasons. He question by their observation that many largely
thought that researchers might tend to study cog- digital, technological interfaces seem to defeat vi-
nitive processes apart from the task environments carious functioning and thus adaptive behavior
in which they occurred, abandoning the study of itself. Degani and colleagues conclude that the dis-
functional adaptation. Also, he thought that the crete, technological ecology often does not support
flexibility of vicarious functioning might produce the approximation and convergence (learning) op-
“relative chaos in the regions intervening between erations supported by continuous ecologies. These
focal variables” (Brunswik, 1952, p. 20), making it learning operations are claimed to be crucial to the
difficult and unrewarding to study cognitive pro- development of robust and adaptive “intuitive”
cesses in detail. Although Brunswik’s concerns on (Hammond, 2000) or “System I” (Kahneman, 2003)
the first point may have been valid, the cognitive cognition.
revolution in psychology has shown the study of
cognitive processes to be eminently feasible and Revisiting the Fundamentals
amply rewarding.
Some of the chapters in this volume have taken A number of researchers have urged that some of
up the challenge of integrating detailed models of the principles of Brunswik’s program be revisited
cognitive processes into Brunswik’s framework. and possibly reinterpreted. Two of these lines of
Whereas organisms’ sensitivity to their task envi- thought will be mentioned here, concerning (1) the
ronments was offered earlier as an argument for appropriate meaning (and measure) of functional
representative design and a matter for empirical adaptation and (2) the adequacy of studying per-
study, Gray (chapter 16) uses a current cognitive ception/judgment and overt action separately.
theory (ACT-R) and related computational tech- Regarding adaptation, Gigerenzer and his col-
niques to consider how even minor changes in task leagues (Gigerenzer & Kurz, 2001; Gigerenzer, Todd,
environments can affect cognitive processes and & the ABC Research Group, 1999) note that Bruns-
influence overt performance. He goes even further wik’s functionalist perspective led him to empha-
to sketch out his vision more generally of a “rap- size the adaptiveness of an organism’s behavior in
prochement” between cognitive and ecological specific environments, but that accuracy of judg-
analyses. In a study of airline pilots’ performance ment is only one facet of its adaptiveness. Speed and
in landing and taxiing to gate under foggy condi- the ability to make use of limited information are
tions, Byrne, Kirlik, and Fick (chapter 18) combine also important features. Similar reasoning has
detailed cognitive models with ecological analyses. prompted Rothrock and Kirlik (chapter 10) and
In particular, they model pilots’ taxi route decisions Byrne, Kirlik, and Fick (chapter 18) to suggest that
as heavily involving the use of two simple heuris- researchers reconsider the task criterion that is ana-
tics (see also chapter 10), and they find that the lyzed, especially in studies of time-stressed tasks.
model is predictive of decision errors in ecologically Both chapters attend to the observation that ap-
atypical situations that short-circuit these heu- proximate yet fast (rather than accurate yet slow)
ristics’ efficacy. Pirolli (chapter 17) investigates judgment and decision strategies may be favored in
people’s navigation among pages on the Web. Part dynamic tasks. Mosier and McCauley (chapter 12)
of his approach involves portraying people as us- elaborate on a distinction emphasized by Ham-
ing proximal cues (provided by the current Web mond (1996) between a focus on correspondence
22 Background and Motivation

with the environment (e.g., accuracy of judgment) Acknowledgments. Parts of this chapter have been
versus coherence of judgments and/or actions (e.g., adapted from Goldstein (2004).
logical consistency). Mosier and McCauley draw
attention to the fact that technology has trans-
formed a number of tasks so that human operators
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Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
 I also met the French and Chinese Ministers and talked
to them. I get along in French now and carry a
conversation with ease. One of the most attractive girls
was the daughter of the chief of the British Military
Mission, Lieutenant-General Barnardiston, a soldier and
gentleman of the finest type. He commanded the British
forces which operated with the Japanese at Kaio Chao.
Yesterday I saw them after church and met the mother
who is an American. She asked us to tea. Four of us went
and stayed two hours. The General was tremendously
interesting, of course, but he would have been more so if
one of our men had not tried to talk him to death.
To-morrow being Christmas, we are trimming the ship
with greens and flags and have hoisted a Christmas tree
clear to the top of the foremast. Mr. J. P. Morgan, the
owner, is very kindly blowing us off to a dinner by cable,
and we are looking forward to the occasion. It is the first
Christmas away from home and I know how you’ll miss us
all, but it should be very joyous because we passed
through that hurricane in safety. We have a fine large cat
as a mascot and as one of the men said, “Tommy used up
eight of his nine lives in the big blow.”
January 2nd. Our gaieties continue and we are having
the best time since leaving New York. Colonel Birch gave
us a reception at the Legation to meet the diplomatic
corps. The officers and fifteen men went from this ship. All
nationalities were there, from Brazil, Uruguay, Belgium,
Spain, and of course Portuguese, French, and English. It
was great fun to meet them, and most of the diplomatic
people could talk to us in English. We had some dancing,
the first I had done since February, and everybody was in
the finest possible spirits. The girls were stunning. The
Spanish Minister is a delightful man and has spent a lot of
time in Mexico and the United States. Our host, the genial
American Minister, resembles former President Taft in size
and quality and seemed to be having the time of his life.
New Year’s Eve we were all on board ship and
celebrated it in combination with a French destroyer which
lay alongside us. At the stroke of midnight we banged out
eight bells for the old year and eight more for the new,
and then both ships opened up their whistles and we
startled the Portuguese with the pandemonium. The
Frenchies had a terrific siren. After this outburst we sang
the “Marseillaise” together and the effect was stirring.
Then we sang the “Star-Spangled Banner,” and the
Portuguese sailors who had come aboard from the Navy
Yard sang their national anthem and everybody cheered
everybody else, and it was a grand old time.
On New Year’s Day I went sight-seeing with a buddy
from the ship and visited several cathedrals. In one of
them all their dead kings are tucked away, and they lift
the lid off so you can look right down at the relics of
royalty. As they have been dead for hundreds of years
they are none too attractive. We had a fine dinner on
board ship in the middle of the day, turkey, mince pie,
etc., and another in the evening at the hotel. It is mighty
pleasant to have all these distinguished people so polite to
us and we also appreciate the attitude and the courtesy of
the officers of the Corsair.
January 9th. Last evening six of us called on those
delightful English people, the Barnardistons. The Spanish
Minister and his two daughters were there. The General
played the piano for us and is very musical. Miss
Barnardiston played beautifully and the Spanish young
ladies also performed. We were represented at the piano
by Tibbott who upheld the honor of the Corsair. You ought
to see the row of decorations on General Barnardiston’s
coat—Victorian Order, Rising Sun of Japan, African
Campaign, and so on. Yesterday afternoon we went to tea
at the Girards, the French people. The night before we
were invited to amateur theatricals at the British Club,
given to entertain the Corsair and the Preston and the
French destroyer. It was very cleverly done. The actors
were Portuguese and the girls were very pretty. They
sang, in English, lots of American songs. Between acts
they served cake and tea and afterwards we sang the
national airs. I was fussed to death to have to get up on
the stage and lead the whole outfit in the “Star-Spangled
Banner,” giving the key, etc., but our captain made me do
it. Our jolly American Minister, Colonel Birch, gave me a
wink which made me feel more comfortable.
I went to the English church last Sunday and they had a
special service, appointed by the King, to pray for Allied
victory, and it was fine. The English always pray for the
sailors and soldiers—sailors first. They certainly are
devoted to their Navy. After church another man and I
went over to the Legation with Colonel Birch and sat
around in his biggest armchairs for an hour. He treats us
like princes and we can’t say too much in appreciation of
all he is doing for us. He is to give us another party next
Saturday and we are looking forward to it, for he has
promised to have all the charming Portuguese girls there.
We are lucky young sea-dogs to have tumbled into all this,
and we are having the time of our lives. I was made
quartermaster, first class, the other day, and am naturally
very much pleased. I shall be glad to get back and finish
my examinations for a commission, but since the
hurricane little things like that don’t bother me very much.
We have not forgotten the storm and still talk about it—all
the acts of courage and the many close shaves.
January 14th. Last night there was another dramatic
performance by the Portuguese young people, so that the
whole ship’s company could see the show. This time I sat
 with the pretty French girls and it seemed almost like New
York. I dropped in to call in the afternoon. We sat in front
of a log fire and it was cozy and homelike. Their father, M.
Girard, was French Minister to Haiti for two years, during a
revolution down there, and had some very unpleasant
experiences. The Haitian President was dragged from the
Legation and butchered before their eyes, and other acts
of savagery committed, but our marines and bluejackets
landed soon after and promptly had the situation well in
hand.
Ensign Schanze enjoyed himself as much as the rest of them and
described the hospitality of Lisbon as follows:
Here we are, still in Portugal, where we have been
undergoing extensive repairs and entertainments. Never in
all my experience away from home have I come across
people who were as strenuously cordial as our hosts of
the city of Lisbon. There are two leading social elements,
the native Portuguese and the foreign colony. Both have
gone the limit to make us welcome and the result has
been that we have never had less than two engagements
a day, most of the time three.
The usual routine runs about like this—in the forenoon
some Portuguese, French, or British officer blows on board
to take us in charge to see the points of interest; in the
afternoon there is a tea to attend at some one of the
various homes or legations; and in the evening there is a
dinner party followed by a theatre party or its equivalent.
These things do not simply occur frequently. They are
daily in their rotation.
We, on our behalf, make our best effort to counter with
teas on board the ship; also lunch parties and dinners
whenever we can wedge them in crosswise. Functions
have become so numerous that the captain has found it
necessary to detail certain officers to attend certain
 festivals daily. There have not been enough of us to go
around, even at that. This is the first war that ever made
me keep such late hours.
It should not be inferred that life was an incessant round of
parties, teas, and receptions for all hands of the Corsair while at
Lisbon. Many of the young men had other inclinations and fought
shy of “the society stuff.” The city itself was fascinating to those who
liked to wander and explore with their eyes open. In groups they
loitered through the dark and narrow streets of the ancient quarter
of the Alhama or enjoyed the noble prospect of fine buildings and
open spaces along the Tagus, or strolled with the colorful crowds in
the Praca do Commercio and investigated the luxurious shops and
cafés of the Rua Augusta and the Rua da Prata. Automobiles could
be hired, and parties of bluejackets might have been seen in the
royal palaces, the storied old churches, and the monastery whose
walls were built in 1499, on the spot where another sailor, Vasco da
Gama, had embarked on a famous voyage two years earlier.
The water-front of every large seaport is notorious for low-browed
rascals who look at Jack ashore as easy prey, and it was not in the
least to the discredit of the hospitality of Lisbon that a pair of Corsair
men should have run afoul of one of these land-sharks when they
first hit the beach. The business-like manner in which the youthful
seafarers handled the matter discouraged further attempts to molest
them. One of the pair mentioned it in his diary:
Got shore liberty and landed in jail one hour later. The
way it happened was that the driver of the car we had
chartered tried to rob us and we refused to stand for it, so
he had us pinched. We explained the case in French to a
generalissimo and he turned us loose at once and said we
were dead right. He would see that it didn’t happen again.
The tough driver was laying for us when we walked back
to the ship and he tried to get me with a knife and a
machinist’s hammer. Dave stopped him, and I got a big
club and we organized to clean up, but a crowd gathered,
 so we decided to quit and go on our way as a bunch of
sailors from the Corsair and Preston hove in sight and
were all set to make a battle royal of it. I knew this would
get us into serious trouble, although I did hate to let that
auto bandit get away with it, so we withdrew in good
order.

THE CORSAIR IN DRYDOCK AT HER MOORING BUOY,

AT LISBON BREST

Yeoman Connolly improved the opportunity to see the sights of

Lisbon and some of his impressions ran like this:
The city is the finest I have seen in Europe, barring
Paris only. The public buildings are works of art and you
see splendid architecture everywhere. The street cars are
the most modern I have seen since leaving home, but why
shouldn’t they be? I was sitting in a car the other night
and happened to look around at the advertisements when
I alighted on the builder’s name, “John Stephenson,
Elizabeth, N.J.” It made me homesick to see the familiar
name. I didn’t hesitate to tell some of the Portuguese
sitting alongside me that Elizabeth was my home town,
and they seemed very much interested.
I was taken through one fine building yesterday by a
very distinguished-looking gentleman, elderly and good-
natured, who showed a lot of interest in me and who
introduced me to the Lord Mayor of the place and to some
of the Cabinet members. He himself is a member of the
Cabinet and one of the best-known men in Portugal, I
later learned. I walked through some of the streets with
him and his gold-headed cane, and almost everybody
bowed to him or looked at him with awe. He understood
English very well and told me a whole lot of the history of
the country. As a plain American gob I got all I deserved,
and then some.
This is a great old town. I suppose you have heard of
the revolution that is going on here. We came just in time
to see the skirmishes that are featured daily. A funny thing
occurred last night. We were loafing along one of the
main avenues when we came to a big bulletin in front of a
newspaper office. About a thousand people were gathered
in front of it and reading a notice. To catch your eye there
was printed a huge hand holding a dagger dripping with
blood, and beneath it the announcement of another
episode of the revolution which was scheduled to take
place on the following Saturday afternoon. Some class to
this burg. They are not satisfied with trouble as it comes
along, but even advertise it in advance.
We are all going uptown to see a bull-fight on Sunday.
They have them two afternoons a week, but we have
picked Sunday as we want to take in part two of the
 revolution as duly announced for to-morrow. In spite of
the political rough-house the city is really wonderful and
we are very lucky to be laid up here, even if we do miss
out on a few weeks of the war. The only thing that gets
me is how the deuce to talk this Portuguese lingo. We
were all learning French very rapidly and can get along
O.K. in that language, but the stuff these people patter is
simply terrible to make out. Here we have to turn to and
learn a third language, and by the time we return to God’s
country we ought to be linguists of note.
The money here is very different from France. It is the
reis, not the franc, that demands your careful attention. It
takes sixteen hundred reis to make an American dollar,
and when you get change for ten dollars or so, you get a
basketful of junk that looks like so many United Cigar
Store coupons. It costs about a million reis to buy a good
meal, but the food is excellent and we get real honest-to-
goodness hot rolls, just like back home, but about as big
as a football. I brought a dozen back to the batteau last
night and when I came to pay for them I handed the gink
about seventeen hundred thousand reis, more or less. It
makes you swell up and feel richer than Rockefeller to be
handing out fortunes in this careless way, and it’s lucky for
us, as the ship has not been paid off in the Lord knows
when and most of us are flat broke. However, the moving-
picture theatres are good and fairly cheap, and Charlie
Chaplin is here, and we are allowed to stay ashore until
eleven-thirty at night, which is a long liberty for a foreign
port.
It was difficult for the officers of the Corsair to maintain the
customary round of duty and discipline while the ship was under
repair, with a crowd of Portuguese artisans aboard, many
distractions ashore, and things more or less upset, but they
succeeded in enforcing the high standards of the United States Navy
aboard. No more gratifying evidence of this could be desired than
the following letter from the Secretary of the Navy:
March 11th, 1918
To Commanding Officer, U.S.S. Corsair.
” ” ” ” Preston.
Subject: Good Behavior of Men in Lisbon.
The Department is much gratified to receive through
the State Department an excellent report of the behavior
of the men of the Corsair and Preston during their stay in
Lisbon. The following is an extract from the letter of the
American Minister:
I am sure that the Department will be pleased
to know, as well, that all the men behaved
splendidly and made a very creditable impression
in Lisbon. It is needless for me to say that I was
very much gratified by it all and personally felt
that our men were worthy of the cordial attention
and generous hospitality bestowed upon them by
the Portuguese people and others.
This evidence of good discipline reflects credit alike on
the officers and men of the ships and on the Naval
Service.
(Signed) Josephus Daniels

To be caught in the midst of a Portuguese revolution caused the

crew of the Corsair more amusement than alarm, and the only
regret was that they could find no lawful excuse for taking a hand in
the shindy. It was largely a local affair, between the military and
naval forces of the Provisional Government, and Lisbon seemed less
disturbed about it than if the street railways had gone on strike. The
shooting and commotion were mostly confined to the water-front,
and the experience of Quartermaster Bayne, for example, would
indicate that the American sailors really enjoyed it:
January 1st. It was my day’s duty on board, so could
not go to the party at the American Legation. Everybody
said it was a bully good game. We created a large
disturbance last night. When we blew our siren to
welcome the New Year, it brought the entire town out all
standing, as they thought it was the signal for another
revolution. The Portuguese troops were ordered out and
started to march at the double-quick to the Navy Yard, as
they took it for granted that the Navy had touched off an
uprising. The situation might have been serious, but some
general or other found out that it was us and what we
were doing, and the soldiers were ordered back to the
barracks. The Lisbon newspapers gave us a write-up, and
we ran true to form as the gallant but quite unexpected
and unaccountable Americans.
January 4th. This has been an exciting day. I went
ashore at two in the afternoon and was to meet the rest
of the crowd for dinner at seven. They did not show up,
and I learned later that the harbor was so rough that the
ships had to shove off and anchor in mid-stream for a
while, and no boats could come ashore. I spent the
evening at General Barnardiston’s and then started to foot
it back to the ship. The gates of the Navy Yard were
locked, but the Portuguese guard let me pass through. As
I wandered along to the wharf, I noticed that all lights
were out in the buildings, but I didn’t think much about it,
although several squads of soldiers looked me over pretty
carefully.
When I got back aboard the Corsair, I saw that our
guns were manned, and I was greeted with, “Thank God,
you got through. How did you do it?” I asked what was
up, and got this story. The Army and Navy were pulling off
another revolution. Fighting had been going on between
the War Ministry and the Naval Ministry buildings. Our ship
was close to both. One of our coxswains, Lindeburg, was
in a motor-boat at the foot of the Army Building and as he
left the boat and started to beat it for the ship, he was
fired at while running along the wharf. He ducked back to
his boat, and the Corsair, getting uneasy about him,
ordered a rescue party away. They were shot at, too, and
had to seek cover.
This was a bit too much, so the battery was loaded and
trained on the buildings, while an armed guard, carrying
the Stars and Stripes, marched to both buildings.
Meanwhile the captain had sent a radio message to the
authorities, demanding an instant explanation and apology
for firing on our men. This second party of ours was not
attacked and soon returned with the other men. Half an
hour later we received an official apology. Knowing
nothing about all this ruction, I had walked through the
Navy Building, right between the lines, and aboard ship.
Copeland and Ashby were with me and for some reason
we were not shot at.
That about ended the trouble, as far as we were
concerned, but it looked like business for a little while,
because if they had fired on our flag we should have
knocked their buildings over for sure. I understood that
our skipper sent them the message, “If you fire on our
flag we shall attack at once.”... During the afternoon the
wind and sea had been so high that most of the ships in
the harbor dragged their anchors and the French
destroyer next to us had to move out after knocking a
hole in our side which probably means dry-dock again.
January 7th. The revolution is still on, and we are
advised to keep off the streets, more or less, as there is
plenty of rifle-firing, and when these Portuguese get
excited they mistake our uniforms for their own Navy and
so take pot shots at us.... January 8th. Big revolution to-
day. The Army opened up with about a hundred shells on
the flagship Vasco da Gama, and it was lots of fun. The
shells passed almost over us and we watched the scrap.
The Navy didn’t shoot back. The shrapnel was falling fast
and the ships hauled down their colors. The whole
Portuguese Navy tried to crowd aboard the Corsair for
protection, but we wouldn’t stand for that. There was a
good deal of machine-gun and rifle shooting uptown all
day. There was no liberty, but the captain sent for me and
five others and gave us special liberty to go to Mme.
Girard’s for tea. Had a fine time. We were warned to be
careful, as the soldiers fired at any naval uniform they
happened to see. They did not bother us, although we
passed a lot of infantry heavily armed.

“DOC” LAUB AGREES THAT “THIS IS THE LIFE IF YOU

DON’T WEAKEN”
 COXSWAIN DAVE TIBBOTT WAITS WITH THE LAUNCH

At dinner ashore, the programme was interrupted by a

battle in front of the hotel, and almost everybody,
excepting ourselves, left the dining-room because the
bullets were popping about. We refused to budge, for
there was a corking good dinner on the table and the
Portuguese soldiers are pretty rotten shots. They played a
dirty German trick to-day. Some of their Navy men shoved
off unarmed in small boats and tried to row ashore, but
the troops opened fire on them, not far from our ship, and
killed a couple of the poor Portuguese gobs. It made us so
sore that we felt like cutting loose on them.
January 9th. No revolution to-day. The French officers
on the destroyer Intrepide have behaved splendidly to us
chaps. Of course, association with enlisted men is
unknown in the French service, that is, in a social way. At
first they couldn’t quite understand how we happened to
meet them at these various teas and receptions, but after
 a time or two they grasped the situation and have since
put themselves out to be agreeable to us.
The report of Commander Kittinger is an accurate and interesting
summary of the episodes of this sputtering little revolutionary
outbreak in which the Corsair played a part during her pleasant
interlude at Lisbon. He wrote as follows:
About 9 p.m., January 4, 1918, the U.S.S. Corsair, being
moored to the dock at the Naval Arsenal, desultory small-
arms firing broke out in the Naval Compound. The firing
was observed to come from the windows of the second
floor of the east wing of the building forming the Arsenal
Compound. It was reported that the coxswain of the
motor dory was in the immediate vicinity, securing his
boat for the night. At intervals the firing was resumed, but
the object which drew the fire could not be made out from
the ship. Lieutenant Commander Porter and Ensign
Schanze, with four bluejackets, left the ship for the
Arsenal offices to arrange for the safety of the coxswain.
On approaching within about fifteen feet of the door in
the centre of the north wing, firing was opened,
apparently at the Corsair party, from the same place, the
bullets hitting the walls and pavement near them. The
party entered the building without casualty.
Intermittent firing continued after this. After waiting a
reasonable time for the return or for news of the first
party, a second party led by Lieutenant McGuire left the
ship, carrying a flag. The searchlight from the ship was
used to illuminate the flag. This party was not molested
and returned with the first party and the coxswain. It
developed that the firing came from the windows of the
Colonial Office and was directed at Portuguese bluejackets
passing across the open space from the shore end of the
wharf to the main entrance.
 About 11 p.m. a military aide of the President called on
board and presented the compliments of that official with
the usual courtesies, and inquired as to casualties, if any,
in our force. He was informed of what had taken place
and that no damage was done. A report of the riot was
made to the American Consul-General, Mr. W. L. Lowrie,
whose reply is herewith attached:
From American Consul-General, Lisbon,
To Commanding Officer, U.S.S. Corsair.
I have to acknowledge the receipt of your
memo. of January 5th concerning the firing in the
Arsenal Compound during the evening of January
4th. Personal representations have been made
and I trust there will be no recurrence of the
rioting, although as you are fully aware conditions
here just now are most unsettled. I am extremely
thankful that no one was hurt during the rioting
and that no damage was done.
Beginning January 3rd it was noticed that conditions in
Lisbon were unsettled politically. On that night some rifle-
firing took place in the streets between Portuguese sailors
and soldiers on patrol duty. Shots were exchanged nightly
up to January 8th when the counter-revolution took place.
The situation briefly is this:
The Portuguese Navy has been the controlling factor in
the politics of the country. The Army has been the
opponent, but has been negligible because of its
ineffectiveness. The Navy deposed the King in 1910 and
set up a Republic which has been perpetuated until the
present time, the last incumbent being President
Machado. When Portugal entered the war, the Army was
largely increased and equipped, and forces were sent to
the Western Front and to the Portuguese African colonies.
Army preparations continued in Portugal and there is a
large mobilization at present.
On December 5, 1917, the Army started a revolution
and succeeded in overthrowing the Government two days
later, the President being exiled on that date. As a
precautionary measure, the naval forces present at Lisbon
were disarmed. In spite of this, the Navy prepared plans
for a counter-revolution. The present Provisional
Government took steps to send the majority of the sailors
to the Portuguese African colonies because of the serious
reverses suffered by their troops in Africa while fighting
the Germans.
The Navy took steps to defeat this manœuvre and on
January 8, 1918, the Vasco da Gama (flagship) anchored
off Lisbon. At 10.45 a.m. a battery of three field pieces at
Saint George’s Castle in the middle of the city, opened fire
on the Vasco da Gama. The flagship fired five shots in
return and hoisted a red flag under the ensign. The shots
of the shore battery were dispersed, but some seemed to
strike the ship. Shrapnel and projectile were fired. At
11.10 a.m. the Vasco da Gama hauled down her flag and
hoisted a white flag at the foremast and abandoned ship.
A number of shots were then fired at the destroyers Douro
and Guardiana, which also struck their colors and hoisted
white flags. The cruiser Almirante Reis, a transport, and
several gunboats did likewise. At 11.20 a.m. firing ceased
at the shore battery. Rifle fire continued in the city streets.
The Arsenal plant closed down at the beginning of the
firing and the workmen employed on board the Corsair
stopped about 11 a.m. No further work was done by the
Arsenal force that day.
On January 9th (the next day) the Arsenal resumed
operations as usual, and I was informed that the trouble
was over and work would continue as before. The Vasco
 da Gama, with the Guardiana and Douro, stood down the
river on January 11th, apparently undamaged.
The crew of the Corsair felt a personal interest in the Provisional
President, Sidonio Paes, as some of them had sat at the table next
to him in the dining-room of the hotel and one or two of the officers
had met him at the theatre. One of the street spectacles was a huge
parade in honor of Sidonio Paes, and a bluejacket described it as
“tremendous enthusiasm, everybody yelling to beat the band and
waving their hats, and the Portuguese thought it was great, but it
wasn’t as good a show as when the Seventy-First Regiment came
back from the Mexican Border and marched up Fifth Avenue.”
What the Corsair considered the big moment of the long stay in
Lisbon was when the landing party marched off the yacht to rescue
the two officers and the four men who had gone ashore to look for
the coxswain and find out what the row was all about. The ship’s
searchlight was turned and held to illuminate the bright folds of the
Stars and Stripes while the gun crews stood ready for action, every
sight-setter, plugman, and shell-handler taut upon his toes and
blithely confident that the Corsair could knock the adjacent buildings
into a cocked hat.
It was discovered that the first party had been mistaken for
Portuguese sailors and fired at from a window only fifty feet distant.
The bullets spattered the doorway into which they turned, and they
proceeded upstairs to hold emphatic discourse with an excited
Portuguese naval officer and the chief of the radio service who were
earnestly telephoning to ascertain what the ruction was and who
had started it. Coxswain Lindeburg had the largest grievance,
however, for he had been almost potted while securing his motor-
boat at the wharf, and it was solemnly affirmed that he was combing
the bullets out of his hair after being escorted aboard by the
comrades who had sallied forth to find him.
It seems extraordinary that in this affair at Lisbon the Corsair
should have seen more actual fighting, with rifle and shell fire, than
during her many months of active service with the American naval
forces in the Great War. And even when the fleets in European
waters, under the general direction of Admiral Sims, had increased
to four hundred ships and seventy thousand men, none of them saw
as much action as this almost bloodless little outbreak in Portugal, as
action had been regarded in the days before the German doctrines
of submarine warfare. It goes to show how new and vastly different
were the problems which had to be solved by the Allied navies.
This does not mean that American ships and sailors went clear of
danger and disaster, but almost never was the chance offered to
fight the hidden foe. The fine destroyer, Jacob Jones, of the
Queenstown flotilla, was blown to pieces by a torpedo and sixty-four
officers and men died with her. The Coast Guard vessel Tampa was
blown up and vanished with all hands, a crew of more than a
hundred. Many a time the naval guard of a merchant steamer stood
by their guns and were drowned when the ship went down. These,
and the yacht Alcedo, and all the other brave ships which are listed
upon the American Navy’s roll of honor, were worthy of the spirit and
the traditions of John Paul Jones, although to them was denied the
privilege of signalling the enemy, “We have not begun to fight.”
 THE CHEERY FRENCH PILOT,
LIEUT. MEJECK CHIEF QUARTERMASTER
BENTON

The badly damaged Corsair required a long and costly overhauling

to make her ready and fit for service, and this work was undertaken,
and well done, by the organization of the Portuguese naval docks
and arsenal. With a most admirable spirit of friendship and
coöperation between two allies in the struggle against a mutual
enemy, the Government of Portugal refused to accept any payment
whatever, although every effort was made to obtain a bill for
services rendered. Commander Kittinger explains this handsome
incident in the following report:
The U.S.S. Corsair arrived at Lisbon, Portugal, on
December 19, 1917, in need of repairs to make her
seaworthy. The matter was taken up with the Portuguese
naval authorities by the American Consul-General and the
Commanding Officer. An engineer and a naval constructor
were immediately sent off to the ship from the Naval
Arsenal to estimate and report. The same day the Director
of the Arsenal stated that he could and would do the
work, and that the ship would be berthed at the Arsenal
on the following day.
As promised, the Arsenal workmen came on board and
started the work, and in the afternoon the ship was
moored to the Arsenal dock. An estimate of time and cost
was requested. The time was estimated at from one
month to six weeks, but the cost estimate could not be
given. It was suggested that the cost be made actual for
labor and material, plus a reasonable overhead. To this
the Director replied that the Minister of Marine had
ordered the work done free of charge to the U.S.
Government, stating that repairs had been done to British
and French Government vessels gratis.
The work proceeded rapidly and efficiently. I made
periodical calls at the office of the Chief Engineer and
Naval Constructor to obtain a cost estimate. This was
promised for my information, but never received. Finally I
was told that if the Consul-General would write a letter on
the subject to the Minister of Marine, the estimate would
be given and a basis of payment arranged, but that the
money would be turned over to the Red Cross.
The reply to the Consul-General’s letter is herewith
attached, the substance of which is a refusal on the part
of the Portuguese Government to accept payment.
I requested the Consul-General to keep at the business
of trying to obtain a basis of settlement. Later on, I was
informed through the Consulate that the Provisional
President, to whom the Minister of Marine had referred
the matter, had decided to accept payment. This was the
status of the question until January 25th, the day before
 the Corsair’s departure, when the Commanding Officer,
accompanied by the Consul-General, made leave-taking
calls upon the Arsenal officials.
The Director of the Arsenal at this time stated that he
had orders from the President to render no bill to the U.S.
Government. As our Government had not recognized the
officials in power in Portugal during this time, the
American Minister could take no action.
The cost of repairs to the U.S.S. Corsair by the
Portuguese Government during the period from December
20th to January 25th is a gift to the U.S. Government.
A translation of the letter in which the naval authorities of Lisbon,
with the most courteous obstinacy, decline to permit the Corsair to
pay for the valuable services received, reads as follows:
Office of the Minister of Marine
Administration of Repairs and
Equipment, Naval Arsenal
I have the honor to accept the receipt of your
communication dated the second instant and to transcribe
the decree of the fourth instant by His Excellency, the
Minister of Marine, concerning the matter, viz:
The Minister of Marine, appreciating the spirit
of the note, No. 830, and taking into
consideration the fact that the damages were
suffered in the service of the Allied Cause which
we jointly defend, and desiring to have the
approval of His Excellency, the Consul-General,
and therefore of the Government which he
represents, has decided that payment cannot be
accepted for the repairs made.
It is our pleasure and privilege to give all that
is within our power, and we pledge our word to
coöperate with our most earnest efforts for the
cause of humanity and justice.
(Signed) Pelo, Director
To His Excellency “To our Welfare and
Fraternity”
The Consul-General of the
United States of America
 CHAPTER IX
UNCLE SAM’S BRIDGE OF SHIPS

When the Corsair again meets a blow,

The crew they will surely all know,
Tho’ the distance be great,
They’ll work early and late
To make the good port of Lisboa.

It’s hither and thither and there,

But divil a bit do we scare,
For the captain and crew
Will see the thing through
In the dear little gray Corsair.

The Fo’castle Glee Club

R EADY again to tussle with the wintry seas offshore, the Corsair
sailed from Lisbon on January 26, 1918, and returned to her
base at Brest at the usual cruising speed of fourteen knots. There
were many pleasant memories of the smiling, gracious city on the
Tagus, and a few broken hearts which were soon mended among
the Yankee mariners who had sterner business and were anxious to
get on with the war. They found a greatly increased activity at Brest,
where the largest transports were pouring the troops ashore in
swelling volume and thousands of negro stevedores emptied the
holds of supplies which overflowed the wharves and the
warehouses. The bold prediction of an American bridge of ships
across the Atlantic was rapidly becoming a reality and the German
confidence in ruthless submarine warfare was an empty boast,
thanks to the skill and courage of the Allied naval forces.
 In one of the American yachts, as a seaman, was Joseph
Husband, a trained writer who portrayed the swift expansion of
activity in such words as these:[4]
The flag has come into its own again. In the bright
sunshine almost a hundred ships swing slowly at their
anchor chains, a vast floating island of steel hulls, forested
with slim, sparless masts and faintly smoking stacks. Our
anchor is lifted and the chain rumbles up through the
hawse-pipe. Slowly we steam past a wide mile of vessels
to our position.
Here are the flags of the nations of the world, but by far
the most numerous are the Stars and Stripes. The red flag
of the English merchantman is much in evidence, and so
are the crosses of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, and
the Tri-Color of France. From a big freighter flies the single
star of Cuba. The red sun of Japan and the green and
yellow ensign of Brazil snap smartly in the breeze. A few
of the freighters are painted a leaden gray, but for the
most part they are gay with camouflage. The spattered
effects of the earlier days are now replaced by broad
bands of flat colors. Black, white, blue, and gray are the
favorites, slanting to the bow or stern and carried across
life-rafts, boats, superstructures, and funnels. Some
appear to be sinking by the head, others at a distance
seem to be several vessels. It is a fancy dress carnival, a
kaleidoscope of color. One and all they are of heavy and
ugly lines. On forward and after decks the masts seem
designed only to lift the cargo booms and spread the
wireless. The oil-burners are even more unshiplike, for a
single small funnel is substituted for the balanced stacks
of coal-burning steamers.
Fore and aft on the gun-decks the long tubes of the
guns point out over bow and stern. Yankee gun crews,
baggy blue trousers slapping in the breeze, stand beside
them and watch us pass. Blue-clad officers peer down at
us from the bridges. Aloft, hoists of gay signal flags, red,
yellow, white, and blue, flutter like confetti in the air. From
signal bridges bluejackets are sending semaphore signals
with red and yellow flags. A big American ocean-going tug
churns through the fleet. On our right is a French mine-
layer, long rows of mines along her deck. Fast motor-boats
slide in and out among the vessels. Above, like
dragonflies, three seaplanes soar.
The outward-bound convoy of empty freighters is ready.
Bursts of steam from bows indicate that anchor engines
are lifting the big mud-hooks from the harbor’s floor. One
by one the ships steam slowly out of port; converted
yachts and small French destroyers on either side. Out
where the entrance broadens to the open sea, a big kite
balloon tugs at the small steamer far beneath it and
seems to drag it by a slender cord of steel.
 THE HOME OF THE AMERICAN NAVAL OFFICERS’ CLUB IN
BREST

Instead of a few American naval officers ashore in Brest, there

were scores of them from transports, supply ships, and the escort
divisions. Their social headquarters, which had become almost
indispensable, was the spacious building of the American Naval
Officers’ Club on the Place du Château, conveniently near the water-
front. The club had been organized in September, 1917, by a group
of naval officers among whom Lieutenant Robert E. Tod, of the
Corsair, was the most active in promoting its interests and making it
successful. Captain Fletcher, later a rear admiral, was the first
president and was succeeded by Admiral Wilson when he arrived in
November. Lieutenant Milton Andrews served as secretary, and a
board of directors administered the affairs of the club whose
membership was strictly naval.
The comfortable French mansion was well furnished and
equipped, with a restaurant, reading-room, billiard-room, and
bedrooms, and during 1918 there were more than six hundred
members who enjoyed this haven when they came in weary of the
sea. The name was changed to the Naval Officers’ Mess, as more
appropriate. The club-house had been purchased by Lieutenant Tod
personally, in order to facilitate matters, and when the war was over
and the naval fleet was homeward bound, he presented the building
to the French Government as a permanent club for the officers of
the Allied naval services. All members of the Naval Officers’ Mess
were to retain their connection in this new organization which is
called “The Cercle Naval.”
Here the officers of the Corsair foregathered when they returned
from Lisbon, to catch up with the gossip of their trade. They found
the club filled with new members and visitors, the Regular Navy
enjoying reunions and swapping yarns of bygone cruises on the
China station or in the Mediterranean, or of service in the Spanish
War when these sedate captains and rear admirals had been flighty
youngsters or consequential two-stripers. The captain of a huge
transport fetching in ten thousand doughboys sat in a corner with
the skipper of a little “fish boat” from Gloucester which was trawling
for German mines in the channels of the Gironde or the Loire. The
officers of the Reserve Force met college chums or formed new
friendships and compared notes on the ways and means of
scuppering Fritz.
Admiral Wilson had perceived that with more escort vessels at his
command and an increasing force promised, he could gain efficiency
by distributing his ships at several bases along the French coast,
from Brest to Bordeaux, under district commanders. This would
enable him to give better protection and to move the convoys more
rapidly as they went in and out of the other ports of American entry.
In accordance with this plan, the Corsair was detached from the
Brest force and ordered to make her headquarters on the river
Gironde below Bordeaux. The area was in the patrol district of
Rochefort which was in charge of Captain Newton A. McCully, U.S.N.,
who was later made a rear admiral. The Corsair found it highly
satisfactory to operate under this capable and energetic officer who
made two cruises in the yacht, in March, when she went out to meet
laden troop convoys and escorted them in to France. The
coöperating French naval force was directed from the station ship
Marthe Solange which was anchored at Verdon on the Gironde.
After coaling ship at Brest, the Corsair started for her new base on
January 31st, escorting several supply ships which were bound for
Bordeaux and loaded with aeroplane equipment and munitions. How
rumor flew about and was eagerly, solemnly discussed is indicated in
these bits from a sailor’s diary:
January 31st. Hauled out of Brest with our convoy at
three in the morning, proceeding at nine knots. At
Quiberon we picked up the rest of them and headed for
Bordeaux, the destroyers Warrington and Monaghan with
us. I understand that we are not to go all the way up to
Bordeaux, but will base at our own Navy aviation camp
some thirty miles down the river. Hear they will work us to
death. Hope we will have a chance to run up and see the
city.
February 1st. Steamed up the river and stopped at
aviation camp at Pauillac. Incidentally there are a
thousand sailors here and not one flying machine. About
five hundred Austrian prisoners and six hundred Germans
are helping build the camp. Got Bordeaux liberty and
arrived there after dark. The city is under military law and
there are all sorts of fussy Army rules and regulations. We
went to fourteen hotels before we found a place to sleep.
We couldn’t see the town, as it was in darkness.
Everybody has to be off the streets at 10.30 p.m. The only
criticism I have to make of the town is that there are
altogether too many soldiers in it.
February 4th. Got another liberty to-day. Heard some
big news. The America, on her way over here and loaded
with troops, was torpedoed. She was not seriously
damaged and by dropping depth mines brought the
German submarine to the surface. The officers and crew
were captured alive and have been carried into Brest,
along with the submarine. Also, a few days ago a U-boat
came up and surrendered to the Dixie, the crew having
killed the captain. The submarine was absolutely out of
provisions and supplies and the men were in bad shape.
This is a fine omen. (Note:—I later discovered that these
stories are untrue.)
February 6th. More big news. A German submarine
came into Brest harbor flying a white flag, and
surrendered. We have her at a mooring buoy all intact and
fit for sea. They had run out of fuel oil and grub and were
fed up with the service. There wasn’t a chance of getting
back to Germany with the boat, so she sensibly gave
herself up. I hope they are all in the same rotten bad
 shape. (Note:—This story of the submarine surrendering
at Brest is found to be all bunk.)
The yachts Wakiva and May now joined the Corsair for escort duty
and the Aphrodite and Nokomis were added to the division force a
little later. In addition to the orders received from the American
commander of the naval district, the most explicit instructions came
from the French senior officer of the “Division des Patrouille de
Gascogne.” With the courtesy to be expected of him, he sent also a
translation in order to save trouble for his comrades of the American
Navy. At times the English phrasing had a Gallic twist, not enough to
perplex the Corsair whose officers had become adepts at the French
nautical lingo, but the effect was a trifle confusing to the eye of a
layman, as for instance:
Signals between convoy and escort are to be done by
the besides code. Do signals only if necessary. The last
ship in each line don’t show any stern lights be ready to
show navigation lights if necessary.
Zigzags are to be done according to the orders of the
escort’s do (see diagramms besides). All the ships show
the flag K. Manœuvring is to be executed only when the K
is getting down all the ships do K, is to be taken like the
origin of the diagramm, which is to be sailed by the
beginning. Manœuvre when the signal gets down or when
the least stations according to the regular numerotage.
By fog, and on order of the escort if necessary by WT,
each column will steer like a special line each behind the
escort ships on the same side. The right line will then
steer ten degrees right hand and the left line five degrees
left hand from the primitive curse of the convoy.
Escort and convoy ships are ordered not to bring
anything overboard. Burn all you can and if impossible to
burn, bring overboard rubbish altogether at once in the
beginning of night. All the rubbish spread over the sea are
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