ATPL Human Factors key terms

A false perception of reality caused by misleading sensory input, often leading to incorrect decisions or actions. In aviation, visual and vestibular illusions can cause pilots to misjudge altitude, speed, or orientation.

A condition where the body's tissues receive insufficient oxygen. In aviation, it can occur at high altitudes due to reduced partial pressure of oxygen, leading to impaired cognitive function and consciousness.

A vestibular illusion during acceleration where a sudden forward acceleration is misinterpreted as a pitch-up, causing the pilot to push the nose down. It can also occur during deceleration.

The sensory system in the inner ear responsible for balance and spatial orientation. It provides information about acceleration and head position, but can produce illusions in flight when visual references are poor.

The duration from the onset of hypoxia until a person loses the ability to take corrective action. It decreases with altitude, from minutes at 25,000 feet to seconds above 40,000 feet.

A pilot's inability to correctly perceive their position and motion relative to the Earth. It results from conflicting sensory inputs, especially when visual references are unreliable, and can lead to loss of control.

The process of maintaining a safe cabin altitude in an aircraft flying at high altitude. Failure can lead to hypoxia and decompression sickness, requiring immediate use of oxygen and descent.

A condition caused by dissolved nitrogen forming bubbles in the body when ambient pressure drops too quickly, such as in rapid decompression. Symptoms include joint pain, fatigue, and respiratory issues.

The internal biological clock that regulates sleep-wake cycles over approximately 24 hours. Disruption from crossing time zones or irregular schedules can cause fatigue and reduced performance.

A state of tiredness that impairs physical and mental performance. In aviation, it can result from long duty periods, insufficient sleep, or circadian disruption, increasing the risk of errors.

A temporary sleep disorder caused by rapid travel across multiple time zones, disrupting the circadian rhythm. Symptoms include insomnia, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating, affecting crew performance.

A physiological and psychological response to demanding circumstances. In aviation, stress can impair judgment and performance, but moderate stress can enhance alertness.

The amount of mental and physical effort required to perform tasks. Both overload and underload can degrade performance, affecting attention, decision-making, and error rates.

A situation where task demands exceed the operator's capacity to process information and respond. It leads to errors, omission of tasks, and increased stress.

A condition where task demands are too low, leading to boredom, reduced vigilance, and complacency. It can impair performance, especially during monitoring tasks.

The level of physiological and psychological activation. Performance is optimal at moderate arousal; too low causes underload, too high causes overload and anxiety.

The ability to sustain attention over prolonged periods to detect rare events. It declines with time on task, fatigue, and underload, affecting monitoring performance.

A state of self-satisfaction and reduced awareness of risks, often resulting from repeated success or low workload. It can lead to failure to detect changes or errors.

An action or decision that deviates from intended or required behavior, leading to an undesired outcome. Errors are categorized as slips, lapses, mistakes, or violations.

An error of action where the intention is correct but the execution is flawed, such as pressing the wrong button. Slips are typically attention failures.

An error involving a failure to execute a planned action, often due to memory failure, such as forgetting to set flaps. Lapses are omission errors.

An error of judgment or planning where the intended action is wrong, even if executed correctly. Mistakes arise from incorrect knowledge or misapplication of rules.

A deliberate deviation from rules or procedures, often due to perceived efficiency or social norms. Violations can become routine and undermine safety.

The perception and understanding of elements in the environment and the projection of their future status. Loss of situational awareness is a major factor in accidents.

The cognitive sequence of perceiving, interpreting, deciding, and responding to information. Limitations in attention and memory can lead to errors in this process.

The cognitive process of selectively concentrating on specific information while ignoring others. Attention is limited and can be divided or focused, affecting performance.

The cognitive system that encodes, stores, and retrieves information. In aviation, working memory limitations can cause lapses and errors, especially under high workload.

The process of interpreting sensory information to form a meaningful understanding of the environment. It can be influenced by expectations and illusions, leading to errors.

The cognitive process of selecting a course of action among alternatives. In aviation, effective decision making requires assessing risks, gathering information, and considering consequences.

The effective use of all available resources-human, hardware, and information-to achieve safe and efficient flight operations. It emphasizes communication, teamwork, and leadership.

Collaborative effort by crew members to achieve shared goals. It involves cooperation, coordination, and mutual support, enhancing safety and performance.

The exchange of information between crew members. Effective communication is clear, concise, and timely, using standard phraseology and closed-loop techniques to avoid misunderstandings.

The ability to guide and influence a team towards achieving goals. In aviation, effective leadership involves setting standards, making decisions, and fostering a safe culture.

The ability to confidently express one's views and concerns while respecting others. In the cockpit, it ensures critical information is communicated and acted upon.

The harmonious integration of crew activities to ensure safe and efficient flight. It involves clear roles, effective communication, and mutual support.

The shared values, beliefs, and behaviors regarding safety within an organization. A positive safety culture encourages reporting, learning, and continuous improvement.

A safety culture where errors are not punished but reported, while reckless behavior is addressed. It balances accountability and learning to improve safety.

A framework for identifying and managing threats and errors in operational contexts. It involves anticipating threats, trapping errors, and mitigating consequences to maintain safety margins.

A model describing the interaction between Software, Hardware, Environment, and Liveware (humans) in aviation. It highlights the importance of matching system components to human capabilities.

The study of human capabilities and limitations in relation to work environments. In aviation, it aims to optimize safety and performance by designing systems that fit people.