Distributed Cognition - outline

1. Distributed Cognition - outline • Distributed Cognition • Discussion about distributed cognition • General discussion

2. Reaction against mentalism • Cognitivism (competence) • Behaviourism (performance) • Social antropology (systems) People select and build their physical and social environment and do so to support cognition.

3. Individual I think

4. Janusface • Distribution Share Part

5. HCI-interaction I think

6. Aim …to determine how to best represent, store and give access to electronical and other information dense artefacts for a collaborative team, enabling them to work in an orchestrated manner • Interaction human-technology • Organization of human-technology • Design of representations

7. Theoretical background • Information processing theory • System theory • Socio-cultural theory • Cognitive anthopology

8. Information processing psychology • How information • Travels • Processed • Represented (critique of the all in the head processing) • Mental processes is what cannot be explained by environmental factors • Communication is the systems internal procesessing

9. System theory • Humans + the artefacts = cognitive system • Delimiting the focus by goal or physical space • Generalisability • Comparision • ”The system is more than the parts” • ”Change in one part may effect other parts or the productiveness of the whole” • Subsystems are dependent • Production is organisation dependent

10. HCI-system

11. Socio-cultural theory • Each individuals perspective is culturally determined • Humans as producers and reproducers of culture • Focus is on process and meaning, rather than structure • Emergence

12. Social-distribution Conceptual change

13. Cognitive systems • Each individuals problem-space is small • Make parallell activities possible • Artefacts is part of cognitive processessing • All information cannot be internalised • Organisation and physical space determine information processing • Interactive and intrapsychological phenomenon are different

14. Activity context • Synergistic whole • Actors and artefacts constrain and enables each interactions

15. Context-bound The arrangement of equipment in a workplace might seem to be a topic for traditional, noncognitive ergonomics. However, it has an interpretation in terms of the construction of systems of socially distributed cognition. The interaction of the properties of the senses with the physical layout of the task environment defines possibilities for the distribution of access to information (Hutchins, 1995:197)

16. Social distribution • How components interact • How components make learning possible

17. Equivalent access hypothesis • Compare to system theory • Princip • Not discussing meaning • Association

18. Description levels • Task • What the system should perform • Representation • What openess and state • Activity • How and what people do

19. Human interaction with technology • With: Amplification (utility, power, strength) • Of: Cognitive transformation (residual)

20. Learning • Behaviour that manifest over time and context • Change in the environment is part of learning • Change in mental spaces

21. Learning • Horizon of observation • Open interaction • Open tools

22. Learning in action • Errors and breakdowns makes people articulate • Artefacts and interactions make information visible • Work distribution may be arranged for monitoring

23. Of and with effects Conceptual change

24. Analysis • Access • Representation • Knowledge • Konstruktion

25. Method • Fieldstudies • Experiement • Simulations • Computable models

26. User and technology • Technology serving as a catalysator • Humans can serve as catalysator • Humans process from goal and meaning • Each component is more than its internal sophistication • Humans are meaning-processing component • Knowledge is in interaction

27. Executive function and system delimitation • System information flow depends upon the execution • People come into systems • System organise for people who choose • Higher knowledge is uniquely human

28. Formal and actual organisation • Formal task distribution • Actual task distribution and access to information

29. Distributed Cognition Conceptual change

30. The emergency control centre • Receives all emergency calls (112) • Exists at 20 sites in Sweden • Co-ordinates and operates several organisations • Operates with a minimum of 2 people

31. Assessing the situation Background • Different priorities • Many fake emergencies (kids, mobile phone testing, strange people) Operator rutines • Ask for additional details • Ask for the reporter´s phone number • Check phone number with the official phone database • Ask for the reporter´s mane and home address • Match information from the database with the one reported

32. Collaborative tasks • Parallell activities necessary • Joint assessment of the accident • Remind each other of action to take • Feedback support of the assessment • Share of their specific responsibilities

33. When to call for assistance? • If the emergency seems to require parallel activities • If it is difficult to hear or understand the caller • If it is difficult to access the emergency, and what resources to co-ordinate

34. Co-ordination mechanisms • Signal • Display - lets the operators make a hierarchy of accidents and events • Computer screen - only shows which phone number the caller has called) • Human interaction