The science of situational awareness?

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Vanya - there's a large training literature on how to give people these abilities. You are correct - they clearly point out that realistic training gives people automatic schema for emergencies. They find it in fire training, piloting, military, etc.

It's not mystical or ESP or the Force - just cog. sci. !!

No sixth sense based on the unknown - just trained use of what we have. For example, it was figured out how outfielders catch baseballs hit to them. Is that mystical?

 

[Evan Thomas]

Vanya - there's a large training literature on how to give people these abilities. You are correct - they clearly point out that realistic training gives people automatic schema for emergencies. They find it in fire training, piloting, military, etc.

Yes, of course there is... but what I'm also trying to point out is that having "automatic schema for emergencies," which is largely a matter of training responses -- as you put it, "thorough learning and reps" -- is just one part of a picture which ought, for civilians, to include training in everyday perceptual skills, in much the same way that drivers can be trained in "attention-paying" behaviors like keeping their eyes moving, scanning well ahead on the road, etc. Many (most?) people don't choose to train as if they lived in a war zone, nor want to meet the world with that mindset; but there are specific "attention-paying" abilities and skills which can be cultivated in order to build an effective everyday level of situational awareness...

It's not mystical or ESP or the Force - just cog. sci. !!

No sixth sense based on the unknown - just trained use of what we have. For example, it was figured out how outfielders catch baseballs hit to them. Is that mystical?

Good grief! Of course it isn't. I'm a bit bewildered that you'd read anything of the sort into my posts. I'd never insult you -- or other experts in this stuff -- by suggesting you're not perfectly well aware of the literature in this field... other people may not be, however, and that Times piece seemed like a good starting point.

It's common -- for example, in "what did I do wrong?" threads in this forum -- for people to point out that if the person had been paying attention, he/she could have avoided the situation entirely. So what goes into "paying attention?" How do you get better at it? My reason for starting this thread was to get some discussion going that might be useful to others who are less well versed in this stuff, and get people thinking about the non-mystical (cognitive, emotional, physiological, what-have-you) factors that go into what we loosely call situational awareness.

 

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Vanya, I wasn't talking about you - sorry if I was misunderstood. In fact, I thought I was supporting your cogent posts and commenting on others.

Now, I'm sad - - going to lift weights now. Apologies.

Glenn

 

[Evan Thomas]

Aw, shucks, Glenn... it was that

Vanya -

that sorta gave me that impression... I guess I have my "prickly-skin" on this morning.

Sorry 'bout that.

Good lifting.

 

[BlueTrain]

I have to take issue with the sheep analogy again. You find all sorts of animals out there. Goats, mules, kittens, bulls, and so on. (What kind of animal are you?) And did you ever notice that sheep dogs either look like sheep or like wolves?

When I went places with my father he was always noticing animals along the road and I rarely saw them. Now that I do the driving, I see animals. It's simply that the driver is on the lookout. It also helps a lot if there are actually animals out there and there are many more where I live than where he lived. And it helps to know where to look sometimes.

 

[hogdogs]

As the passenger I am free to really scan for "stuff" in general Just yesterday I found my self droolin' when I spotted 6 does in the brush on the side of a highway at mid day. My father was driving and didn't see them until I showed him the one in the open.
A true predator is always scanning whether walking driving or riding along.

Many folks have shown disdain at my statement that I am a predator claiming that is what criminals are... Nay says I... An apex predator rarely preys upon those of same specie and pack. Real predators are either solo or team hunters of "lesser" non predatory species.
Brent

 

[Evan Thomas]

I have to take issue with the sheep analogy again. You find all sorts of animals out there. Goats, mules, kittens, bulls, and so on. (What kind of animal are you?) And did you ever notice that sheep dogs either look like sheep or like wolves?

Agreed! The "sheep, sheepdogs, wolves" thing is way overused, and also not very informative.

And re: what kind of animal are you?... it's funny how almost no one identifies as, oh, a woodchuck, or a beaver, or some other hardworking and inoffensive beast. Everyone's gotta be a predator.

When I went places with my father he was always noticing animals along the road and I rarely saw them. Now that I do the driving, I see animals. It's simply that the driver is on the lookout. It also helps a lot if there are actually animals out there and there are many more where I live than where he lived. And it helps to know where to look sometimes.

If you live somewhere where the deer population is pretty much out of control, being on the lookout is a survival skill. And when you're really looking out for them, you get a lot of false alarms: ever notice how much a mailbox resembles a deer by the side of the road?

 

[Evan Thomas]

Many folks have shown disdain at my statement that I am a predator claiming that is what criminals are... Nay says I... An apex predator rarely preys upon those of same specie and pack. Real predators are either solo or team hunters of "lesser" non predatory species.

Without a doubt, Brent, you qualify as a predator, according to the textbook definition! Not to hijack my own thread, but that "criminal = predator" thing really gets my, er, goat -- from what I've seen, it's mostly used by chest-thumpers as a way to justify their aggressive fantasies by dehumanizing the objects of the fantasy.

 

[BlueTrain]

Perhaps the deer think the human population is out of control!

But it reminds me that when you are driving, you are probably exercising a high sense of situational awareness. That's probably a little too bold a statement, since I expect many people aren't. And then, too, it only takes a little distraction for the mind to wander. And a moment's unawareness is all it takes. It helps to have a little experience, too, which goes without saying.

What kind of animal am I? I don't know. Maybe I'm a mole, maybe a little squirrelly, very goat-like, a little bear-like, ---hey, this is starting to sound like a parlor game.

 

[Rich Miranda]

...troops who were good at spotting bombs in simulations tended to think of themselves as predators, not prey.

While not directly related, the same can be said of professional driving techniques. I train drivers to not just respond to actions that may affect them, but to search out situations and occurrences that may affect them.

In changing from a 'responder' to a 'searcher' you go from prey to predator, in a way.

Good reading, BTW.

 

[M1911]

You do have a 6th sense. My grandmother always told me pay attention to it. All of us have been in situations or places that just didn't feel right. That's because there was something that was not right.

That is the main point in Gavin DeBecker's book, "The Gift of Fear." Many (most?) of the crime victims that he interviewed knew that something was wrong, but they didn't listen to that voice in the back of their head.

Our subconscious will often recognize predatory behavior before our conscious mind does.

 

[Evan Thomas]

But it reminds me that when you are driving, you are probably exercising a high sense of situational awareness.

Yes -- at least you should be... it's a good analogy, I think.

While not directly related, the same can be said of professional driving techniques. I train drivers to not just respond to actions that may affect them, but to search out situations and occurrences that may affect them.

In changing from a 'responder' to a 'searcher' you go from prey to predator, in a way.

Interesting thought... you go from passive to active mode, and given that truckers need to be able to maintain that level of attention for several hours at a stretch, it's a really good example of the kind of everyday skill- and mind-set I'm interested in here, which is a bit different from training to respond to emergencies. "An efficient active-search mode" would be a good description of that mindset, I think.

I'm curious -- what kind of training methods do you use? Any simulations, or mostly instruction and practice in the real world?

Funnily enough, that same issue of the Times had an article describing a long-term study of truckers' behavior, using in-cab video cameras, which found, among other things, that those who texted while driving were 23 times more likely to have accidents... The probability for those who talked on the phone was 1.3 times higher. But if that's your field, you probably know all about that study, Rich.

 

[hogdogs]

well as a life long barefooted redneck, I am sure that played a big part of being aware of my surroundings. I also drove truck but not until after many trips with my dad driving OTR. Also having road bikes gives a person a bunch of that awareness training if they want to survive the 4 wheelers. Wearing a 1%er club patch also brings possible violent acts from un known enemies into the equation... Never realized then how much these things would play out to this day.
Brent

 

[Rich Miranda]

I'm curious -- what kind of training methods do you use? Any simulations, or mostly instruction and practice in the real world?

...those who texted while driving were 23 times more likely to have accidents... The probability for those who talked on the phone was 1.3 times higher....

I'm in the charter bus business, BTW, where the lives of those 55 (or 56) people sitting behind you are your responsibility.

Well, we do a full 40 hours of classroom which is kind of the 'theory', and then we do 50 hours of 'behind-the-wheel' which is actual driving. We don't use any simulators. Mostly, the approach is to learn the technique via video and class instruction, then get into the bus and practice said technique. Each day is a different technique that builds on the last.

We use the Smith System:

• Aim high in steering (this means look far ahead)
• Get the big picture (what is happening 360 degrees around you)
• Keep your eyes moving (things change quickly, are you up to date?)
• Leave yourself an out (if you need to move quickly, where will you go?)
• Make sure they see you (because if they don't, everyone's having a bad day)

Come to think of it, most of the above could help us in keeping ourselves safe!

 

[Glenn E. Meyer]

My, aren't I a stickler and pedantic. A sense means usually (for perception types like me), a discrete sensory system with specialized receptors and neural pathways.

Using the normally defined senses in a preattentive manner is not a sense. So I'm a pain - it's like you guys ranting when someone says clip for magazine.

 

[Evan Thomas]

* Aim high in steering (this means look far ahead)
* Get the big picture (what is happening 360 degrees around you)
* Keep your eyes moving (things change quickly, are you up to date?)
* Leave yourself an out (if you need to move quickly, where will you go?)
* Make sure they see you (because if they don't, everyone's having a bad day)

Come to think of it, most of the above could help us in keeping ourselves safe!

It sure could!

Reminds me of an experience I had once, driving north (Friday rush hour) in a headwind in my old truck: the right side mirror was a bit loose, and the speed + wind was enough to push the mirror right against the side of the truck... I drove my friend nuts asking her to roll down the window and put it back every time -- but it drove me nuts not to have it in the right spot. Before this, I was pretty sure I used the mirrors a lot to scan around me, but I'd hadn't realized what a completely ingrained habit it was until all of a sudden, in heavy traffic, I couldn't do it. The left side and windshield mirrors were not enough to keep me happy...

My, aren't I a stickler and pedantic. A sense means usually (for perception types like me), a discrete sensory system with specialized receptors and neural pathways.

Using the normally defined senses in a preattentive manner is not a sense. So I'm a pain - it's like you guys ranting when someone says clip for magazine.

Glenn, you ARE a pedant... you use "discrete" correctly.

And you're absolutely right. I'm tempted to add that strictly speaking, there's also no such thing as "the mind," conscious or otherwise -- but it's a convenient fiction, I guess...

 

[anythingshiny]

i just spent 3 days in dc proper for a conf and was AMAZED at the number of people head down with ipods plugged in. granted, i understand that the big city is home to them and their comfort level is higher than mine...but i could have been naked and only 1/2 the folks would have noticed.

i was comfortable and paid no more 'attention' than i normally would have..but because there were so many more folks and more 'things' going on...i was tired at the end of the day.

driving was an amazing challenge..i would submit that traffic laws do not apply in downtown dc. tween the cabs, the cyclists, the pedestrians and the traffic..you were risking you life to leave the hotel.

the filter theory has merit in that my 'filters' are tuned to a lower level than those urban dwellers..in that a siren in my neighborhood is rare...where NOT hearing a siren in dc was remarkable. my personal space norms were shattered on the metro ( did that girl just grab my butt?!).

i enjoyed the conf, the city and the food...but not sure that the big city is for me. just too much going on all the time. i'm sure i'd prob learn to filter out the little things and still pay attn to the important cues.

 

[BlueTrain]

There's actually a joke that says the police would go after a naked man sooner than they'd go after a man with a gun. However, I'm not prepared to test either side of the theory.

I've lived near DC for over 30 years, having moved here from West Virginia. I've always thought it was easier to get around in DC than in Pittsburgh, but as they say, your experience may be different. It certainly helps to be familiar with the area but that doesn't help much in finding a parking place. And because of the contemporary security climate, many places have evaporated. You even need to go through security to visit the greenhouse at the foot of Capital Hill.

 

[Evan Thomas]

i was comfortable and paid no more 'attention' than i normally would have..but because there were so many more folks and more 'things' going on...i was tired at the end of the day.

Yes... it can be tiring to be bombarded with the amount of random stimulation a big city pumps out.. which is where the "filtering" thing comes in. (Not sure I'd dignify it by calling it a theory, though. It's just a handy way of talking about something I've noticed.)

As to traffic laws... people do obey rules in "Bos-Wash" -- only, they're not the ones that are written down. As I recall, one of the main ones is "The person going the fastest has the right of way."

It occurs to me that figuring out the local rules, whether for driving or other stuff, is probably another aspect of "everyday" situational awareness... For instance, whether, and when, you're supposed to make eye contact can vary even from one neighborhood to another. (And a corollary of the right-of-way rule above is that if you let another driver make eye contact with you, you've just lost it -- the right of way, that is...)

 

[Bismarck357]

I was in the military for 10yrs, 75th Ranger Regiment, 1st Battalion Bravo Company;unit call sign "Chameleon-25". I was trained to be more dangerous then a rabid wolf,and that training kept me alive through two tours in Iraq, unfortunitly in the beginning of my 3rd tour I was hit in the chest and shoulder;the damage was enough to force me into retirment.
Yet to this day, I retain all of my hightend awareness;to the point that I don't really sleep.I treat everyone as a potential threat until they are proven otherwise.

I am a little hot tempered with this post,I hope it does not cause concern with anyone;I'm really a nice guy once ya get to know me.