Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Adaptation to time-varying signals and control-theory models of tracking-behaviour

  • Published:
Psychological Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Control-theory models of tracking behaviour imply continuous negative feedback as opposed to discrete control, and they assume the existence of a quadratic error criterion. The experimental induction of an asymmetric error criterion gives rise to a nonlinear control strategy which is used here to investigate the process of adaptation of tracking strategy to disturbances with varying statistical parameters. Results show that tracking behaviour adapts to time-varying signals, but this adaptation is not based on an estimate of the statistical parameters of the disturbance, as is assumed by an optimal-control model of tracking behaviour. It is suggested that continuous tracking behaviour is a special case induced by specific experimental conditions. In general, a view of tracking behaviour as a sequence of discrete actions seems more appropriate.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barker, H.A. & Pradisthayon, B. (1976). Higher-order autocorrelation functions of pseudorandom signals based on M-sequences. Proceedings of the Institute of Electrical Engineers 117 1857–1863.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bekey, G.A. (1962). The human operator as a sampled-data-system. IRE Transactions on Human Factors in Electronics 3 43–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bendat, J.S. & Piersol, A.G. (1971). Random Data: Analysis and Measurement Procedures. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bösser, T. (1982). Tracking performance with varying error-criteria. Proceedings of the IFAC/IFIP/IFORS/IEA Conference on Analysis, Design and Evaluation of Man-Machine Systems. Oxford: Plenum Press, 427–437.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bösser, T. (1983). Eine nichtlineare Regelstrategie bei der manuellen Regelung. Zeitschrift für experimentelle und angewandte Psychologie 30 529–565.

    Google Scholar 

  • Costello, R.G. (1968). The surge model of the well-trained human operator in simple manual control. IEEE Transactions on Man Machine Systems 9 2–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Craik, K.J.W. (1974). Theory of the human operator in control systems. British Journal of Psychology 38 56–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Curry, R.E. & Govindaraj, T. (1977). The human as a detector of changes in variance and bandwidth. Proceedings of the 7th Conference on Manual Control, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Moffett Field, California: NASA 217–221.

    Google Scholar 

  • Etschberger, K. (1975). Leistungsfähigkeit und Regelungsverhalten des Menschen bei der Nachführung stochastischer Signale. Biological Cybernetics 17 81–98.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gai, E.G. & Curry, R.E. (1976). A model of the human observer in failure detection tasks. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics 6 85–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirchhoff, U. (1978). Entwicklung eines Verfahrens zur Identifizierung der Parameter des BBN-Modells. ILR-Bericht 40. Berlin: Institut für Luft- und Raumfahrt. TU Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kleinmann, D.L., Baron, S. & Levinson, W.H. (1971). A control theoretic approach to manned-vehicle systems analysis. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control 16 824–832.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, R.C.K. (1964). Optimal Estimation, Identification and Control. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McRuer, D.T. & Krendel, E.S. (1974). Mathematical models of human pilot behaviour, AGARDograph Nr. 188. Neuilly-sur-Seine: NATO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Poulton, E.C. (1974). Tracking Skill and Manual Control. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rouse, W.B. & Gopher, D. (1977). Estimation and control theory: Application to modeling human behaviour. Human Factors 19 611–618.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sternberg, S., Monsell, S., Knoll, R.L. & Wright, C.E. (1978). The latency and duration of rapid movement sequences. Comparisons of speech and typewriting. In: G.E. Stelmach (Ed.), Information Processing in Motor Control and Learning. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tustin, A. (1974). The nature of the operator's response in manual control, and its implications for controller design. Proceedings of the Institute of Electrical Engineers 94 190–202.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychologisches Institut, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Schlaunstr. 2, D-4400, Münster, Germany

    Tom Bösser

Authors
  1. Tom Bösser
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

This work was supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Elke Melchior participated in this research

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bösser, T. Adaptation to time-varying signals and control-theory models of tracking-behaviour. Psychol. Res 46, 155–167 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00308600

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00308600

Keywords

Search

Navigation