Expertise and Aging in Pilot Communication: The Role of Environmental Support

Abstract

We examined whether expertise reduced age differences on a pilot communication task. Young, middle-aged, and older pilots, and nonpilots of similar age and general cognitive ability, listened to recorded ATC messages that described a route through an airspace, while referring to a map of the airspace. They read back the ATC instructions (e.g., to change heading) and then answered a probe question about the aircraft's position. Morrow et al. (1999) used a similar procedure and did not find that expertise reduced age differences in readback accuracy. In the present study, participants were also allowed to take notes while listening to the messages. Contrary to the earlier study, pilots' readbacks were virtually perfect regardless of age, while readback accuracy declined with age for nonpilots. Note-taking may have provided environmental support that reduced working memory demands imposed by the communication task, which differentially benefitted older pilots. This suggests that cognitive aids such as note-taking is an important part of pilots' expertise.