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Kyle Behymer

Wright State University, Psychology, Graduate Student

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Kyle Behymer is a human factors specialist with Infoscitex. He received his Ph.D. in Human Factors Psychology from Wright State University in 2017. His work is focused on developing innovative human-computer user interfaces that enhance decision-making and improve collaboration. His research interests include human-machine teaming, human-computer interaction, and display design. He has written articles and book chapters on sociocultural behavior understanding, plan comparison tools for effective human-autonomy teaming, and macrocognition.

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Nicholas Kasdaglis

Florida Institute of Technology

Maher Alghalayini

Clemson University

Ofc of Naval Research

Alessandro Gardi

Khalifa University

Jonathan P. How

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Thomas C Eskridge

Florida Institute of Technology

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Papers by Kyle Behymer

Human-autonomy teaming interface design considerations for multi-unmanned vehicle control

THEORETICAL ISSUES IN ERGONOMICS SCIENCE, 2018

Future applications are envisioned in which a single human operator manages multiple heterogeneou... more Future applications are envisioned in which a single human
operator manages multiple heterogeneous unmanned vehicles
(UVs) by working together with an autonomy teammate that
consists of several intelligent decision-aiding agents/services. This
article describes recent advancements in developing a new
interface paradigm that will support human-autonomy teaming for
air, ground, and surface (sea craft) UVs in defence of a military base.
Several concise and integrated candidate control station interfaces
are described by which the operator determines the role of
autonomy in UV management using an adaptable automation
control scheme. An extended play calling based control approach is
used to support human-autonomy communication and teaming in
managing how UV assets respond to potential threats (e.g.
asset allocation, routing, and execution details). The design process
for the interfaces is also described including: analysis of a base
defence scenario used to guide this effort, consideration of
ecological interface design constructs, and generation of UV and
task-related pictorial symbology.

From Designing to Enabling Effective Collaborations

Author’s Response to Peer commentary on “From Autonomous Systems to Sociotechnical Systems: Desig... more

From Autonomous Systems to Sociotechnical Systems: Designing Effective Collaborations

by Kyle Behymer and John Flach

Effectiveness in sociotechnical systems often depends on coordination among multiple agents (incl... more Effectiveness in sociotechnical systems often depends on coordination
among multiple agents (including both humans and autonomous
technologies). This means that autonomous technologies must be designed to function as collaborative systems, or team players. In many complex work domains, success is beyond the capabilities of humans unaided by technologies. However, at the same time, human capabilities are often critical to ultimate success, as all automated control systems will eventually face problems their designers did not anticipate. Unfortunately, there is often an either/or attitude with respect to humans and technology that tends to focus on optimizing the separate human and autonomous components, with the design of interfaces and team processes as an afterthought.The current paper discusses the limitations of this approach and proposes an alternative where the goal of design is a seamless integration of human and technological capabilities into a well-functioning sociotechnical system. Drawing lessons from both the academic (SRK Framework) and commercial (IBM’s Watson, video games) worlds, suggestions for enriching the coupling between the human and automated systems by considering both technical and social aspects are discussed.

Measuring Vigilance Abilities to Enhance Combat Identification Performance

by Tyler Shaw, Clark Shingledecker, Kyle Behymer, and Gerald Matthews

The warfighter's ability to focus and sustain attentional resources in order to detect critical, ... more The warfighter's ability to focus and sustain attentional resources in order to detect critical, but often obscure and infrequent events is essential to Combat Identification (CID) performance. This ability, known as "vigilance," was first studied by psychologists during WWII, and subsequent research has identified a number of task variables, notably signal rate and task duration, that strongly affect detection performance. However, the search for the psychological traits that are possessed by individuals who excel at vigilance tasks has yielded equivocal results.

Game-Based Delegation Interface Design for Unmanned Vehicles: Color Coding and Icon Row Assignment

Video game interfaces featuring multiple distinct icons that enable a player to quickly select sp... more Video game interfaces featuring multiple distinct icons that enable a player to quickly select specific actions from a larger set of possible actions have the potential to inform the development of interfaces that enable a single operator to control multiple unmanned vehicles (UVs). The goal of this research was to examine the design of a video game inspired interface for delegating actions (called " plays ") to highly autonomous UVs. Specifically, the impact of color coding (by Play Type, by Vehicle Type, and No Color) and icon row assignment (by Play Type, by Vehicle Type, and Random) for a delegation play calling interface was evaluated in terms of participants' performance in identifying and manually selecting a commanded play icon in an interface depicting a large set of UV plays. Both the objective performance data and subjective ratings indicated that icon row assignment impacted icon selection, whereas color coding did not. Mean icon selection time and subjective ratings were more favorable when the icons were assigned to rows in the Play Calling interface by vehicle type. Suggestions are made for follow-on research.

Operator-Autonomy Teaming Interfaces to Support Multi-Unmanned Vehicle Missions

Advances in automation technology are leading to the development of operational concepts in which... more Advances in automation technology are leading to the development of operational concepts in which a single operator teams with multiple autonomous vehicles. This requires the design and evaluation of interfaces that support operator-autonomy collaborations. This paper describes interfaces designed to support a base defense mission performed by a human operator and heterogeneous unmanned vehicles. Flexible operator-autonomy teamwork is facilitated with interfaces that highlight the tradeoffs of autonomy-generated plans, support allocation of assets to tasks, and communicate mission progress. The interfaces include glyphs and video gaming type icons that present information in a concise , integrated manner and multi-modal controls that augment an adaptable architecture to enable seamless transition across control levels, from manual to fully autonomous. Examples of prototype displays and controls are provided, as well as usability data collected from multi-task simulation evaluations.

Synthetic Task Environments: Measuring Macrocognition

Enhancing Operational Cross-Cultural Observation Skills: An Empirical Evaluation of CultureGear

As effective interaction with foreign nationals has become increasingly critical to mission succe... more As effective interaction with foreign nationals has become increasingly critical to mission success in military operational environments, the emphasis on understanding and promoting Warfighter cross-cultural competence has grown. To address this need, our team developed a computer-based, multi-module training application (CultureGear) to enhance mission-centric, cross-cultural competence. We tested 92 Army cadets using a pre-post mixed design to examine the impact of CultureGear’s Observations module on cultural observation and assessment skills. Participants who were exposed to the CultureGear Observations module exhibited significantly more accurate image tagging (without sacrificing speed) and faster and more accurate quiz answers than participants who completed a filler task. Future research will evaluate the effectiveness of CultureGear at improving trainee performance in operational settings.

Modeling and Assessing Cross-Cultural Competence in Operational Environments

Advances in Human Factors and Ergonomics Series, 2010

Contemporary operational environments are often characterized by ambiguous, multi-cultural contex... more Contemporary operational environments are often characterized by ambiguous, multi-cultural contexts in which deployed military personnel must operate effectively without extensive prior knowledge of a region or its people. Ongoing training development efforts are addressing the need for general cross-cultural competence (3C), but this broad competence must be clearly understood in order to determine if our forces are being adequately prepared.

Interface design for mobile army commanders

PsycEXTRA Dataset, 2000

The progress in developing and evaluating a prototype interface for mobile, forward-positioned Ar... more The progress in developing and evaluating a prototype interface for mobile, forward-positioned Army commanders is reported. This interface currently includes novel representations of friendly and enemy combat resources and control mechanisms to re-focus granularity of attention. Army domain experts contributed substantially to design and evaluation activities: existing and proposed interfaces were reviewed, iterative design feedback was provided, a simulated combat scenario was designed, and three empirical evaluations have been performed with Army officers as participants. The evaluations have compared the RAPTOR interface with a simulated version of the Army's current computerized interface (FBCB2); the RAPTOR interface has generally produced better performance. The next step is to incorporate graphical representations of plans into the interface. These representations will include information regarding time, space, objectives, and resources. The design goal is to facilitate comparisons between pre-planned objectives for the engagement and the actual progress that is being made. Ultimately these graphical representations should facilitate a commander's capability to determine when current progress toward goals and resource expenditures have deviated (either positively or negatively) from plan.

Measuring vigilance abilities to enhance combat identification performance

Human factors in combat identification performance. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate Publishing, 2009

The warfighter's ability to focus and sustain attentional resources in order to detect criti... more The warfighter's ability to focus and sustain attentional resources in order to detect critical, but often obscure and infrequent events is essential to Combat Identification (CID) performance. This ability, known as “vigilance,” was first studied by psychologists during WWII, and subsequent research has identified a number of task variables, notably signal rate and task duration, that strongly affect detection performance. However, the search for the psychological traits that are possessed by individuals who excel at vigilance tasks has ...

Visualization methods for communicating unmanned vehicle plan status

In order to facilitate a single operator controlling multiple unmanned vehicles, numerous autonom... more In order to facilitate a single operator controlling multiple unmanned vehicles, numerous autonomous support tools are being considered. One such candidate tool monitors the situation and alerts the operator when a deviation from the vehicle’s plan has occurred. The goal of this research was to develop an effective visualization method for conveying plan deviations. Two interface formats were developed based on a review of the literature: a pie chart and a bar chart. Each format allows an operator to compare values for parameters that have different units, value ranges, and relative priority. Twelve participants were tested using a 2 (chart format) X 3 (number of parameters) X 4 (question type) repeated measures within-participants design. Both objective and subjective data were collected. Participants both preferred and were faster at retrieving parameter state and priority information from the bar chart versus the pie chart.

Unmanned vehicle plan comparison visualizations for effective human-autonomy teaming

In order to assist a single operator tasked with controlling multiple unmanned vehicles, intellig... more In order to assist a single operator tasked with controlling multiple unmanned vehicles, intelligent autonomous capabilities are being developed that recommend plans to meet operator goals. The goal of this research was to develop an effective visualization for allowing an operator to compare across autonomy recommended plans. Three plan comparison formats were developed: Plot, Matrix, and Chart. Each format allowed participants to compare across autonomy recommended plans as well as retrieve information about a single plan. Twelve participants were tested using a 3 (Format) X 2 (Number of Parameters) X 4 (Question Type) repeated measures within-participants design. Both objective and subjective data were collected. Participants both preferred and were faster at comparing across plans when using the Plot as compared to the Chart and Matrix. However, when retrieving information about a single plan, participants both preferred and were faster with the Chart and Matrix as compared to the Plot. Recommendations are made on how to improve the Plot format.

Making the case for an ecological approach to cross-cultural competence training and assessment

Cross-cultural competence (3C) is essential for today’s Warfighters. In response to this need, t... more Cross-cultural competence (3C) is essential for today’s Warfighters. In response to this need, the Department of Defense (DoD) has increasingly prioritized research focused on characterizing the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and abilities (KSAAs) underlying operational 3C and developing 3C assessment and training tools to enhance 3C in Warfighters. This DoD-sponsored research has primarily focused on individual characteristics and capabilities (e.g., personality traits like agreeableness, biographical traits like gender, and 3C KSAAs like perspective taking and cognitive complexity) as predictors of mission effectiveness. To date, research aimed at understanding how situational variables (e.g., time pressure or perceived threat to personal safety) impact 3C is scarce. This paper describes how the 3C tendencies and abilities displayed by a Warfighter can dramatically change under varying circumstances, proposes a method for identifying how specific situational factors impact specific 3C KSAAs, and discusses assessment and training implications.

Training for sociocultural behavior understanding in operational environments

Sociocultural Behavior Sensemaking: State of the Art in Understanding the Operational Environment. , 2014

From the intelligence analyst in the command center identifying deviations from typical patterns ... more From the intelligence analyst in the command center identifying deviations from typical patterns of life to the small unit leader on the ground negotiating with a village elder, the ability to understand sociocultural behavior is vital for achieving mission success. According to Schmorrow (2011), accurate analysis of sociocultural behavior requires a "thorough perception and comprehension, grounded in social and behavioral science, of the sociocultural features and dynamics in an operational environment" (p. 42).

Human-autonomy teaming interface design considerations for multi-unmanned vehicle control

THEORETICAL ISSUES IN ERGONOMICS SCIENCE, 2018

Future applications are envisioned in which a single human operator manages multiple heterogeneou... more Future applications are envisioned in which a single human
operator manages multiple heterogeneous unmanned vehicles
(UVs) by working together with an autonomy teammate that
consists of several intelligent decision-aiding agents/services. This
article describes recent advancements in developing a new
interface paradigm that will support human-autonomy teaming for
air, ground, and surface (sea craft) UVs in defence of a military base.
Several concise and integrated candidate control station interfaces
are described by which the operator determines the role of
autonomy in UV management using an adaptable automation
control scheme. An extended play calling based control approach is
used to support human-autonomy communication and teaming in
managing how UV assets respond to potential threats (e.g.
asset allocation, routing, and execution details). The design process
for the interfaces is also described including: analysis of a base
defence scenario used to guide this effort, consideration of
ecological interface design constructs, and generation of UV and
task-related pictorial symbology.

From Designing to Enabling Effective Collaborations

Author’s Response to Peer commentary on “From Autonomous Systems to Sociotechnical Systems: Desig... more

From Autonomous Systems to Sociotechnical Systems: Designing Effective Collaborations

by Kyle Behymer and John Flach

Effectiveness in sociotechnical systems often depends on coordination among multiple agents (incl... more Effectiveness in sociotechnical systems often depends on coordination
among multiple agents (including both humans and autonomous
technologies). This means that autonomous technologies must be designed to function as collaborative systems, or team players. In many complex work domains, success is beyond the capabilities of humans unaided by technologies. However, at the same time, human capabilities are often critical to ultimate success, as all automated control systems will eventually face problems their designers did not anticipate. Unfortunately, there is often an either/or attitude with respect to humans and technology that tends to focus on optimizing the separate human and autonomous components, with the design of interfaces and team processes as an afterthought.The current paper discusses the limitations of this approach and proposes an alternative where the goal of design is a seamless integration of human and technological capabilities into a well-functioning sociotechnical system. Drawing lessons from both the academic (SRK Framework) and commercial (IBM’s Watson, video games) worlds, suggestions for enriching the coupling between the human and automated systems by considering both technical and social aspects are discussed.

Measuring Vigilance Abilities to Enhance Combat Identification Performance

by Tyler Shaw, Clark Shingledecker, Kyle Behymer, and Gerald Matthews

The warfighter's ability to focus and sustain attentional resources in order to detect critical, ... more The warfighter's ability to focus and sustain attentional resources in order to detect critical, but often obscure and infrequent events is essential to Combat Identification (CID) performance. This ability, known as "vigilance," was first studied by psychologists during WWII, and subsequent research has identified a number of task variables, notably signal rate and task duration, that strongly affect detection performance. However, the search for the psychological traits that are possessed by individuals who excel at vigilance tasks has yielded equivocal results.

Game-Based Delegation Interface Design for Unmanned Vehicles: Color Coding and Icon Row Assignment

Video game interfaces featuring multiple distinct icons that enable a player to quickly select sp... more Video game interfaces featuring multiple distinct icons that enable a player to quickly select specific actions from a larger set of possible actions have the potential to inform the development of interfaces that enable a single operator to control multiple unmanned vehicles (UVs). The goal of this research was to examine the design of a video game inspired interface for delegating actions (called " plays ") to highly autonomous UVs. Specifically, the impact of color coding (by Play Type, by Vehicle Type, and No Color) and icon row assignment (by Play Type, by Vehicle Type, and Random) for a delegation play calling interface was evaluated in terms of participants' performance in identifying and manually selecting a commanded play icon in an interface depicting a large set of UV plays. Both the objective performance data and subjective ratings indicated that icon row assignment impacted icon selection, whereas color coding did not. Mean icon selection time and subjective ratings were more favorable when the icons were assigned to rows in the Play Calling interface by vehicle type. Suggestions are made for follow-on research.

Operator-Autonomy Teaming Interfaces to Support Multi-Unmanned Vehicle Missions

Advances in automation technology are leading to the development of operational concepts in which... more Advances in automation technology are leading to the development of operational concepts in which a single operator teams with multiple autonomous vehicles. This requires the design and evaluation of interfaces that support operator-autonomy collaborations. This paper describes interfaces designed to support a base defense mission performed by a human operator and heterogeneous unmanned vehicles. Flexible operator-autonomy teamwork is facilitated with interfaces that highlight the tradeoffs of autonomy-generated plans, support allocation of assets to tasks, and communicate mission progress. The interfaces include glyphs and video gaming type icons that present information in a concise , integrated manner and multi-modal controls that augment an adaptable architecture to enable seamless transition across control levels, from manual to fully autonomous. Examples of prototype displays and controls are provided, as well as usability data collected from multi-task simulation evaluations.

Synthetic Task Environments: Measuring Macrocognition

Enhancing Operational Cross-Cultural Observation Skills: An Empirical Evaluation of CultureGear

As effective interaction with foreign nationals has become increasingly critical to mission succe... more As effective interaction with foreign nationals has become increasingly critical to mission success in military operational environments, the emphasis on understanding and promoting Warfighter cross-cultural competence has grown. To address this need, our team developed a computer-based, multi-module training application (CultureGear) to enhance mission-centric, cross-cultural competence. We tested 92 Army cadets using a pre-post mixed design to examine the impact of CultureGear’s Observations module on cultural observation and assessment skills. Participants who were exposed to the CultureGear Observations module exhibited significantly more accurate image tagging (without sacrificing speed) and faster and more accurate quiz answers than participants who completed a filler task. Future research will evaluate the effectiveness of CultureGear at improving trainee performance in operational settings.

Modeling and Assessing Cross-Cultural Competence in Operational Environments

Advances in Human Factors and Ergonomics Series, 2010

Contemporary operational environments are often characterized by ambiguous, multi-cultural contex... more Contemporary operational environments are often characterized by ambiguous, multi-cultural contexts in which deployed military personnel must operate effectively without extensive prior knowledge of a region or its people. Ongoing training development efforts are addressing the need for general cross-cultural competence (3C), but this broad competence must be clearly understood in order to determine if our forces are being adequately prepared.

Interface design for mobile army commanders

PsycEXTRA Dataset, 2000

The progress in developing and evaluating a prototype interface for mobile, forward-positioned Ar... more The progress in developing and evaluating a prototype interface for mobile, forward-positioned Army commanders is reported. This interface currently includes novel representations of friendly and enemy combat resources and control mechanisms to re-focus granularity of attention. Army domain experts contributed substantially to design and evaluation activities: existing and proposed interfaces were reviewed, iterative design feedback was provided, a simulated combat scenario was designed, and three empirical evaluations have been performed with Army officers as participants. The evaluations have compared the RAPTOR interface with a simulated version of the Army's current computerized interface (FBCB2); the RAPTOR interface has generally produced better performance. The next step is to incorporate graphical representations of plans into the interface. These representations will include information regarding time, space, objectives, and resources. The design goal is to facilitate comparisons between pre-planned objectives for the engagement and the actual progress that is being made. Ultimately these graphical representations should facilitate a commander's capability to determine when current progress toward goals and resource expenditures have deviated (either positively or negatively) from plan.

Measuring vigilance abilities to enhance combat identification performance

Human factors in combat identification performance. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate Publishing, 2009

The warfighter's ability to focus and sustain attentional resources in order to detect criti... more The warfighter's ability to focus and sustain attentional resources in order to detect critical, but often obscure and infrequent events is essential to Combat Identification (CID) performance. This ability, known as “vigilance,” was first studied by psychologists during WWII, and subsequent research has identified a number of task variables, notably signal rate and task duration, that strongly affect detection performance. However, the search for the psychological traits that are possessed by individuals who excel at vigilance tasks has ...

Visualization methods for communicating unmanned vehicle plan status

In order to facilitate a single operator controlling multiple unmanned vehicles, numerous autonom... more In order to facilitate a single operator controlling multiple unmanned vehicles, numerous autonomous support tools are being considered. One such candidate tool monitors the situation and alerts the operator when a deviation from the vehicle’s plan has occurred. The goal of this research was to develop an effective visualization method for conveying plan deviations. Two interface formats were developed based on a review of the literature: a pie chart and a bar chart. Each format allows an operator to compare values for parameters that have different units, value ranges, and relative priority. Twelve participants were tested using a 2 (chart format) X 3 (number of parameters) X 4 (question type) repeated measures within-participants design. Both objective and subjective data were collected. Participants both preferred and were faster at retrieving parameter state and priority information from the bar chart versus the pie chart.

Unmanned vehicle plan comparison visualizations for effective human-autonomy teaming

In order to assist a single operator tasked with controlling multiple unmanned vehicles, intellig... more In order to assist a single operator tasked with controlling multiple unmanned vehicles, intelligent autonomous capabilities are being developed that recommend plans to meet operator goals. The goal of this research was to develop an effective visualization for allowing an operator to compare across autonomy recommended plans. Three plan comparison formats were developed: Plot, Matrix, and Chart. Each format allowed participants to compare across autonomy recommended plans as well as retrieve information about a single plan. Twelve participants were tested using a 3 (Format) X 2 (Number of Parameters) X 4 (Question Type) repeated measures within-participants design. Both objective and subjective data were collected. Participants both preferred and were faster at comparing across plans when using the Plot as compared to the Chart and Matrix. However, when retrieving information about a single plan, participants both preferred and were faster with the Chart and Matrix as compared to the Plot. Recommendations are made on how to improve the Plot format.

Making the case for an ecological approach to cross-cultural competence training and assessment

Cross-cultural competence (3C) is essential for today’s Warfighters. In response to this need, t... more Cross-cultural competence (3C) is essential for today’s Warfighters. In response to this need, the Department of Defense (DoD) has increasingly prioritized research focused on characterizing the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and abilities (KSAAs) underlying operational 3C and developing 3C assessment and training tools to enhance 3C in Warfighters. This DoD-sponsored research has primarily focused on individual characteristics and capabilities (e.g., personality traits like agreeableness, biographical traits like gender, and 3C KSAAs like perspective taking and cognitive complexity) as predictors of mission effectiveness. To date, research aimed at understanding how situational variables (e.g., time pressure or perceived threat to personal safety) impact 3C is scarce. This paper describes how the 3C tendencies and abilities displayed by a Warfighter can dramatically change under varying circumstances, proposes a method for identifying how specific situational factors impact specific 3C KSAAs, and discusses assessment and training implications.

Training for sociocultural behavior understanding in operational environments

Sociocultural Behavior Sensemaking: State of the Art in Understanding the Operational Environment. , 2014

From the intelligence analyst in the command center identifying deviations from typical patterns ... more From the intelligence analyst in the command center identifying deviations from typical patterns of life to the small unit leader on the ground negotiating with a village elder, the ability to understand sociocultural behavior is vital for achieving mission success. According to Schmorrow (2011), accurate analysis of sociocultural behavior requires a "thorough perception and comprehension, grounded in social and behavioral science, of the sociocultural features and dynamics in an operational environment" (p. 42).