Emotional Dissonance as part of an ATCO's Production Function

Y = F(K,L)

If you never did microeconomics, you will find this post particularly interesting. Those of you who did will enjoy the unusual twist. The equation above shows how outputs are related to inputs in production. It is our classic production function that tells us that production or output (Y) is a function (F) of the inputs, capital (K) and labor (L).  How can we apply that function to the ATCO?  We can start by identifying  the products of ATC or the goods of demand and supply.  What do you think these goods are? And where can we place Emotional Dissonance (EMDI) in the production function? 

An artistic impression of  dissonance

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Emotional Dissonance in Air Traffic Control

  "The fox who longed for grapes, beholds with pain

The tempting clusters were too high to gain;

Greived in his heart he forced a careless smile,

And cried,"They're sharp and hardly worth my while."  

- Aphra Behn c.1687

Remember that fable? Well that is a classic example of cognitive dissonance. We know the essence of the fable. He wanted the grapes but he could not reach them so he left. Then he justified leaving the grapes behind by the reasoning that the grapes were not good. This belief conflicted with his initial belief and that is what my psychological counterparts call cognitive dissonance. 

Today, we are going to look at an application of this dissonance in ATC. It is called Emotional Dissonance or EMDI. 

EMDI is the conflict that an ATCO feels between her emotions while at work.  For an ATCO must remain calm at all times. EMDI is also fuelled by stressors in ATC. What are some stressors in Air Traffic Control? How can an ATCO experience EMDI? What are the implications for safety in ATC performance?

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Performance Based Navigation through Psychoeconomic Lens: Part IV - Avoiding the White Elephant Trap

 White elephants or albino elephants were treasures of Asian royalty as can be seen from this 19th century Thai mural. Legend says that they were given as presents to obnoxious persons or persons who did not find favor with the royal regime. The elephants were very costly to maintain and were merely decorative. They now symbolise ventures that incur excessive liability or projects where the costs outweigh the benefits. How can we avoid having white elephants in the ATC units?

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Summary of Posts & Highlights for 2012

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Performance Based Navigation through Psychoeconomic Lens: Part III - weighing the costs

Performance Based Navigation (PBN) relies on waypoints. This means that the Atco will rely less on bearings from navigational aids to effect separation minima and more on specific coordinates. As such, air spaces can be structured to expediently manage air traffic and reduce the delays that result from the process of ATC.  But the implementation of PBN inevitably carries hidden costs. What are these hidden costs? And how can ATC units avoid having potential white elephants? 

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Performance Based Navigation through Psychoeconomic Lens: Part II - the socioeconomic and organizational economic perspective

An overabundance of  visual stimuli can overwhelm the ATCO 

The previous post highlighted the psychological perspective of Performance Based Navigation (PBN): that PBN increases the risk of interference to the ATCO's attention. 

Much of our ATC is done with the superficial layers of memory: sensory memory -  short term memory (STM) - working memory which, is susceptible to interference that decrease attentiveness. What is the basis for the link between attention and our STM/working memory combined? Also what can a mosaic of Van Gogh's painting teach us about the socioeconomic cost of PBN to the controller? And are there any organizational economic implications to PBN? I invite you to read on...

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