AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER MEMORY: CAPABILITIES, LIMITATIONS, AND VOLATILITY. IN: HANDBOOK OF AVIATION HUMAN FACTORS

The primary objective of this paper is to raise an awareness. Memory requirements of Air Traffic Control (ATC) tactical operations are vital. This paper presents information on working memory processes in ATC tasks and shows the vulnerability of these processes to disruption. Focus is on the role working memory plays in air traffic controller performance and emphasizes the mechanisms of working memory, with its limitations and constraints. It also examines how controllers might overcome or minimize memory loss of critical ATC information. Awareness of the limitations and constraints of working memory and the conditions under which they occur is critically necessary to avoid situations that can result in airspace incidents and accidents. The final section of the paper briefly deals with some of the potential human factors consequences of new automated technologies on air traffic controller working memory.