ASI ASI Human Factors & Crew Resource Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary goal of Crew Resource Management (CRM) training in commercial aviation?
- Improving individual stick-and-rudder pilot skills
- Optimizing use of all available resources to enhance safety through teamwork (Correct answer)
- Reducing fuel consumption through coordinated procedures
- Standardizing checklist completion times
Correct answer: Optimizing use of all available resources to enhance safety through teamwork
CRM training focuses on communication, decision-making, and crew coordination to address accidents caused by human error rather than technical failure.
Question 2: In CRM terminology, what does 'authority gradient' refer to?
- The rate of altitude change in an emergency
- The perceived difference in authority between crew members that can inhibit communication (Correct answer)
- The captain's decision-making speed
- The fuel burn rate differential between engines
Correct answer: The perceived difference in authority between crew members that can inhibit communication
A steep authority gradient creates a power imbalance where junior crew members hesitate to challenge a senior pilot's decisions, even when safety is at risk.
Question 3: Which phase of the Threat and Error Management (TEM) framework involves anticipating hazards before they lead to crew errors?
- Error management
- Threat management (Correct answer)
- Undesired aircraft state recovery
- Post-incident review
Correct answer: Threat management
Threat management is the proactive TEM phase where crews identify and address environmental and organizational threats before they generate errors.
Question 4: What does the CRM decision-making model FORDEC stand for?
- Facts, Options, Risks, Decision, Execute, Check (Correct answer)
- Flight Operations Review, Decision, Evaluate, Control
- Fuel, Obstacles, Route, Distance, Equipment, Crew
- Forces, Options, Resources, Dispatch, Execute, Confirm
Correct answer: Facts, Options, Risks, Decision, Execute, Check
FORDEC is a structured cockpit decision-making model ensuring all factors are systematically evaluated before committing to an action.
Question 5: What distinguishes 'startle effect' from 'surprise' in aviation human factors research?
- Startle is planned; surprise is unplanned
- Startle is an involuntary physiological reflex; surprise is a cognitive emotional response (Correct answer)
- Startle occurs on the ground; surprise occurs in flight
- Startle is recoverable; surprise is not
Correct answer: Startle is an involuntary physiological reflex; surprise is a cognitive emotional response
Startle is a reflex response to sudden unexpected stimuli that temporarily degrades cognitive and motor performance and cannot be fully trained away.
Question 6: Which CRM skill specifically trains crew members to persist in communicating a safety concern when initial warnings are dismissed?
- Advocacy
- Inquiry
- Assertiveness (Correct answer)
- Conflict de-escalation
Correct answer: Assertiveness
Assertiveness training teaches crew members to advocate persistently for safety, using escalating language when their concerns are not acknowledged.
ASI ASI Human Factors & Crew Resource Management 2
What is the primary goal of Crew Resource Management (CRM) training in commercial aviation?