Human Performance and Limitations Flashcards
6 cards from real ATPL practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Human Performance and Limitations flashcards as text
'Get-there-itis' (plan continuation bias) is best defined as:
Answer: The unconscious tendency to continue a plan despite new information indicating it should be abandoned
Plan continuation bias (get-there-itis) is the cognitive tendency to continue with an original plan even when changing circumstances make it unsafe, driven by commitment to the initial goal.
Effective crew communication during abnormal procedures requires what primary technique?
Answer: Using closed-loop communication with readbacks and hearbacks
Closed-loop communication — where the sender verifies the receiver understood correctly through readback or confirmation — is the standard technique to ensure accurate information transfer in high-stress environments.
Which model best describes a pilot's decision-making under time pressure?
Answer: DECIDE model (Detect, Estimate, Choose, Identify, Do, Evaluate)
The FAA's DECIDE model provides a structured framework for aeronautical decision-making: Detect, Estimate, Choose a course of action, Identify, Do, and Evaluate the outcome.
Incapacitation of a pilot in a multi-crew cockpit is best handled by:
Answer: Immediately taking control, declaring an emergency, and requesting priority handling
The standard response is for the remaining pilot to immediately assume control, declare an emergency with ATC, and request priority handling to land as soon as safely possible.
The 'Swiss Cheese Model' of accident causation (Reason's model) illustrates that accidents occur when:
Answer: Holes in multiple defensive layers align simultaneously
James Reason's Swiss Cheese Model shows that accidents require the simultaneous alignment of failures (holes) across multiple defensive barriers — latent and active failures must align for an accident to reach the end-state.
What physiological effect does sustained G-force (positive G) have on a pilot?
Answer: Blood pooling in the lower extremities causing G-induced loss of consciousness (GLOC)
Positive G-forces cause blood to pool in the lower extremities, reducing cerebral blood flow and potentially leading to grey-out, black-out, and G-induced loss of consciousness (GLOC).