CEA Cognitive Ergonomics & Mental Workload 2

Question 1

Decision fatigue in the workplace is best described as:

Accepted Answer

Deterioration in decision quality after making a large number of decisions over an extended period

Answer

Decision fatigue occurs because repeated decision-making depletes mental resources, leading to poorer choice quality, impulsive decisions, or decision avoidance over time.

Question 2

In cognitive ergonomics, 'chunking' is a strategy that reduces mental workload by:

Accepted Answer

Grouping individual pieces of information into meaningful units that can be processed as single items

Answer

Chunking consolidates multiple items into a single meaningful unit (e.g., a phone number as one chunk rather than ten digits), reducing the load placed on working memory.

Question 3

Automation complacency is a cognitive hazard that occurs when:

Accepted Answer

Operators over-rely on automated systems and reduce active monitoring, increasing risk of missing failures

Answer

Automation complacency develops when perceived reliability of an automated system reduces operator vigilance, creating risk when the system fails or produces incorrect outputs.

Question 4

How does a 'mistake' in Reason's error classification differ from a 'slip'?

Accepted Answer

A mistake involves a flawed plan or intention, whereas a slip involves correct intention but faulty execution

Answer

A mistake is a knowledge- or rule-based error where the intention itself is wrong (wrong plan), while a slip is an execution failure despite a correct intention (right plan, wrong action).

Question 5

The vigilance decrement phenomenon describes:

Accepted Answer

A decline in detection performance during sustained, monotonous monitoring tasks over time

Answer

Vigilance decrement is the well-documented degradation in signal detection performance that occurs during prolonged monitoring of low-event-rate environments.

(CEA) Certified Ergonomics Associate Practice Test

(CEA) Certified Ergonomics Associate Practice Test

CEA Cognitive Ergonomics & Mental Workload 2