Influences on Memory
The use of short term type memory to not only listen but to visually see something while still cognitively understanding at the same time is referred to as working memory (Goldstein, 2018). The capability of the human brain to dynamically understanding what they are seeing and what they hear at the same time was discovered by Baddeley and Hitch as described in the Baddeley & Hitch working memory model which covers phonological loop, the visuospatial sketch pad, and the central executive as seen in Figure 1 (Goldstein, 2018).
Working Memory in the Cockpit
Crew Resource Management (CRM) is a critical piece of aircrew discipline required for the safe execution of a flight or mission. Crew resource management involves multiple aspects of information gathering and sharing among a crew as they are flying. As the crew is acquiring information, CRM requires the crew to communicate and understand what is happening in real-time while simultaneously flying the aircraft.
According to Kanki, Anca, & Chidester (2019), crew members are continuously receiving information through Air Traffic Control (ATC), manuals, maintenance logs, checklists, and engine gauges. This flow information requires the crewmembers to continuously receive new information while flying the aircraft at the same time. This type of work requires the aircrew to dynamically utilize their working memory to understand what they are reading on an engine gauge while still listening to the radio and flying the aircraft at the same time.
A human-centric system in the cockpit of an aircraft that requires continuous use of working memory is communication between the aircrew and ATC. The ATC controllers continuously speak to multiple aircraft on the same frequency. Utilizing the same frequency means that all aircrew must listen for their callsign while simultaneously flying the aircraft and operating other systems onboard. Once the aircrew hears their callsign, they must immediately listen and remember what the ATC controller tells them as they will be required to not only read back what was said but also fly the aircraft using the given instructions.
Influences on Long Term Memory
Individual experiences in the cockpit can modify how the aircrew may receive and retain the information received from ATC. The pilot flying the aircraft may hear the ATC controller say the pilot's callsign and then hear the subsequent flight instructions as the co-pilot is the one who is actually listening and speaking back to ATC. The pilot and co-pilot may hear the same message from ATC; however, the pilot was using more of their working memory to maintain airspeed, altitude, or heading and may not have transferred the instructions to long term memory. The co-pilot, who was speaking to ATC, would have been focused entirely on the radio call and was able to listen, write down, and repeat the entire radio call. The difference in how each crewmember experienced the same information can affect how that information is or is not stored in long term memory.
Another influence on long term memory storage for the pilots would be the stress involved with flying aircraft. According to Schwabe, Joëls, Roozendaal, Wolf, & Oitzl (2012), stress can have a positive and negative effect on memory, depending on the situation and how it is associated with the event that is occurring. Stress has been found to change not only how much we learn but also effects how we learn and what we remember (Schwabe et al., 2012). As pilots fly, it is common for them to encounter stressful situations that can change how they learn or remember an event that occurred during the flight.
Conclusion
The working memory model explains that pilots flying an aircraft can listen to radio transmissions while still flying the aircraft within normal operating envelopes. An experience or point of view of how an event occurs can alter or change how long term memory stores it. This is common for pilots and co-pilots as one is talking and listening to the radio as the other is flying the aircraft. Stress can also alter the memories of those who experience an event under stress. Stress can change how much we learn, how we learn the information, and how much we can recall (Schwabe et al., 2012).
References
Goldstein, E. B. (2018). Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research, and everyday experience. Nelson Education.
Kanki, B. G., Anca, J. M., & Chidester, T. R. (2019). Crew Resource Management: Vol. Third edition. Academic Press.
Schwabe, L., Joëls, M., Roozendaal, B., Wolf, O. T., & Oitzl, M. S. (2012). Stress effects on memory: an update and integration. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 36(7), 1740-1749.