The case of Air Traffic Control training

Air traffic controllers have to guarantee safe and efficient air traffic by predicting future flight paths based on their perception and interpretation of multiple data on the radar display. The multi-tasking nature of their job makes the cognitive and emotional processes required in Air Traffic Control fundamentally different from those traditionally studied in the lab. Thus, Air Traffic Control represents a unique naturalistic opportunity to investigate how such a demanding job may shape cognition. This chapter reviews work dealing with the cognitive characteristics of air traffic control, as well as the few studies that have investigated how training and experience in this profession change different aspects of cognitive functioning, in particular different facets of cognitive flexibility and planning abilities. Finally, it will also examine the cognitive consequences of the unique challenges represented by man-technology interactions inherent in this job. Despite the promising findings reviewed in this chapter, the research on the cognitive enhancement derived from training and experience on ATC is still limited and not conclusive. Further methodologically well-controlled studies are clearly needed to obtain a more comprehensive picture of the extraordinary potentialities of this profession.