Cognitive Abilities Predict Safety Performance: A Study Examining High-Speed Railway Dispatchers
Cognitive abilities are good predictors of safety performance in many occupations. However, this correlation has not been studied from the perspective of high-speed railway (HSR) dispatchers who play a vital role in ensuring the safety and punctuality of HSR transportation system. Therefore, studyin...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Advanced Transportation |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/5538320 |
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| _version_ | 1832550895041118208 |
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| author | Shi Lei Zizheng Guo Xi Tan Xi Chen Chengen Li Jiaming Zou Shi Cao Guo Feng |
| author_facet | Shi Lei Zizheng Guo Xi Tan Xi Chen Chengen Li Jiaming Zou Shi Cao Guo Feng |
| author_sort | Shi Lei |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cognitive abilities are good predictors of safety performance in many occupations. However, this correlation has not been studied from the perspective of high-speed railway (HSR) dispatchers who play a vital role in ensuring the safety and punctuality of HSR transportation system. Therefore, studying factors affecting HSR dispatchers’ safety performance is not only of great importance in filling the theoretical gap, but also conducive to the selection and training of dispatchers, contributing to the reduction of human errors and the prevention of railway accidents. In this study, a total of 118 HSR dispatchers from a branch of China Railway were recruited to complete the tests that examined their cognitive abilities related to the dispatching job, including logical reasoning, visual multiobject tracking, working memory, task switching, and cognitive flexibility. Safety performance, including both the safety evaluation score obtained from the dispatchers’ monthly safety performance record of the Railway Bureau and the emergency disposal performance indicated by train delay time, was evaluated with a dispatch simulator. The results suggested that better abilities in visual multiobject tracking, working memory, task switching, and cognitive flexibility were correlated with higher safety evaluation score (reflecting daily safety performance) and shorter train delay time (reflecting safety and efficiency in emergency disposal). No significant correlation was found in logical reasoning. These findings support the recommendation that cognitive abilities investigated as predictors of safety performance could be useful for the selection and training of HSR dispatchers. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-370c433c1f6b46058ab37f9c5d4f1928 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0197-6729 2042-3195 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Advanced Transportation |
| spelling | doaj-art-370c433c1f6b46058ab37f9c5d4f19282025-02-03T06:05:33ZengWileyJournal of Advanced Transportation0197-67292042-31952021-01-01202110.1155/2021/55383205538320Cognitive Abilities Predict Safety Performance: A Study Examining High-Speed Railway DispatchersShi Lei0Zizheng Guo1Xi Tan2Xi Chen3Chengen Li4Jiaming Zou5Shi Cao6Guo Feng7School of Transportation and Logistics, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, ChinaSchool of Transportation and Logistics, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, ChinaSchool of Transportation and Logistics, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, ChinaNottingham University Business School China, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo, ChinaDispatch Office of China Railway Chengdu Group Co. Ltd., Chengdu 610082, ChinaSchool of Transportation and Logistics, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, ChinaDepartment of Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo N2L 3G1, CanadaPsychological Research and Counseling Center, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, ChinaCognitive abilities are good predictors of safety performance in many occupations. However, this correlation has not been studied from the perspective of high-speed railway (HSR) dispatchers who play a vital role in ensuring the safety and punctuality of HSR transportation system. Therefore, studying factors affecting HSR dispatchers’ safety performance is not only of great importance in filling the theoretical gap, but also conducive to the selection and training of dispatchers, contributing to the reduction of human errors and the prevention of railway accidents. In this study, a total of 118 HSR dispatchers from a branch of China Railway were recruited to complete the tests that examined their cognitive abilities related to the dispatching job, including logical reasoning, visual multiobject tracking, working memory, task switching, and cognitive flexibility. Safety performance, including both the safety evaluation score obtained from the dispatchers’ monthly safety performance record of the Railway Bureau and the emergency disposal performance indicated by train delay time, was evaluated with a dispatch simulator. The results suggested that better abilities in visual multiobject tracking, working memory, task switching, and cognitive flexibility were correlated with higher safety evaluation score (reflecting daily safety performance) and shorter train delay time (reflecting safety and efficiency in emergency disposal). No significant correlation was found in logical reasoning. These findings support the recommendation that cognitive abilities investigated as predictors of safety performance could be useful for the selection and training of HSR dispatchers.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/5538320 |
| spellingShingle | Shi Lei Zizheng Guo Xi Tan Xi Chen Chengen Li Jiaming Zou Shi Cao Guo Feng Cognitive Abilities Predict Safety Performance: A Study Examining High-Speed Railway Dispatchers Journal of Advanced Transportation |
| title | Cognitive Abilities Predict Safety Performance: A Study Examining High-Speed Railway Dispatchers |
| title_full | Cognitive Abilities Predict Safety Performance: A Study Examining High-Speed Railway Dispatchers |
| title_fullStr | Cognitive Abilities Predict Safety Performance: A Study Examining High-Speed Railway Dispatchers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cognitive Abilities Predict Safety Performance: A Study Examining High-Speed Railway Dispatchers |
| title_short | Cognitive Abilities Predict Safety Performance: A Study Examining High-Speed Railway Dispatchers |
| title_sort | cognitive abilities predict safety performance a study examining high speed railway dispatchers |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/5538320 |
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