if you go to the wikipedia page for situation awareness, it quickly becomes clear that the concept is much more complex that it seems on the surface (like pretty much everything is). most of this complexity (or, at least, what i’m most interested in) comes from the three major modes of the concept: perception, comprehension and projection. this is to say, perception of the environment and elements in a given situation, comprehension of their significance, and projection, based on that information, of future status.

the Theoretical model section, then, goes into detail on this idea, including a review of a model formulated by Mica Endsley, an engineer and former Chief Scientist of the USAF. Endsley’s model uses the perception (which is designated Level 1 SA), comprehension (Level 2 SA) and projection (Level 3 SA) terminology, as well as “illustrates several variables that can influence the development and maintenance of SA, including individual, task, and environmental factors.” it also occasions exactly the kind of criticism you would expect a theoretical framework to receive, which is always fun.

two of the model’s “several key factors” are particularly interesting (again, to me):

• The role of information salience in “grabbing” attention in a data-driven fashion, and the importance of alternating goal-driven and data-driven processing
• The role of expectations (fed by the current model of the situation and by long-term memory stores) in directing attention and interpreting information

all emphasis mine. 🤔