Citation

Gramopadhye AK, Melloy BJ, Gopinath M, Budgavi M. Int. J. Ind. Ergonomics 1997; 20(4): 327-337.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Feedback has been consistently shown to improve inspection speed and accuracy, provided it is given in a timely and appropriate manner. Traditionally, this feedback has been with regard to speed and accuracy performance. Nevertheless, when there are explicit economic consequences associated with the inspection process, economic feedback is also an alternative. This study compares performance feedback with economic feedback in a realistic simulation of an aircraft inspection task. Subjects provided with performance feedback showed overall improvement in speed and accuracy. Subjects provided with economic feedback not only demonstrated similar improvement, but also approached economically optimal trade-offs between speed and accuracy.

 Relevance to industry: The results of this study have direct implications on developing training strategies for improving industrial inspection performance. In particular, in the context of an aircraft inspection task, it was demonstrated that an appropriate training program could both improve accuracy (and therefore safety) and reduce the costs associated with inspection. These results are generalizable to other inspection applications in a variety of industries, such as electronics, textiles, manufacturing, and agriculture.