title: Automation bias and verification complexity: a systematic review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  While potentially reducing decision errors, decision support systems can introduce new types of errors. Automation bias (AB) happens when users become overreliant on decision support, which reduces vigilance in information seeking and processing. Most research originates from the human factors literature, where the prevailing view is that AB occurs only in multitasking environments.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This review seeks to compare the human factors and health care literature, focusing on the apparent association of AB with multitasking and task complexity.
  
  
  METHODS
  EMBASE, Medline, Compendex, Inspec, IEEE Xplore, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Business Source Premiere from 1983 to 2015.
  
  
  METHODS
  Evaluation studies where task execution was assisted by automation and resulted in errors were included. Participants needed to be able to verify automation correctness and perform the task manually.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tasks were identified and grouped. Task and automation type and presence of multitasking were noted. Each task was rated for its verification complexity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 890 papers identified, 40 met the inclusion criteria; 6 were in health care. Contrary to the prevailing human factors view, AB was found in single tasks, typically involving diagnosis rather than monitoring, and with high verification complexity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The literature is fragmented, with large discrepancies in how AB is reported. Few studies reported the statistical significance of AB compared to a control condition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AB appears to be associated with the degree of cognitive load experienced in decision tasks, and appears to not be uniquely associated with multitasking. Strategies to minimize AB might focus on cognitive load reduction.
authors: Centre for Health Informatics, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Lyell
authors: Centre for Health Informatics, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
authors: Enrico
authors: E
authors: Coiera
mesh_terms: D001292:Attitude to Computers; D001331:Automation; D015982:Bias; D020000:Decision Support Systems, Clinical; D006801:Humans
keywords: clinical cognitive biases; complexity; decision support systems