The Effect of Informing Participants of the Response Bias of an Automated Target Recognition System on Trust and Reliance Behavior

OBJECTIVE: To determine how changing and informing a user of the false alarm (FA) rate of an automated target recognition (ATR) system affects the user’s trust in and reliance on the system and their performance during an underwater mine detection task. BACKGROUND: ATR systems are designed to operate using a high sensitivity and a liberal decision criterion to reduce the risk of the ATR system missing a target. A high number of FAs in general may lead to a decrease in operator trust and reliance. METHODS: Participants viewed sonar images and were asked to identify mines in the images. They performed the task without ATR and with ATR at a lower and higher FA rate. The participants were split into two groups—one informed and one uninformed of the changed FA rate. Trust and/or confidence in detecting mines was measured after each block. RESULTS: When not informed of the FA rate, the FA rate had a significant effect on the participants’ response bias. Participants had greater trust in the system and a more consistent response bias when informed of the FA rate. Sensitivity and confidence were not influenced by disclosure of the FA rate but were significantly worse for the high FA rate condition compared with performance without the ATR. CONCLUSION AND APPLICATION: Informing a user of the FA rate of automation may positively influence the level of trust in and reliance on the aid.