Promoting collaboration and multi-directional reliance by sharing mental model information for effective multi-agent teaming

Author

Audrey L. Aldridge, Mississippi State UniversityFollow

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3733-4736

Advisor

Bethel, Cindy, L

Committee Member

Buck, Andrew

Committee Member

Anderson, Derek,

Committee Member

Carruth, Daniel

Committee Member

Novitzky, Michael; Chen, Jingdao; and Rahimi, Shahram

Date of Degree

5-16-2025

Original embargo terms

Embargo 1 year

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

Major

Computer Science

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

James Worth Bagley College of Engineering

Department

Department of Computer Science and Engineering

Abstract

Successful human-agent teaming requires teammates to form and maintain a shared or common understanding of several attributes regarding taskwork and teamwork. With enhanced information sharing, mental model development, and team functionality, teammates (human, autonomous) can learn to anticipate each others' behaviors, preferences, and needs as well as understand their capabilities and limitations. In designing a framework to support this type of cooperative teaming, there is a need to determine how sharing knowledge, mental models, and common understandings impacts teaming dynamics and performance. By incorporating each individual's understanding into a human-agent interface, this research enables better team coordination and performance through sharing a team's common understanding, improving efficiency and reliance, and reducing mental workload. Additionally, this work afforded a thorough investigation of the interpretation of trust and reliance and how interpersonal relationships changed due to trust fluctuations among teammates.

Sponsorship (Optional)

Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), Army Research Laboratory (ARL) Distributed and Collaborative Intelligent Systems and Technology (DCIST) Collaborative Research Alliance (CRA), United States Military Academy (USMA), U.S. Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) Automotive Research Center (ARC)

Recommended Citation

Aldridge, Audrey L., "Promoting collaboration and multi-directional reliance by sharing mental model information for effective multi-agent teaming" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 6452.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/6452