Verification of the Relationship Between Information Flow Rate and Situation Awareness in Nuclear Power Plant Diagnostic Tasks

Nuclear power plant diagnostic tasks impose high demands on operators’ situation awareness (SA) due to high time pressure and complex information integration. Based on information flow theory, this study first proposes information flow rate (bits/s) as an objective predictor of SA for nuclear diagnostic tasks, validating its effectiveness through simulations of steam generator tube rupture (SGTR) and small-break loss-of-coolant accident (SBLOCA) scenarios. Twenty-two participants (skilled and less-skilled groups) were recruited, using SART scores and eye tracking (gaze entropy) to measure SA and analyze the impact of information flow rate. Results demonstrated a significantly negative correlation between information flow rate and Situation Awareness Rating Technique (SART) scores (r=−0.8837, p< 0.01), where high flow rates reduce SA. Skilled operators focused more on critical signals than less-skilled counterparts (p= 0.16). SART scores were highly correlated with gaze entropy (r=−0.91, p