Acquisition of Process Control Skills

Crossman's classical study on the control of the temperature of a water bath has been replicated using a computer simulation with one to four baths whose temperatures, levels and flow rates had to be controlled. Crossman's results have been replicated and extended. A major problem is how to describe results of experiments. Operators show fewer control actions and more open loop behavior as they become experienced, and transition matrices reveal their growing understanding of the system's functional relations.