Problem detection

Problem detection is the process by which people first become concerned that events may be taking an unexpected and undesirable direction that potentially requires action. Previous accounts e.g., Cowan (Acad Manage Rev 11(4):763–776, 1986)] described problem detection as the accumulation of discrepancies until a threshold was reached. In reviewing incidents taken from a variety of natural settings, we found that discrepancy accumulation did not apply to the incidents we reviewed, because (a) cues to problems may be subtle and context-dependent, and (b) what counts as a discrepancy depends on the problem-solvers experience and the stance taken in interpreting the situation. In many cases, detecting a problem is equivalent to reconceptualizing the situation.