Abstract

ESTANY, Anna. La convergencia de lo cognitivo y lo social en los errores humanos. Tópicos (México) [online]. 2008, n.35, pp.9-35. ISSN 0188-6649.  https://doi.org/10.21555/top.v35i1.136.

The aim of this paper is to show that not only there is no incompatibility between the cognitive and social factors in the analysis of scientific and technological phenomena, but that they are complemented. This idea is exemplified with the study of the human error from a double perspective: the one of a cognitive scientist like James Reason and the other one of an engineer like Henry Petroski. The analysis of catastrophes because of failures in architectonic structures or industrial processes show that only considering the cognitive and social elements we can diminish the failures and increase the successes of the scientific and technological activity.

Keywords : Human error; engineering failures; design.