Plain English Meaning

Fixation is when a student stares at one thing and stops noticing everything else. Inattention is when a student fails to look at something they should be looking at. Both lead to missed cues and mistakes.

Full Definition

Two related learner errors in which attention is misallocated during a task. Fixation is the locking of attention onto one object, instrument, or task to the exclusion of other important information. Inattention is the failure to direct attention to something that does require it, allowing relevant cues to go unnoticed. Both reduce situational awareness and are common causes of learner errors during flight training.

Context Anchor

Encountered in flight training, cockpit workload discussions, instrument checking, traffic lookout, and instructor of student .