# Towards an AI Coach to Infer Team Mental Model Alignment in Healthcare

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.08507 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.08507/

## Key facts

- Cited by 11 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Human values and AI feedback alignment, one of 10 directions in LLM alignment / RLHF / preference optimisation.
- Builds on 1 of its 21 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 17 Feb 2021.

## Placed in

- LLM alignment / RLHF / preference optimisation / [Human values and AI feedback alignment](https://mlsanity.com/alignment/human-values-and-ai-feedback-alignment/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [An Algorithmic Perspective on Imitation Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1811.06711/) (2018)

## Built on by (most cited first, 11 of 11)

- [The Utility of Explainable AI in Ad Hoc Human-Machine Teaming](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.03943/) (2022)
- [AI-enhanced Collective Intelligence](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.10433/) (2024)
- [Automated Task-Time Interventions to Improve Teamwork using Imitation Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.00413/) (2023)
- [On Optimizing Interventions in Shared Autonomy](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.09169/) (2021)
- [Boosting Team Modeling through Tempo-Relational Representation Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.13305/) (2025)
- [Semi-Supervised Imitation Learning of Team Policies from Suboptimal Demonstrations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.02959/) (2022)
- [Hierarchical Imitation Learning of Team Behavior from Heterogeneous Demonstrations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.17618/) (2025)
- [Socratic: Enhancing Human Teamwork via AI-enabled Coaching](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.17643/) (2025)
- [Predicting Team Performance from Communications in Simulated Search-and-Rescue](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.03791/) (2025)
- [TRIBE: Predicting Team Performance via Communication Behavior Ensembles](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.06926/) (2026)
- [Towards Actionable Surgical Team Dynamics: from Teamwork to Counterfactual Annotations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.23344/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Shared mental models are critical to team success; however, in practice, team members may have misaligned models due to a variety of factors. In safety-critical domains (e.g., aviation, healthcare), lack of shared mental models can lead to preventable errors and harm. Towards the goal of mitigating such preventable errors, here, we present a Bayesian approach to infer misalignment in team members' mental models during complex healthcare task execution. As an exemplary application, we demonstrate our approach using two simulated team-based scenarios, derived from actual teamwork in cardiac surgery. In these simulated experiments, our approach inferred model misalignment with over 75% recall, thereby providing a building block for enabling computer-assisted interventions to augment human cognition in the operating room and improve teamwork.