Shakespeare:
I would have to disagree with you somewhat on this one. The reason you have had to correct fellow aviators for "letting their scan rate lapse" is because IMHO we have become far too reliant on F/Ds and automation to the detriment of a good basic instrument scan. What are these fellows going to do when it is the proverbial dark and stormy night and the automation decides to go on the fritz. This is not a good time to brush up on your basic IFR skills. However the previous weeks of CAVOK weather were the perfect opportunity.
I do agree that when the workload is high ie a complicated SID or bad Wx then by all means use all the automation you want as long as it really decreases your workload rather than having the opposite effect.
I don't have too much choice on the Jurassic Jet I fly (B737-200) because the F/D really sucks and more times than not it it is either commanding something opposite to what you expect or it is just plain sloooow. I found my transition to the B737 quite challenging as I too had become very reliant on the split cue F/D on my previous type to the detriment of my raw data skills. Never again. I now routinely hand fly without F/D from TOD to landing, it keeps my skills sharp and makes those 6 monthly trips to the sim just a little bit less stressful.
As always JMHO
Cheers
Canuck