bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Proactive Process Control Monitoring using Trends
Authors: Yin Shanqing , Tan Angela , Helander Martin
Published: January 2012

Proactive monitoring involves, in part, the effective use of time-based information such as Trends. In the oil and chemical industries, the benefits of a proactive approach include less down-time, fewer alarm-flooding stresses, and maximized product output. This report aims to describe the effective use of trend displays by examining how expert Distributed Control System (DCS) operators monitored and visualized trends proactively. We found two preferences for trend display layouts, suggesting a lack of design guidelines and understanding towards optimum trend usage performance in the industry. The decision process in proactive monitoring is discussed, along with the attributes that define an expert trends user.
Using Simulation Speeds to Differentiate Controller Interface Concepts
Authors: Trujillo Anna , Pope Alan
Published: January 2012

This study investigated two concepts: (1) whether speeding a human-in-the-loop simulation (or the subject's “world”) scales time stress in such a way as to cause primary task performance to reveal workload differences between experimental conditions and (2) whether using natural hand motions to control the attitude of an aircraft makes controlling the aircraft easier and more intuitive. This was accomplished by having pilots and non-pilots make altitude and heading changes using three different control inceptors at three simulation speeds. Results indicate that simulation speed does affect workload and controllability. The bank and pitch angle error was affected by simulation speed but not by a simulation speed by controller type interaction; this may have been due to the relatively easy flying task. Results also indicate that pilots could control the bank and pitch angle of an aircraft about equally as well with the glove as with the sidestick. Non-pilots approached the pilots' ability to control the bank and pitch angle of an aircraft using the positional glove – where the hand angle is directly proportional to the commanded aircraft angle. Therefore, (1) changing the simulation speed lends itself to objectively indexing a subject's workload and may also aid in differentiating among interface concepts based upon performance if the task being studied is sufficiently challenging and (2) using natural body movements to mimic the movement of an airplane for attitude control is feasible.
Is there a Better Way to do this? – Works-in-Progress Forum for Human Factors/Ergonomics Test and Evaluation Initiatives
Authors: Allan Karla Eve , Grier Rebecca
Published: January 2012

Test and Evaluation (T & E) professionals share one thing in common: a keen interest in continually improving the methods they apply to human factors/ergonomics testing and evaluation of products and processes. Due to practical constraints of the HFES annual meeting submission process, presenters of traditional format papers and posters receive retrospective feedback on their work – work that was completed at least one year ago! Meeting face-to-face at the annual HFES meeting would seem the perfect opportunity for T & E professionals to provide advanced input to one another regarding works in progress. The purpose of this alternate format session is to promote a lively exchange of ideas that may result in enhancements to Human Factors/Ergonomics (HF/E) T & E works in progress. Three or four contributors will each present an overview of a planned but unfinished project that can still be modified prior to execution. Following each presentation, audience members can propose modifications to enhance the work in terms of (1) measurement instruments, (2) subject population and setting, (3) data analysis, and (4) presentation of results. The technical input received by contributors should prove highly beneficial as they go on to complete their work after the HFES annual meeting and the feedback shared may be of value to all attendees.
Challenges in Team-of-Teams Training and Assessment
Authors: Dean Courtney , MacMillan Jean , Bennett Winston , Merket Danielle , Salas Eduardo , Zaccaro Stephen J. , Kozlowski Steve W.J.
Published: January 2012

Expanding the large body of existing knowledge on training and assessing teams to include larger, more complex operations—teams-of-teams—presents a multitude of practical and theoretical challenges. Technology has been developed for conducting live-virtual-constructive (LVC) training that allow tens to hundreds of individuals to share the same live or simulated training environments. But the theory, methods, and technologies that will make this training and assessment most effective for large operations are still being developed. This panel will open for discussion both the practical challenges of team-of-teams training and assessment and the theories, methods, and technologies that are being developed to meet those challenges.
The Role of Immersive 3D Environments in Three-Dimensional Mental Rotation
Authors: Kozhevnikov Maria
Published: January 2012

Recently, more realistic 3D displays have been designed as more ecologically valid alternatives to conventional 2D visual displays. However, research has thus far provided inconsistent evidence regarding their effectiveness in promoting task performance. We are interested in the contribution of immersive 3D environment to 3D image transformations and compare subjects' performance on mental rotation tasks in traditional 2D, 3D non-immersive (3DNI - anaglyphic glasses), and 3D-immersive (3DI - head mounted display with position tracking) environments. Our findings suggest that 2D and 3DNI environments might encourage the use of more “artificial” encoding strategies where the 3D images are encoded with respect to a scene-based frame of reference (i.e. computer screen). On the other hand, 3D immersive environments can provide necessary feedback for an individual to use the same strategy and egocentric frame of reference that he/she would use in a real-world situation. Overall, the results of this study suggest that immersion might be one of the most important aspects to be considered in the design of learning and training environments.
Modeling Operator Responses to Alerts
Authors: Landry Steven J. , Yoo Hyo-Sang
Published: January 2012

Two models were evaluated with respect to Aviation Safety Reporting System incident reports related to the Ground Proximity Warning System. These reports were examined for consistency with the first model, which was found to be invalid. A second model was developed to better explain the data, and was found to be consistent with the data and with previous results related to responses to alerting systems.
Towards a Modular Cognitive State Gauge: Assessing Spatial Ability Utilization with Multiple Physiological Measures
Authors: Lee Sciarini W. , Fidopiastis Cali , Nicholson Denise
Published: January 2012

Many current and emerging systems for Cognitive State Assessment have yet to achieve the goals required for application for Augmented Cognition. Numerous efforts are working towards this goal but may lack the ability to be unified into a reliable and generalizable Cognitive State Gauge. The overall purpose of this effort is to determine under what conditions multiple minimally intrusive physiological sensors can be used together and validly applied to areas within a modular cognitive state assessment framework. This study investigated the utility of various measures in detecting changes in cognitive state. We examined the differences within the output from multiple physiological sensing devices under varying levels of task difficulty during a task that was highly dependent on spatial ability (SPA). Supportive evidence for a modular cognitive state gauge (MCSG) was revealed with the finding of significant results for several physiological measures on a novel spatial task.
Sustaining Vigilance by Activating a Secondary Task When Inattention is Detected
Authors: St. John Mark , Risser Matthew R.
Published: January 2012

Vigilance tasks, from driving a vehicle to surveillance to security monitoring, are both commonplace and high-stakes. Yet users have well known difficulties sustaining vigilance. We evaluate the ability of an augmented cognition closed-loop attention management (CLAM) system to sustain vigilance and task performance by monitoring operator's psychophysiology, detecting inattention, and activating a countermeasure when inattention crosses a threshold. Eighteen participants performed a vigilance task and were monitored for inattention via a combination of eye, head, and electroecephalographic (EEG) measures. A cognitively demanding secondary task was activated either when inattention was detected or randomly throughout a 40 minute session. While participants in both conditions demonstrated a vigilance decrement, as measured by an increase in misses over the course of the session, the CLAM condition produced 17% fewer misses overall than the random condition. This improvement was not due to the countermeasure, per se, but to the timing of the countermeasure to participant's detected inattention. The advantage for a tailored presentation of the secondary task is noteworthy because prior evaluations of continuous secondary tasks demonstrated degraded vigilance performance. The results inform our understanding of how human vigilance operates and the technology for its detection and manipulation.
An Investigation of the Tactile Communications Channel for Robotic Control
Authors: Hutchins Shaun , Cosenzo Keryl Ann , McDermott Patricia L. , Feng Theo-Dric , Barnes Michael , Gacy Marc
Published: January 2012

The impacts on performance of three different forms of communication (radio, chat, and tactile belt) were explored in the context of a small unmanned ground vehicle (SUGV) target identification task. The target identification task required a Commander with knowledge of target locations and access to a digital map displaying the current SUGV position and orientation to direct a Soldier remotely operating the SUGV to the targets using a finite set of eleven commands. The study revealed no evidence for a loss of soldier performance with the tactile belt communications channel. The finding suggests that the tactile use of haptic signals may be feasible, a potentially important finding for situations requiring covert communications.
Comparing, Merging, and Adapting Methods of Cognitive Task Analysis
Authors: Hoffman Robert R. , Adams Julie A. , Bisantz Ann , Donmez Birsen , Kaber David B. , Roth Emilie
Published: January 2012

Cognitive systems engineering projects have found a need for and a value in combining particular methods of cognitive task analysis (CTA). A principle reason that is given is that different CTA methods have different strengths in terms of how they inform the study, analysis or design of cognitive work systems. Focus questions include: What specific CTA methods have been combined or merged for some particular research project? What was the rationale for the selection of methods? How did researchers do the combining? Were methods actually merged into a single procedure, or were multiple methods conducted separately, what the resulting analyses or representations merged subsequently?
Developing a Subjective Shared Situation Awareness Inventory for Teams
Authors: Scielzo Sandro , Strater Laura D. , Tinsley Michelle L. , Ungvarsky Diane M. , Endsley Mica R.
Published: January 2012

This paper presents the development of a subjective shared situation awareness (SA) inventory for distributed teams. Items populating the inventory were developed to incorporate participants' perceptions on key elements of SA, including the sufficiency of shared SA requirements, mechanisms, processes and devices. This inventory was administered during a large-scale distributed, computer-based, military simulation exercise. A reliability analysis showed that, overall, the inventory was highly consistent, and that, over time, instrument reliability increased. Median-split analyses on related constructs of mindfulness, implicit coordination, transactive memory, and motivation also revealed that the gap between high and low scorers increased over time in relation to ratings on the four components of shared SA. These findings indicate that participants better calibrated their perceptions of the quality of shared SA over time and that the relationship between these perceptions and these related constructs strengthened over time with experience in the exercise.
Using a Knowledge Elicitation Method to Specify the Business Model of a Human Factors Organization
Authors: Schraagen Jan Maarten , Van De Ven Josine , Hoffman Robert R. , Moon Brian M.
Published: January 2012

Concept Mapping was used to structure knowledge elicitation interviews with a group of human factors specialists whose goal was to describe the business model of their Department. This novel use of cognitive task analysis to describe the business model of a human factors organization resulted in a number of Concept Maps on topics such as Department strengths and weaknesses, strategic plans and partnerships, and ambitions and goals. This work might be seen as a prototype for how other human factors organizations might brainstorm their activities, progress, and goals.
Cognitive Task Analysis of Low and High Literacy Users: Experiences in Using Grounded Theory and Emergent Themes Analysis
Authors: Kodagoda Neesha , Wong B L William , Khan Nawaz
Published: January 2012

The purpose of this paper is to describe the advantages, experiences, observations and the findings made during the use of two different qualitative data analysis approaches: Grounded Theory and Emergent Themes Analysis. The study carried out evaluated low and high literacy user information seeking behaviour characteristics of UKs “Adviceguide” website. We discuss the use of more than one Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA) method, such as process tracing, observation and interviews, can overcame limitations of each method and optimise the outcomes.
Effects of Secondary Task Processing Code on Human-Automation Interaction in a Cross-Modal Experimental Paradigm
Authors: Phillips Rachel R. , Madhavan Poornima
Published: January 2012

We studied the effects of different processing codes of an auditory secondary task on aided and unaided visual search performance using a 2 (aid: aided vs. unaided) x 2 (secondary task: present vs. absent) x 2 (processing code: verbal vs. spatial) mixed design. Participants were measured for workload, system trust, criterion settings, and sensitivity. Overall, the introduction of a secondary task (music, in this case) increased arousal and helped performance. Results also revealed higher levels of system trust when secondary task processing code was verbal. Furthermore, when comparing the effect of processing codes, the spatial secondary task led to higher levels of sensitivity than the verbal secondary task. The similarity of spatial processing codes between primary and secondary task evidently did not lead to interference in this context; on the contrary, the verbal secondary task processing code resulted in greater interference due to the inclusion of a text-based automated aid.
The Role of Automation Etiquette and Pedigree in Trust and Dependence
Authors: Spain Randall D. , Madhavan Poornima
Published: January 2012

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of automation etiquette and pedigree on trust and dependence. Participants (N = 60) performed a simulated luggage-screening task while interacting with an imperfect automated aid that varied in pedigree (expert vs. novice) and etiquette (polite feedback vs. neutral feedback vs. rude feedback). Trust, perceived reliability, and dependence on the automated aid were measured. Results indicated that participants perceived the polite system as being more reliable and trustworthy than the rude system. Moreover, compliance varied as a function of etiquette and pedigree. Participants complied less often with the rude expert system than the rude novice system. These findings support theoretical work that suggests surface level features of automation can influence trust and trust related behaviors. Further research is warranted to determine how mimicking human communication styles can further influence human interaction with automation.
Communicative NGOMSL: An Extension of NGOMSL to Analyze a Text-based Communication System
Authors: Lee Sangwon , Koubek Richard J.
Published: January 2012

This study proposes Communicative NGOMSL, which is an extension of NGOMSL intended to accommodate modeling of text-based communication among two or more individuals. Besides the properties of GOMS techniques in evaluation, Communicative NGOMSL additionally considers two key concepts: common ground and communication time. Common ground means the mutual knowledge, belief and assumptions of participants in a conversation, and communication time refers to one individual's waiting time for the other's response. As a case example, Communicative NGOMSL is applied to a virtual text-based communication system for exchanging addresses between two individuals. The Communicative NGOMSL analysis makes some suggestions to better design a communication system: (1) focusing on the interface design that is directly related to grounding process in a conversation; (2) considering the relationship of communication time and execution time for each individual; and (3) balancing between participants for learning time and mental workload.
Overcoming Bias in the Deliberations of Distributed Teams
Authors: Resnick Marc L.
Published: January 2012

Human decision making is subject to a variety of cognitive and affective processes that can significantly impact the nature and quality of the resulting decisions. While commonly referred to as decision making ‘biases’, these processes evolved to satisfy important needs of our genetic ancestors. For example, heuristics that reduce the time and effort required to make decisions may be beneficial in a naturalistic environment that rewards speed and efficiency over precision or perfection. Unfortunately, the modern world has different performance criteria and our cognitive processes have not evolved fast enough to adapt. One example is the geographically distributed team, composed of individuals who communicate using technologies such as email, telephone, and videoconferencing to accomplish business-related objectives. While speed remains important in this environment, precision and accuracy are often the most relevant performance metrics. This paper presents a detailed description of several cognitive and affective processes that are particularly troublesome for geographically distributed teams when deliberating to reach a team consensus and outlines some technological and procedural interventions that can improve the quality of their decision making.
Office Environmental Conditions and Computer Work Performance
Authors: Hedge Alan , Gaygen Daniel E.
Published: January 2012

A field study of 16 people in a law office was conducted. Environmental conditions, air temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide (CO2), respirable particulates at 10 microns (PM10) and total volatile organics (TVOC), at each person's workstation were recorded at one-minute intervals for 4 weeks. Synchronous measures of computer work performance data at minute intervals were logged with a web-based software system. Results showed a contemporaneous effect of temperature on correct keystrokes, CO2 on mouse clicks and of, and one- hour lagged effects of CO2 and PM10 on correction keystrokes. Findings confirm that the quantity and quality of computer work is affected by environmental conditions.
Designing Inclusive Educational Spaces with Reference to Autism
Authors: Khare Rachna , Mullick Abir
Published: January 2012

Autism is a lifelong neurological disorder that affects communication, imagination and social abilities of an individual. There is no such highly prevalent condition that is so inadequately represented in the environmental research and design standards. This paper attempts to address and validate the environmental factors affecting the performance of children with autism in educational spaces. The paper is derived from a larger study that aims to assist in the development of design guidelines for educational facilities for children with autism, which are universal in nature and of benefit to all children. The study builds a framework that will work as a tool for architects, designers and facility managers to design high performance educational spaces for all. Although the overall study considers many design aspects such as observation, discussion and survey, the purpose of this paper is to identify the enabling aspects of educational environment for children with autism and measure their effects on educational performance.
Simulating Visual Impairment to Detect Hospital Wayfinding Difficulties
Authors: Rousek Justin B. , Koneczny Sonja , Hallbeck M. Susan
Published: January 2012

Many public facility layouts have been developed with little consideration for the visually impaired, producing difficult and unpleasant wayfinding experiences. This study analyzed the current issues in a wayfinding task for the visually impaired and makes recommendations towards wayfinding improvements within a healthcare setting. Normally-sighted participants (m=25, f=25) wore one of five different vision simulator goggles to replicate a specific vision condition (diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, and hemianopsia) and were then given directions how to get to specific series of departments within a hospital campus. Participants then navigated a second time without the simulated vision condition, with normal vision, so comparisons could be made. The results of this study show that for visually impaired people, decorative elements often create major disturbances in wayfinding. Combined with other age related conditions, this may put patients and visitors at high risk of accidental injuries. In addition, changes in lighting often are misleading and may cause doorways and hallways to appear larger/smaller than they are. The size, illumination and placement of signage also appear to be unsatisfactory. Most of these problems can easily be detected, categorized and eliminated by hospitals using these data.
Computerized Medication Alerts and Prescriber Mental Models: Observing Routine Patient Care
Authors: Russ Alissa L. , Saleem Jason J. , McManus M. Sue , Zillich Alan J. , Doebbeling Bradley N.
Published: January 2012

Computerized medication alerts (e.g., drug-drug interactions, drug-allergy interactions), which are intended to protect patient safety, need to match the mental models of medication prescribers in order to aid medication ordering. To maximally protect patient safety, the programmer mental model, system image, and prescriber mental model should work seamlessly together to fully support prescriber decision-making. In this study, we examined prescribing processes in the context of routine patient care to understand how the design of medication alerts can be enhanced for prescribers. We shadowed prescribers, including physicians, pharmacists, and nurse practitioners, across five outpatient primary care clinics at a large Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC). In addition, prescribers were opportunistically interviewed as they ordered mediations via a computerized order entry system and resolved any subsequent medication alerts. This investigation is one of the few to examine medication alerts by directly observing prescribers during patient care. Altogether, 191 medication alerts occurred across 63.5 total hrs of observation, 19 prescribers, and 86 patients during routine patient care tasks. Results reveal problematic system images and mismatches between programmer and prescriber mental models. Findings can help inform medication alert redesigns, which may promote safer, more effective prescribing practices.
Significant Physiological Disturbances in Cases with and Without Non-Routine Events: An Analysis of Videotaped Anesthetics
Authors: Slagle Jason M. , Anders Shilo , Calderwood Charles , Weinger Matthew B.
Published: January 2012

It is important to understand the interactions among multiple factors affecting patient safety in the operating room. This paper describes data obtained using videotaped surgical cases that contained Non-Routine Events (NREs) versus Routine cases, as reported by anesthesia professionals. Random samples of videotapes were further analyzed for deviations of physiological parameters (vital signs) outside the accepted safe clinical range. The NRE cases contained significantly more vital sign deviations than routine cases. Additionally, vital signs were outside the standard clinical range a greater proportion of case time in NRE cases than in Routine cases. Nevertheless, there was a surprisingly high incidence of vital sign deviations during both types of cases. Such “routine” cases would otherwise not be reviewed or come under scrutiny in typical quality improvement efforts, even though they may contain valuable data about safety critical events.
Automation in Surgery: The Surgeons' Perspective on Human Factors Issues of Image-Guided Navigation
Authors: Bahner-Heyne J.E. , Roettger S. , Schulze-Kissing D. , Manzey D.
Published: January 2012

Image-guided navigation (IGN) systems support the surgeon in navigating through the patients' anatomy. Previous research on IGN has focused on technical feasibility and clinical applications. Yet, as the introduction of IGN corresponds to a partial automation of the surgeon's task, well known issues of human-automation interaction might play a crucial role for the success of IGN as well. The present study represents a first attempt to assess the impact of IGN on four key issues of human automation-interaction, i.e., workload, situation awareness, trust, and skill degradation, from the surgeons' perspective. A nation-wide survey among 213 German surgeons from 94 different hospitals was conducted. Results revealed (1) a workload-shift due to IGN rather than a reduction of workload, (2) benefits of IGN with respect to situation awareness, (3) comparatively high levels of perceived reliability, trust and reliance, and (4) skill degradation as a possible risk, albeit only for inexperienced surgeons.
User Created Cognitive Artifacts: What can they Teach us about Design of Information Technology?
Authors: Xiao Yan , Fairbanks Rollin J. (Terry) , Gurses Ayse P. , Nemeth Christopher , Roth Emilie , Wears Robert L. , Gorman Discussant Paul
Published: January 2012

Cognitive artifacts are created and used to support task performance in many domains. These artifacts may be essential components designed into a process, they may have been created by users as work-arounds to system shortcomings, or they may be extensions to systems that add functionalities to meet evolving needs. Examination of cognitive artifacts may provide insights that complement other cognitive engineering methods such as task analysis. This panel will present findings from study of cognitive artifacts used in high risk domains such as healthcare. Panelists will address questions relating to research methodologies, theoretical frameworks, and design implications, such as: What are the roles of user-designed artifacts for care coordination and patient safety? What can designers learn from artifacts? How can we use artifact analysis to design better health information technologies? Can vendor-designed information tools and user-designed artifacts work in harmony to provide safe care? Panel members will address these questions based on their research studies and experiences within as well as outside the health care area.
Improving the User Interface and Adoption of Online Personal Health Records
Authors: Peters Kirsten A. , Green Thomas F. , Schumacher Robert M.
Published: January 2012

In winter 2008/2009, we conducted an independent comparative research study of two existing online Personal Health Record (PHR) applications: Google Health and Microsoft HealthVault. The goals of the study were to identify areas associated with the most errors or missteps and to determine which functions and features were most preferred by potential users. Thirty participants completed a set of tasks using each PHR application and provided qualitative feedback and preference data on five dimensions: usability, utility, security, privacy, and trust. Overall, participants navigated more efficiently and entered data more quickly using Google Health. Consequently, they indicated that they found Google Health more usable than Microsoft HealthVault. Participants also appreciated the fact that Google Health utilized more familiar medical terminology and provided a persistent health information profile summary. Although both PHR systems contain useful features, including the ability to share medical information with a physician, we found that Google Health had a slight edge in perceived overall utility because of important drug interaction information. Finally, in terms of security, privacy and trust, there was a slight preference for Microsoft HealthVault because of its strong brand presence, professional look-and-feel, and more friendly privacy and security language.
Rapid Theory Prototyping: An Example of an Aviation Task
Authors: John Bonnie E. , Blackmon Marilyn Hughes , Polson Peter G. , Fennell Karl , Teo Leonghwee
Published: January 2012

We present our experience using CogTool, a tool originally designed for ease of use and learning by non-psychologist design practitioners, as a means for rapid theory exploration. We created seven iterations of a “model prototype” of an aviation task where each iteration produced errors that pointed to additional theory or device knowledge that should be incorporated to prevent those errors. This theory and knowledge was put into the next iteration by modifying the mock-up of the device, not by changing the implementation of the underlying cognitive model. This trick allowed us to rapidly change theory and knowledge and understand what must eventually migrate to the underlying cognitive model to provide general support for predictions of novice behavior in multi-step procedures with complex devices.
A Process-Model Account of Task Interruption and Resumption: When Does Encoding of the Problem State Occur?
Authors: Salvucci Dario D. , Monk Christopher A. , Trafton J. Gregory
Published: January 2012

Memory for goals theory (Altmann & Trafton, 2002) describes how people suspend and resume an interrupted task by encoding, or rehearsing, the current problem state at the point of interruption and recalling this state after the interruption. In this work we investigated the timing of the encoding process, attempting to determine the most likely strategies for when to perform encoding of interrupted problem state. We examined several candidate encoding strategies and developed computational cognitive models to represent each strategy, embedding the models into a larger model of behavior in a interruption-tracking task. Comparison of the model simulations with recent empirical data suggests that encoding of problem state occurs for a short time at the start of the interruption period and is performed concurrently with the interrupting task.
University Students using a Screen Reader for Education Tasks
Authors: Shebilske Wayne , Alakke Ganesh , Narakesari Shruti
Published: January 2012

As a step toward distinguishing problems with a screen reader (JAWS), web pages, and users, we tested two blind university students with our Usability Proficiency Assessment Tool (UPAT). We then tested their understanding of web-based software that they often used with JAWS in their education. One student had advanced skills and the other had intermediate skills in using tables, headings, forms, images, links, and combinations of these web features. Despite their more than adequate skills they had many problems using software that was in high compliance with World Wide Web consortium (W3C) standards (Ryan, 2008). The problems stemmed from gaps between JAWS and web pages. We review these gaps and make recommendations for closing them. Implementing our recommendations will require a dialogue among developers of screen readers and applications as well as users and trainers.
21st Century Ergonomics: A Lean Approach to Ergonomics Process Design and Management
Authors: Heller-Ono Alison
Published: January 2012

Ergonomics strategies are becoming more common in the workplace for a variety of different reasons. These include productivity and efficiency gains, reducing the risk of work injuries, improving workstation design and layout, enhancing tool design or all of the above. One such strategy that generates significant results by addressing multiple reasons is the development and integration of an Ergonomics Process (EP) into the organization. The EP is a lean, pro-active and participative approach that is designed to prevent and manage work injuries quickly and effectively. The EP is based on the theory of Macro ergonomics, continuous improvement, participatory ergonomics and modern day lean system thinking. The EP described in this paper demonstrates a practical and efficient approach to the design of work systems that engages employees, management and administrators to impact the organization at the macro and micro ergonomics level, resulting in a powerful return on investment through increased productivity, employee work health satisfaction, and significant cost savings.
Evaluating and Designing Education: A Collaborative Effort between Educators and Ergonomists
Authors: Rice Valerie J. Berg
Published: January 2012

Ergonomics involves evaluating a product or process (what exists), comparing it with related scientific literature (what works), and using the information to re-design the product or process. The new design seeks to match known information about human capabilities and limitations with the product or process requirements in order to improve the ease-of-use, efficiency, productivity, or safety. Ergonomics is applied in a variety of settings including aeronautics, health care, training, construction and other industries. Within education settings, ergonomics is typically applied on a micro level, such as the design of chairs, workstations, or classrooms. This paper describes the application of macroergonomics to the evaluation and design of educational programs, with the goal of improving student performance and reducing attrition due to academic failure. Examples focus on medical technician programs.
Maintaining Vigilance with Auditory and Visual Cues in Command and Control Environments
Authors: Taylor Brian , Arbuckle Nicole , Kancler David , Havig Paul , Galster Scott
Published: January 2012

The current study evaluates the use of auditory and visual stimuli as cues to prompt the shift of attention between small screen and large screen displays in a Command and Control (C2) environment. The use of spatial audio displays has been shown to reduce workload and improve target detection times. This design employed a two-screen model with multiple targets as well as a multimodal cuing strategy. Ten participants completed eight monitoring task sessions consisting of four different cuing conditions: no cuing, auditory cuing, visual cuing, and combined auditory and visual cuing. Reaction times and accuracy rates, in addition to perceived workload and preference, were compared across all four conditions. It was found that visual cues, auditory cues, and the combined presentation of visual and auditory cues, resulted in faster response times when compared to no cuing. No differences were found between prompting types. The findings of this study apply to the C2 environment, as well as other multi-task environments that may require time-sensitive responses to events and information represented on multiple visual displays.
How far is that wall? Judging distance with audification
Authors: Davies T. Claire , Pinder Shane D. , Burns Catherine M.
Published: January 2012

This research identified differences in the ability to determine distance using audible echolocation relative to audified ultrasound echoes with receivers mounted laterally and forward. In an anechoic environment, participants walked toward a stationary “wall” and provided an indication of perceived distance from the wall. Once the judgement was made, the participant walked to the location of the wall to provide an opportunity to recalibrate for future trials. At closer distances, no differences were observed among conditions, but at farther distances the results from the audified ultrasound were more accurate. The orientation of the receivers in the outward direction provided for better results overall in the judgement of distance to environmental obstacles.
How panoramic visualization can support human supervision of intelligent surveillance
Authors: Morison Alexander M. , Woods David D. , Davis James W.
Published: January 2012

In video-based surveillance people monitor a wide spatial area through video sensors for anomalous events related to safety and security. The size of the area, the number of video sensors, and the camera's narrow field-of-view make this a challenging cognitive task. Computer vision researchers have developed a wide range of algorithms to recognize patterns in the video stream (intelligent cameras). These advances create a challenge for human supervision of these intelligent surveillance camera networks. This paper presents a new visualization that has been developed and implemented to integrate video-based computer vision algorithms with control of pan-tilt-zoom cameras in a manner that supports the human supervisory role.
Undershoot Bias in Lead-Vehicle Motion Extrapolation
Authors: Monk Christopher A. , Nelson Erik T.
Published: January 2012

Studies in motion extrapolation have shown both undershoot and overshoot distortions. Recent evidence using a car-following context revealed an undershoot bias for younger participants. These studies have focused on the distortions themselves while neglecting to account for memory encodings of images in the extrapolation tasks and how they might be the basis of such distortions. This study was designed to test whether Pylyshyn's index theory could account for distortions in a lead-vehicle pull-away context. Participants viewed slide shows depicting a lead-vehicle pulling ahead along one of five trajectories before being interrupted with a spatial or non-spatial task. After the interruption, participants were required to determine if the vehicle location in the probe slide was expected given the motion trajectory prior to the interruption. The results showed a clear undershoot bias, therefore supporting the theory that the last encoded image before the interruption was most salient in memory
Human Factors Research Plan for Designing Automated Testing Equipment for Blood Collection Centers
Authors: Elson Ila J.
Published: January 2012

Over nine million volunteers donated about sixteen million units of whole blood in the United States in 2006 either at blood collection centers or hospitals with blood banks. Each donated unit of blood was tested for infectious diseases including hepatitis, HIV and other retroviruses using manual methods or automated testing equipment. This article shares the Human Factors research plan for designing the second generation of the automated testing equipment. Objectives, activities and deliverables are suggested for each phase of the product development life cycle. Human Factors practitioners and consultants in the healthcare industry will find this generic plan useful in designing medical devices.
Validation of a Dry Electrode System for EEG
Authors: Estepp Justin R. , Christensen James C. , Monnin Jason W. , Davis Iris M. , Wilson Glenn F.
Published: January 2012

Electroencephalography (EEG) has been used for over 80 years to monitor brain activity. The basic technology of using electrodes placed on the scalp with conductive gel or paste (“wet electrodes”) has not fundamentally changed in that time. An electrode system that does not require conductive gel and skin preparation represents a major advancement in this technology and could significantly increase the utility of such a system for many human factors applications. QUASAR, Inc. (San Diego, CA) has developed a prototype dry electrode system for EEG that may well deliver on the promises of dry electrode technology; before any such system could gain widespread acceptance, it is essential to directly compare their system with conventional wet electrodes. An independent validation of dry vs. wet electrodes was conducted; in general, the results confirm that the data collected by the new system is comparable to conventional wet technology.
How Subtle Changes in Navigation Links Affect Users' Search Strategies
Authors: Kortum Philip , Scharff Lauren V.F.
Published: January 2012

While large scale changes to web pages have been shown to cause initial difficulties for users when they revisit sites, little work has been done to understand how small changes in web pages may affect user performance. Using eye movement data, this study investigated the impact of adding or removing a single shortcut link on the performance of users who visited a site twice. Participants visited a site and performed a search task, and then revisited the site either immediately or three weeks later and performed the same task. The short cut link was either consistently present, consistently absent, or was inconsistently present across the two sessions. Results indicate that in the consistent conditions, users exhibit roughly the same behaviors (page counts and eye scan patterns) in the second task as they did in the first, although they spent less time reading the body text. In the link-present-then-absent (YN) condition, users searching for the missing link looked at the navigation link area significantly more on their second visit than they did on their first visit and clicked to more pages. But they did not spend more time reading the content on the pages, indicating that they were expecting to recognize the target page when they found it. In the link-absent-then-present (NY) condition, almost half of the participants found the new link; there was an overall significant decrease in search times and a nonsignificant decrease in pages counts (due to those who didn't find the shortcut). Eye-tracking data showed a significant decrease in fixation counts in the content area but not the left navigation. As with the YN condition, this decrease in body text fixations suggests that participants spend less time reading the body text on a second visit due to memory of the target page. Overall these results suggest that users maintain a strong memory of link location and page structure, even after delays of up to three weeks after a single use.
Posture, Activities, Tools, and Handling Analysis for Floor Coverers Focusing on the Knee
Authors: Jing Xiaolu , Fulmer Scott , Buchholz Bryan
Published: January 2012

Floor Coverers suffer high rates of knee-related musculoskeletal disorders. The purpose of this study was to determine which tasks have high priority for intervention. A total of 5126 discrete data observations were collected using the PATH method on 24 professional Floor Coverers. With respect to leg posture for each task and the combination of leg posture and MMH, fitting and installing vinyl composite tile (VCT) and fitting and installing baseboard had the highest exposures. Fitting and installing wood floor and fitting and installing carpet had medium exposures.
Effect of Overheard Conversations on Bystander Productivity
Authors: Gilbert Jaimie L. , Steelman-Allen Kelly S. , Lansing Charissa R. , McCarley Jason S. , Kramer Arthur F.
Published: January 2012

Overheard cell phone conversations are often perceived as particularly annoying or disruptive. The effect on bystander productivity from overheard cell phone conversations for younger and older adults was investigated for two cognitive tasks, mental arithmetic and proofreading. Performance (accuracy and speeded response) was compared in the presence of overheard cell phone conversations, overheard face-to-face conversation, and in quiet. Subjective ratings of mental workload were also obtained in each condition. In general, overheard cell phone and face-to-face conversations had very similar detrimental effects on performance and were associated with greater ratings of frustration in the arithmetic task. When balanced for number of conversational turns and overall number of words, overheard cell phone conversations do not have a greater effect on bystander productivity than overheard face-to-face conversations.
Representing Workflow within the Air Operations Center: The Lifecycle of a Dynamic Target
Authors: Gorman Jamie C. , Cooke Nancy J. , Duran Jasmine L. , McGrane Kimberly , Rima Noel
Published: January 2012

The Dynamic Targeting Cell (DTC) of the Air Operations Center (AOC) prosecutes critical targets by processing them through a “kill chain.” We describe the development of a workflow representation that follows target processing through the kill chain in terms of eight elements of DTC interaction. The workflow representation is developed from analysis of the doctrinal AOC literature. The workflow representation was iterated based on interviews with subject matter experts. The workflow representation is a normative model of doctrinal DTC workflow. We describe how the workflow representation is used to generate hypothesized sequences of events within and across elements of DTC interaction. The hypothesized sequences represent normative target prosecution against which observed target prosecution are compared. The ultimate goal is to pinpoint deviations from the doctrinal kill chain process in need of further attention or intervention in real time or just-in-time.
The Impact of Load on Dynamic versus Static Situational Knowledge While Driving
Authors: Blalock Lisa Durrance , Sawyer Benjamin D. , Kiken Ariana , Clegg Benjamin A.
Published: January 2012

Situation awareness (SA) was examined while driving in a driving simulator under load or no load conditions. Participants drove through two simulated maps and were periodically interrupted, the driving paused, and were asked questions regarding dynamic (i.e., moving) and static (i.e., non-moving) aspects of the environment. Participants in the load condition also had to count backwards by sevens during the drive. Results indicate that driving under load conditions leads to an overall drop in performance in processing of the dynamic elements of the scene, but no such decrement was observed for the static elements. Implications for current theories of SA and applied attention, as well as the potential relevance to understanding impaired driving performance from cell phone use, are discussed.
Impact of Feedback on Drivers' Attitudes towards Driving while Distracted: A Study in China
Authors: Lesch Mary F. , Horrey William J. , Wang Ying , Zhang Wei , Chen Chang-rong
Published: January 2012

The distracting effects of concurrent cell-phone use on driving performance are well-documented. However, as the effects of distraction are not always easily observed (e.g., as in the instance of a “missed” event), many drivers may not believe that the issue is relevant to them. In the current study, 30 participants in China completed driving tasks in a driving simulator with/without a concurrent cell phone task. Following the trial, fifteen of them were shown video-based feedback of their performance (the feedback group). The other 15 participants (the control group) received no feedback. Attitudes towards cell phone use while driving were assessed prior to participation in the simulator study, immediately after receiving feedback, and one-month later. Following feedback, participants provided lower ratings of safety associated with cell-phone use while driving, lower ratings of ease of using a cell phone while driving, higher ratings of their own distractibility, and a decreased intention to use a cell phone while driving in the future relative to the control group. Effects of feedback continued to be observed one month later. Future research should examine whether the effects of feedback observed here are predictive of actual driving behavior.