bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing temporal support for dynamic decision making in C2
Authors: Rousseau R. , Tremblay S. , Lafond D. , Vachon F. , Breton R.
Published: January 2012

Temporal awareness is key to successful decision making in a wide range of command and control situations, yet little explicit support to maintaining temporal awareness is provided by Decision Support Systems (DSS) for time-critical decisions. In the context of simulated weapon-target scheduling, the present study compared the decision support gained from two display formats: typical geospatial display and temporal display. The results demonstrated that the temporal display facilitates scheduling performance though its beneficial impact seems to require greater familiarization.
2D vs. 3D Visual Cues for Altitude Maintenance in Low-Altitude Flight
Authors: Gray Rob
Published: January 2012

Previous research on altitude maintenance in low-altitude flight has focused either on cues provided by 2D features in the visual scene (e.g., splay angle) or on visual cues provided by the presence of 3D objects in the scene (e.g., occlusion). Therefore, little is known about the relative importance of 2D and 3D cues in altitude maintenance. We systematically varied the position variability, height, and pattern of surface elements in a simulated low-level flight environment to vary the salience of 2D and 3D visual cues. For 2D objects, altitude variability increased as a function of object position variability indicating that splay and depression angles are not reliable cues for terrains with irregularly spaced objects. For 3D objects, altitude variability increased less (or not at all) as a function of position variability indicating that the cues provided by 3D objects such as occlusion and motion parallax are the dominant visual cues for altitude maintenance for natural terrains with irregularly spaced objects.
Kinematics of Reaching and Grasping with a Tool
Authors: Zheng Bin , MacKenzie Christine L.
Published: January 2012

Kinematics of reaching and grasping are observed for prehension performed by the hand (natural prehension) and with a simple grasper held in the hand (remote prehension). Remote prehension is executed with a longer movement time, lower movement speed, extended deceleration phase and a relatively larger peak aperture compared to natural prehension. The kinematic changes in remote prehension are more pronounced when adults reached and grasped an object placed on a narrow than a wide base. Results suggested that the indirect and incomplete proprioception and sensorimotor integration with tool use are the main problems for movement control in remote manipulation. Implications of this study are discussed for design of tools and a safe work environment for tool use.
The Role of Temporal Sequence Learning in Guiding Visual Attention Allocation
Authors: Miller Sarah M. , Fu Wai-Tat
Published: January 2012

Models of visual attention allocation suggest that monitoring is driven primarily by proximal cues like bandwidth and value. However, these cues might not always be predictive of the meaningful events an operator is asked to monitor. The aim of the current study is to extend visual sampling models by studying whether sampling can be influenced by more distal cues, like detecting patterns in the monitored signal, when proximal cues, like bandwidth, are not predictive of the meaningful events the operator is asked to monitor. Ten participants completed a task based on Senders' (1964) experiment where operators were asked to monitor a series of four gauges to detect when the gauges traveled into the alarm region. The performance results suggest that participants could successfully adapt to the temporal sequence. However, participants did not show explicit awareness of the sequence, indicating that this type of learning could, in some cases, be implicit. Implications for display design and training are discussed.
Eye Movements While Reading Degraded On-Product Warnings
Authors: Dorris Nathan T. , Valimont R. Brian , Boelhouwer Eric J.
Published: January 2012

This investigation tested whether heavily degraded warnings affected gaze patterns and resulted in longer viewing times than lightly degraded warnings. The study included sixteen participants who viewed six matched pairs of lightly and heavily degraded warnings. Eye movements were recorded using an eye tracking system while the total time on task for each warning was collected. Fixation times were also collected as participants viewed the various panels of each warning. In the second part of the experiment, legibility and participant comprehension of each warning was tested. Paired t-tests showed that total time on task, total fixation time, and message panel fixation time were consistently significantly different for three of the six pairs of warnings, such that each of the three aforementioned times increased significantly when participants were viewing a highly degraded warning label. Additionally, participants were able to comprehend all warnings presented. This study also provides evidence that eye tracking can be a useful tool in warnings research.
An International Perspective on Risk Communications: Adapting to Safety Demands in the Emerging Global Economy
Authors: Kalsher Michael J. , van Duijne Freija
Published: January 2012

The purpose of this session is to explore alternative ways of thinking about risk communication in an effort to spark new research that will be responsive to the increasingly complex safety demands of the new millennium in a rapidly shrinking world. To accomplish these objectives, we have assembled a group of international scholars and practitioners who have published and/or worked extensively in the general topic area. One feature of this panel discussion session that is unique is that each participant will present data relevant to a particular set of risk communication issues in their respective countries. A synopsis of this work is outlined in the summary that follows.
Response Time and Decision Accuracy for ‘No Turn on Red’ Signs
Authors: Campbell Bryan A. , Cowley Jennifer A. , Mayhorn Christopher B. , Wogalter Michael S.
Published: January 2012

‘No turn on red’ signs have been the subject of traffic research in recent years because they are violated at higher rates than other signs. One reason may be due to inadequate conspicuity. This study examined response times and decision accuracy (proportion correct) following glance exposure to three different ‘No Turn on Red’ signs. Two of the ‘No Turn on Red’ signs tested are currently being used on U.S. roadways in some jurisdictions; one contains only text and the other contains a red circle with text. These were compared to a third “new” sign (Prohibition Arrow and Text). The three signs and a no-sign condition (control) were embedded into 12 different traffic scenes. Each sign and scene condition was presented for a 1 s duration and then participants responded whether they could turn right in that particular scene or not (answering yes or no). The new (Prohibition Arrow and Text) sign condition had significantly faster response times compared to the other two signs. Accuracy was approximately 90% and did not differ among sign conditions. The no-sign condition was responded to significantly slower and less accurately than the sign conditions. The new (Prohibition Arrow and Text) sign yielded better performance than the other sign conditions in scenes rated as highly cluttered. Some explanations on why the new sign benefited decision times are discussed.
The Influence of Lead Vehicle Behavior and Vehicle Rates of Closure on a Driver's Braking Behavior
Authors: Kelling Nicholas J. , Corso Gregory M.
Published: January 2012

Given the great prevalence of vehicle accidents, collision prevention should be a priority for ground transportation research. The understanding of such incidents is critical to the safety of the driver. This study involved simulations of multiple driving situations variant on Rate of Closure (the relative speed between two vehicles) and Lead Vehicle Behavior. Useful Field of View and Test Anxiety measures were used to analyze additional factors related to driving with little success. The findings show that brake onset times of younger drivers are significantly related to the behavior of a lead vehicle and to the rate of closure. As such, any system that only uses time to contact or distance to contact is fundamentally flawed. These results aid in the general understanding of driver behavior and could fundamentally change automatic braking systems.
The Influence of Emotional State and Pictorial Cues on Perceptual Judgments
Authors: Raddatz Kimberly R. , Werth Abigail , Tran Tuan Q.
Published: January 2012

Perspective displays (e.g., CDTI) are commonly used as decision aids in environments characterized by periods of high emotional arousal (e.g., terrain enhanced primary flight displays). However, little attention has been devoted to understanding how emotional state, independently or in conjunction with other perceptual factors (e.g., pictorial depth cues), can impact perceptual judgments. Preliminary research suggests that induced emotional state (positive or negative) adversely impacts size comparisons in perspective displays (Tran & Raddatz, 2006). This study further investigated how size comparisons are affected by emotional state and pictorial depth cues while attenuating the limitations of the Tran & Raddatz (2006) study. Results confirmed that observers do make slower judgments under induced emotional state. However, observers under negative emotional state showed higher sensitivity (d') and required more evidence to respond that a size difference exists (response bias) than observers under positive emotional state. Implications for display design and human performance are discussed.
Caution! Warning Effectiveness may be More Obfuscated than it Appears: Making Sense of the Warning Literature
Authors: Mayer Andrew , Boron Julie Blaskiewicz , Kress Colin , Fisk Arthur D. , Rogers Wendy A.
Published: January 2012

Much research on warnings has the ultimate goal of assessing warning effectiveness or behavioral compliance with the warning. Despite this seemingly common goal, research conducted on warnings differentially concentrates on various aspects of the warning process, all of which are necessary to comply with a warning, but each is not sufficient to ensure compliance when considered in isolation. Thus, this extensive review of the literature will consider research on the four stages of warning compliance: namely, notice, encode, comprehend, and comply, and will seek to evaluate the effectiveness of product warnings as a whole. In addition to determining the effectiveness of warnings at each stage of the warning process, this research will also identify areas in need of further research, especially those pertaining to behavioral compliance, and will propose a framework for conducting experiments to adequately and more fully address behavioral compliance and warning effectiveness for on-product warnings.
Applying a Sociotechnical Framework for Improving Safety at Highway-Railroad Grade Crossings
Authors: Yeh Michelle , Multer Jordan
Published: January 2012

To understand drivers' decisions and actions at grade crossings, we examined human factors contributing to noncompliance at grade crossings using a sociotechnical framework. This perspective allows driver behavior at grade crossings to be examined not as individual elements but rather as a function of how each element interacts with other elements within the system. In this paper, we present a model that addresses driver decision-making at grade crossings at a systems level. We identify and describe four elements of the grade crossing system influencing driver compliance: the design of the grade crossing environment, driver characteristics, the role of organizations and management, and social and political forces. We then apply the model to identify how failure to consider safety from a systems perspective contributed to the grade crossing accident that occurred in Fox River Grove, Illinois, in 1995.
Effects of Retroreflector Placement on the Nighttime Conspicuity of Pedestrians: An Open-Road Study
Authors: Balk Stacy A. , Graving Justin S. , Chanko Ryan G. , Tyrrell Richard A.
Published: January 2012

While considerable data indicate that positioning retroreflective markings on a pedestrian's extremities can dramatically enhance nighttime conspicuity, most relevant safety devices (vests) limit coverage to the torso. We asked 120 participants to press a button whenever they recognized that a pedestrian was present during a short drive at night. A test pedestrian wearing different configurations of retroreflective markings was positioned on the left shoulder of an unilluminated two-lane roadway. Compared to an ANSI class-II vest alone, response distances were significantly greater when the vest was supplemented with ankle markings and when a full biological motion configuration was worn. Conspicuity was also greater when the pedestrian was walking and when facing the approaching test vehicle. Relative to a full eleven-element biological motion configuration, adding just two retroreflective ankle straps to a conventional safety vest is considerably more practical while still providing substantial conspicuity benefits.
Technology and Procedures for Debriefing Distributed Training Should be Designed Simultaneously
Authors: Stelzer Emily Muthard , Salter William J.
Published: January 2012

The military training community is developing methods and tools to support distributed simulation-based training, technological advances that enhance coordination from different geographical locations and reducing funding and resource requirements. As the training community evolves to conduct distributed training exercises frequently, there is a strong need to simultaneously shape and design the methods and procedures that will be used for these training events. In this paper, we describe traditional after-action review processes and roles and identify challenges to the extension of these approaches to distributed training environments. Two specific challenges are highlighted and discussed: the increased burden on the instructor to integrate performance and mission information across geographic locations, and the redefinition of instructor roles and task responsibilities in the distributed training environment. Finally, we discuss the implication of these challenges in developing training methods and in designing the technologies to support these procedures.
It's Turtles all the Way Down: A Comparative Analysis of Visually Induced Motion Sickness
Authors: Smart L. James , Otten Edward W. , Stoffregen Thomas A.
Published: January 2012

One of the most frustrating aspects of motion sickness is the apparent lack of predictability, particularly from one context (seasickness) to another (cybersickness). It has been postulated that this lack of predictability is indicative of separate but related disorders. Recent evidence has suggested that the problem may not lie in the disorder itself, but in the measures used to predict it. Based on the predictions of Riccio and Stoffregen (1991) and the findings of Smart, Stoffregen, and Bardy (2002), a secondary analysis was performed using parameters of postural motion in order to classify participants who would later become motion sick across three laboratory (four modes of presentation: moving room (Smart, et al, 2002), high fidelity flight simulator (Stoffregen, et al, 2000) large screen projection, and head mounted display (Otten, 2005)) settings. Results suggest that measures of postural instability may serve as a common, minimally invasive, and predictive index of visually induced motion sickness.
The Relationship between SPAM, Workload, and Task Performance on a Simulated ATC Task
Authors: Pierce Russell S. , Vu Kim-Phuong L. , Nguyen Jimmy , Strybel Thomas Z.
Published: January 2012

This study examined the influence of workload and dual-task performance decrements associated with the SPAM technique. Participants performed the Air Traffic Scenarios Test (ATST), which is a low fidelity air traffic control simulator developed by the Federal Aviation Administration. Performance on the ATST was followed by post-run questionnaires (baseline conditions) or in conjunction with SPAM queries, word shadowing lists, or memory lists (secondary task conditions). SPAM was no different from our baseline conditions in terms of subjective workload. In comparison to other secondary tasks, SPAM tended to yield workload levels intermediate to List Memory (high cognitive load) and Word Shadowing (low cognitive load). SPAM was found to lower performance relative to baseline conditions in three of the seven observed performance measures. These findings suggest that the use of a “ready” prompt for probe question administration is not sufficient for reducing performance decrements associated with secondary tasks.
Examining Controller Task Redistribution as an Indicator of Peak Workload
Authors: Lee Paul U. , Mercer Joey
Published: January 2012

Controller workload is a key factor in limiting en route capacity that has been modeled through fast-time modeling, real-time simulations, and operational data. In most of these efforts, the focus has been on correlating workload with other “objective” metrics, such as number of clearances, number of aircraft, etc. A missing component from such analyses is the controller's strategy for managing workload. Workload is not a passive factor that mirrors the controller actions (e.g. handoffs, clearances). Instead, controllers actively moderate and re-distribute the types and the frequency of actions based on their perceived workload. In this paper, we examine this strategy shift by associating bookkeeping tasks and route/altitude clearances with online workload ratings. Overall, the data suggest that only in high traffic scenarios in which the controller workload approached the maximum threshold, the controllers shed peripheral tasks related to monitoring and bookkeeping as the traffic increases and their perceived workload transitions from low to high. Whenever workload reached a maximum, some bookkeeping tasks were delayed and performed in “groups” after the peak traffic subsided.
Supervisory Control of Multiple Unmanned Vehicles: International Perspectives on Methodologies and Enabling Interface Technologies
Authors: Draper Mark H.
Published: January 2012

Unmanned vehicles (UVs) have proven to be an extremely valuable military capability. Added system automation/autonomy will change the role of the UV operator from manual controller to supervisor of, and maybe even teammate to, these highly automated systems. Continuing this trend, there is a desire across several NATO countries to explore concepts in which multiple autonomous UVs are simultaneously controlled by a single supervisor. The obvious utility of UVs, the rapid advances in associated technology, and the desire to increase operator span of control has led to the formation of a NATO Research Task Group to address the human factors challenges, methodologies, and technologies associated with single operator control of multiple UVs. This panel, consisting of prominent members of the seven country NATO group, will describe the state-of-the art in human factors related developments of multi-UV control through examples of their respective nation's research and technical demonstrations in this area. Additionally, panelists will interact with the audience and address questions centering on the rationale, methodologies, and challenges associated with multi-UV control.
An Integrated Air Traffic Control Display Concept for Conveying Temporal and Probabilistic Conflict Information
Authors: Lee Hwasoo , Milgram Paul
Published: January 2012

In this paper, we introduce an innovative conflict detection and resolution display for air traffic control. Our display explicitly incorporates uncertainties in velocity, heading, and position of each airplane in a given air space. Probabilistic, temporal, and spatial information of potential conflicts is provided through integrated graphical patterns.
Cursor Control Device Test Battery: Development and Application
Authors: Sándor Anikó , Holden Kritina L.
Published: January 2012

A test battery was developed for cursor control device evaluation. Four tasks were taken from ISO 9241–9, and three from previous studies conducted at NASA. The tasks focused on basic movements such as pointing, clicking, and dragging. Four cursor control devices were evaluated with and without Extravehicular Activity (EVA) gloves to identify desirable cursor control device characteristics for NASA missions: a large trackball, a Hulapoint mouse, a small trackball, and an aircraft trackball. Conclusions include: 1) the test battery is an efficient tool for differentiating among input devices; 2) devices used with gloves have to be larger, and should allow good hand positioning to counteract the lack of tactile feedback; 3) none of the devices, as designed, were ideal for operation with EVA gloves.
New Kids on the Block: Multi-Dimensional Perspectives on Augmented Cognition
Authors: Drexler Julie , Reeves Leah , Schmorrow Dylan , McBride Dennis , Stanney Kay , Berka Chris , Dickson Blair
Published: January 2012

This discussion panel was organized to offer HFES members an opportunity to learn more about the burgeoning field of Augmented Cognition and to discover the multi-dimensional aspects of the discipline. The session will feature six invited panelists who were selected to represent a cross-section of the Augmented Cognition International Society community of more than 900 members. Each panelist will present their unique perspective of the AugCog field, which will provide the audience with information on a variety of research, development, and application areas in the AugCog field within the U.S and abroad. The panel members and their associated AugCog perspectives include: CDR Dylan Schmorrow, government; Denise Nicholson, academia; Dennis McBride, non-profit; Kay Stanney and Chris Berka, industry; and Blair Dickson, industry/international.
Cognitive Engineering Approaches to Safety in Healthcare
Authors: Wears Robert L
Published: January 2012

Healthcare work is accomplished by complex, highly distributed, joint cognitive systems, but is often viewed from within (by its workers) and without (by society at large) as individually-based craft work. The choice of this viewpoint makes collaborations difficult, because the theories and tools of cognitive engineering then seem foreign to health professionals, and vice versa. In this panel, a group of leading cognitive engineers with extensive experience in healthcare environments will discuss their experience in this domain with emphasis on methods for improving the process and content of these collaborations.
Performance and Situation Awareness Effects in Collaborative Robot Control with Automation
Authors: Riley Jennifer M. , Strater Laura D. , Sethumadhavan Arathi , Davis Fleet , Tharanathan Anand , Kokini Christina
Published: January 2012

Human operators of robotic systems need to be able to acquire and maintain situation awareness (SA) in many domains in order to effectively task and control unmanned systems. Overall task performance is impacted by the SA that individuals or teams develop on the robot, the remote environment, and the tasks to be completed. Situation awareness can be limited by attentional resource limits, particularly when operators must operate multiple systems, some of which may be under automated functioning. In this study we investigate the effects of robot control requirements, including robots under semi-autonomous control, in a task requiring coordination and shared control of a robotic system, on task performance and operator situation awareness.
A Five-Phase CWA for Air Traffic Control: Example from a TRACON Microworld
Authors: St-Cyr Olivier , Kilgore Ryan M.
Published: January 2012

This paper presents an example of a full Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) on a TRACON Air Traffic Control Microworld (TRACON, 1991). TRACON for Windows is a microworld simulation of an air traffic control environment. The TRACON domain consists of an airspace surrounding a major airport and its regional satellite airports. Our purpose in applying all five phases of CWA to a single system was pedagogical in nature. The authors came together as an analytical team within the context of a CWA graduate course. All five phases of analysis are outlined in this paper, although each analysis represents only a subset of a complete CWA undertaking. Despite the limited breadth, we were able to generate a substantial amount of data and increase our appreciation of the relationships between the domain knowledge elucidated through each phase. This example illustrates the potential design value of performing a CWA for real-world domains across all CWA phases.
Improving Reliability Awareness to Support Appropriate Trust and Reliance on Individual Combat Identification Systems
Authors: Wang Lu , Jamieson Greg A. , Hollands Justin G.
Published: January 2012

Individual combat identification (CID) systems have been developed to help soldiers distinguish friends from foes in combat situations. However, these automated systems are not perfectly reliable. Previous studies have found that participants often do not rely properly on such systems and consequently their identification performance was not improved by them. We present an experiment that tested the effectiveness of providing aid reliability information to support participants' appropriate trust in and reliance on a CID aid. The results indicated that participants had difficulty in estimating the aid reliability. Participants who were not informed of the aid reliability trusted in and relied on the aid feedback less than those who were aware of the aid reliability. Providing the aid reliability information led to more appropriate reliance on the aid. This research has implications for the design of interfaces for individual CID systems and the training of infantry soldiers.
Semper Gumby sub Rosa: Adaptability in a Healthcare Setting
Authors: Wears Robert L , Perry Shawna J
Published: January 2012

Clinical work is accomplished by complex, highly distributed, joint cognitive systems, and involves high levels of uncertain and ambiguity. Hospital emergency departments in particular must adapt to uncertainty, ambiguity, and change on a variety of different time scales. Many of these adaptations are unofficial, in part because they cannot be specified in advance, and in part because the official models of healthcare work do not include them. This paper presents two case studies of adaptation in the ED and uses them to explore implications for cognitive engineering and design.
Submarine Systems Development as a Lens for CSE Progress: Pushing the Envelope of CSE Methods
Authors: Dominguez Cynthia O. , McKneely Jennifer A. B. , Fallon Corey
Published: January 2012

Assessing what progress has been made in cognitive systems engineering since Woods & Roth's 1988 book chapter on the topic is a huge challenge. This paper uses ongoing submarine domain cognitive systems engineering (CSE) work to highlight critical issues raised by Woods & Roth in 1988, particularly with respect to contributions being made towards addressing these issues. Three areas where methods continue to evolve to push the state of the art in CSE are described here. The first area is integration of methods and results gained from cognitive work analysis and cognitive task analysis together to address mismatches in how systems support cognitive work. Assessing how well systems support cognitive work and methods for eliciting team sensemaking knowledge, are elaborated as well. Due to constraints on publication of data, we focus on methods and processes that stretch the current envelope of CSE, as opposed to outcome or results.
The Forgotten History of Cognitive Task Analysis
Authors: Militello Laura G. , Hoffman Robert R.
Published: January 2012

Many reports of recent research on topics in cognitive systems engineering describe their methods by distinguishing cognitive task analysis from “traditional” or “behavioral” task analysis. A hallmark of modern cognitive task analysis (CTA) methods is that they place primary focus on understanding the cognitive demands of a task and the knowledge and strategies that underlie performance. While cognitive task analysis may have seemed to be a revolutionary approach introduced in recent years, a review of the history of task analysis reveals many things that have been lost in modern treatments of the history of human factors. This presentation will review some highlights of this forgotten history, including the ideas and methods of the Psychotechnicians, the earliest industrial psychologists, the Taylorists, and others who contributed to modern CTA. Task analysis never lacked cognitive categories. Even microscale “time and motion” studies involved the analysis of the work of domain experts. Basic ideas of human -machine systems and of complexity also appear in some of the earliest literatures — industrial psychology of the first decades of the 20th century.
Rule and Instance Based Strategies in Expert Judgment
Authors: Tsai Jennifer , Kirlik Alex , Kosorukoff Alex , Miller Sarah
Published: January 2012

Expert judgment has been conceived in contrasting ways. The naturalistic decision making (NDM) paradigm has put forth a largely instance-based account, viewing experts as relying on a storehouse of cases, such as in the recognition-primed decision (RPD) model. Cognitive psychology has instead advanced largely heuristic- or rule-based accounts, such as in the lens model and fast-and-frugal heuristics. To clarify the relationship between these accounts, we performed two experiments in which novices and experts performed a task explicitly designed to reveal signatures in the data of the use of both rule- and instance-based strategies. Modeling revealed that expert judgment benefited from both the use of linear cue-weighting rules and instance memory. Instance memory use was reflected in experts' (but not novices') ability to handle task nonlinearity, and the finding that expert accuracy across instances was positively correlated with the number of times each instance was historically seen in past experiences.
An Empirical Evaluation of Network Centric Team Organisation versus Hierarchical Team Organisation
Authors: Walker Guy H. , Stanton Neville A. , Salmon Paul , Jenkins Daniel , Monnan Shaj , Handy Simone
Published: January 2012

Traditional hierarchical command and control was pitted against a network centric alternative on a common task played thirty times by two teams. Multiple regression was used to undertake a simple form of time series analysis. Whilst the network centric condition ended up being slightly slower than its hierarchical counterpart, it was able to balance and optimise three other factors: team cohesion, enemies neutralized and attrition.
Situation Awareness and Collaborative Tool Usage in Ad Hoc Command and Control Teams
Authors: Strater Laura D. , Cuevas Haydee M. , Connors Erik S. , Ungvarsky Diane M. , Endsley Mica R.
Published: January 2012

This research details findings from Urban Resolve, a large-scale Joint Forces research effort to investigate the impacts of technological solutions on situation awareness (SA) and decision making in ad hoc teams in a military command and control environment. The investigation was conducted using personnel acting as the Joint Force Land Component Command (JFLCC) and supporting Brigade-level staff stationed at Ft. Leavenworth in support of the higher headquarters at the Joint Task Force (JTF) in an urban combat and stability scenario. In the study, participants rated face-to-face communication highest for both routine and critical communications. The tool rated most effective for the development of situation awareness changed across study sessions, with chat in chatroom rated highest in the first and last session, and shared map/shared products folder rated highest in the second session. Results are discussed in the context of developing tools to support shared SA and temporal team performance in ad hoc teams.
Patterns of Team Collaboration Employed to Solve Unique Problems
Authors: Hutchins Susan G. , Kendall Tony
Published: January 2012

“Macrocognition” is an emerging area of knowledge engineering that focuses on understanding how cognition emerges in natural environments. One goal for studying macrocognition is to understand the complexity entailed in inter- and intra-individual cognition. In this paper we describe our analysis of several complex team collaboration tasks: firefighters from the Fire Department of New York on Sept. 11, 2001, air warfare teams on an Aegis ship, and the team collaboration entailed in conducting Maritime Interdiction Operations. Team communications that transpired during three complex problem solving situations were analyzed to understand how teams collaborate to create new knowledge and decide on a course of action during complex, one-of-a-kind problems. These processes include (1) individual knowledge building, (2) developing knowledge interoperability, (3) team shared understanding, and (4) team consensus. The way the team's cognitive behavior maps to the model is discussed along with differences in patterns of collaboration for different decision-making domains.
Beyond Powerpoint™: Tools for Rapid and Accurate Idea Transfer
Authors: Miller Christopher A. , Miller Christopher A. , Ott Tammy , Feinman Alexander , Frosst Douglas , Goan Terrance , Ramming J. Christopher , Thomsen Dan
Published: January 2012

— Microsoft's PowerPoint™ presentation software turned 30 years old last year and is, arguably, the dominant mechanism for idea transfer in the world of work today—a position that it has held for, perhaps, the last 20 years. PowerPoint presentations are used for everything from grade school project reports to sermons to Space Shuttle launch decisions to military mission briefings. Built on the even older technology of overhead view foils and slide shows, PowerPoint clearly provides benefits over that technology in the ease with which it enables the creation of presentations— and it would be hard to argue that the results are less colorful and entertaining thanks to the tool. But is this the best we can do? Tufte (2007) has recently provided an extensive indictment of the failings of PowerPoint, and of the presentations that it encourages us to create. And while many of us would dispute elements of Tufte's crtiques, we all see ways to improve on PowerPoint or its usage. Most members of this panel have all recently been awarded small research grants by DARPA to propose alternate approaches to enabling “rapid and accurate idea transfer” in at least some of the domains in which PowerPoint is currently dominant. In this panel, they will discuss their approaches and illustrate them—traditional PowerPoint presentations will not be permitted. A secondary theme will be evaluation methods and metrics for idea transfer.
Playback Technique using a Temporally Sequenced Cognitive Artifact for Knowledge Elicitation
Authors: Miller Janet E. , Patterson Emily S.
Published: January 2012

Developing effective computer support for work done in complex socio-technical environments requires understanding the necessary expertise for the work. Preserving and examining cognitive artifacts, such as notes, made by the practitioner while working is valuable in ensuring an accurate understanding of the required expertise. However, how the notes are analyzed for discovery needs to include the fact that a note artifact has a temporal dimension. Exploiting the temporal dimension of note-making reveals the sequence of the practitioner's thought process and relays what was considered important at points in time. This paper focuses on the development of a methodology to unfold a novice practitioner's task performance in order to reveal the novice's process to an expert so that future computer system requirements can be identified. An important key to the unfolding was the notes pages. Several methods of using the note sheet artifacts were explored and the resulting methodology is described.
A Usability Evaluation of a Laser Projection Virtual Keyboard
Authors: Wang Xin , Hedge Alan
Published: January 2012

This study compared typing performance using a laser projection virtual keyboard (VKB), and an electromechanical folding keyboard (FKB). Twenty undergraduate students (10 male, 10 female) participated as subjects in the study. Typing performance was measured for twelve 7.5-minute typing trials for each of the two keyboards. The results showed that typing was significantly slower with the VKB: by the twelfth typing trial the text entry performance with the VKB was 17.3 wpm compared to 40.4 wpm for the FKB, and the typing error rate was 8.6% for the VKB compared to 5.3% for the FKB. Text entry performance was 57.1% slower with the VKB than the FKB, but it was comparable to the speeds reported for other handheld device text entry methods (Multitap, T9, and handwriting recognition). A learning curve model showed that theoretically the typing speed for the VKB could reach 20 wpm after 20 hours of training.
Human Factors in Space Exploration: Fitts' Law Activity for Middle School Girls
Authors: Ellis R. Darin , Edwards Thomas G. , Golenberg Lavie , Pandya Abhilash
Published: January 2012

Space exploration is a demanding endeavor, filled with extremely demanding tasks for both astronauts and ground personnel, making it a natural application area for Human Factors Engineering (HFE). This paper describes on ongoing project to develop and deliver hands-on HFE activities that expose middle-school age students to concepts in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) areas, while leveraging the backdrop of space exploration to make the activities fun and exciting. This pilot activity focused on a well-known HFE result known as “Fitts' Law”, a function describing aimed movement time as a function of task variables. The activity included introduction to HFE, description of Fitts' Law, experimental data collection and graphing, and a design component relevant to Fitts' Law (i.e., emergency button placement on a control panel). Initial offerings of this activity indicate high potential for success and broad impact.
Survey Response Comparisons between Student and Teacher Participants in a Mobile Instructional Technology Program in a High School Setting
Authors: Sommerich Carolyn M. , Korkmaz Sahika Vatan
Published: January 2012

Questionnaire responses were compared between high school students and teachers, all of whom participate in their school's 24/7 access tablet PC (TPC) program. Primary areas of interest were students' and teachers' experiences with and attitudes about the TPCs, physical discomfort associated with TPC use, and patterns of TPC use. Results showed students' and teachers' attitudes were generally quite positive towards the TPCs, including both groups appreciating the TPC as an organizational aid. However, neither group tended to think TPCs had improved student grades. It is important to explore the similarities and differences between people who share a classroom and much more as they proceed through a school year together. This type of assessment provides a useful complement to more common assessments of impact of digital technology on academic performance.
How do People Use Instructions in Procedural Tasks?
Authors: Eiriksdottir Elsa , Catrambone Richard
Published: January 2012

Instructions for procedural tasks are often designed to be read before starting the task, but evidence suggests that people often do not use instructions that way. Participants ( N = 20) completed knot and assembly tasks using stepwise instructions and the time viewing the instructions in the course of completing the tasks was measured. Half the participants reported that they read the instructions first and half say they usually attempt the task first, but no difference was found between those groups in how they used the instructions. Rather, it was found to depend on the type of task; instructions were used more in the course of completing the knot tasks than the assembly tasks. This indicates that the nature of the task determines how instructions are used and that people might not consistently adhere to a preferred strategy for using instructions.
Criterion Shift and Anchoring in a Discrimination Training Paradigm: The Importance of Pre-Training
Authors: Scielzo Sandro , Fiore Stephen M. , Jentsch Florian , Rehfeld Sherri A.
Published: January 2012

We report an empirical investigation on pre-training and its effects on overall training accuracy. This study was developed to explore a potential new venue aiming at improving overall training effectiveness for airport X-Ray screeners by means of pre-training. Specifically, we looked at presence or absence of pre-training and how it affected training performance. Pre-training was theoretically framed around the concept of criterion shift and anchoring in a signal detection paradigm. Results showed that pre-training successfully mitigated participants' initial biases brought to the training environment by shifting participant's criterion to a more neutral position in terms of discrimination training rules and heuristics.
Backpack Usage and Self-Reported Musculoskeletal Discomfort in University Students
Authors: Hu June Mung Yuing , Jacobs Karen
Published: January 2012

This study investigated the prevalence of self-reported musculoskeletal discomfort and pain in university students and examined its association with the type of backpack, backpack load, time spent carrying loads and the student's body mass index (BMI). A high prevalence (85%) of the university students self-reported musculoskeletal discomfort and pain; and 84% of the participants reported knowledge of the potential consequences of incorrect backpack usage. An emerging trend between musculoskeletal symptoms and time spent carrying backpacks (mean = 2.3 hr for subjects with pain, 3.4 hr for subjects with discomfort, and 4.8 hr for subjects with no symptoms) was also found. Future research should focus on educating university students on proper backpack selection and usage to prevent self-reported musculoskeletal discomfort.
Evidence Based Practice in Universal Design
Authors: Steinfeld Edward
Published: January 2012

The ergonomics profession can benefit from adoption of the universal design paradigm. Rather than treat people with differences in abilities and characteristics as special populations, this paradigm views such differences as a universal aspect of human experience. Ergonomics professionals and researchers can play an important role in advancing universal design through development of evidence-based practice. Critical needs are identified and discussed.
Diagnosing Friction Points in Multicultural Team Performance: A Rationale and Measurement Approach
Authors: Rosen Michael A. , Wildman Jessica L. , Bedwell Wendy L. , Fritzsche Barbara , Salas Eduardo , Burke C. Shawn
Published: January 2012

In modern military and civilian organizations, teams are increasingly composed of members from very different cultural backgrounds. This heterogeneity in cultural composition poses a unique set of challenges on the process of building and maintaining effective teams. This paper describes the concept of friction points in multicultural team performance, establishes their importance, and outlines an approach to measurement. Information from the proposed measurement process can be used to identify friction points in multicultural teams for the purposes of research as well as for developing various interventions in the field such as job aides (e.g., team metacognitive checklists), and generating feedback and remediation during training.
Paper Use with the Electronic Medical Record: An Important Supplement or Negative Circumvention?
Authors: Saleem Jason J. , Russ Alissa L. , Justice Connie F. , Hagg Heather , Woodbridge Peter A. , Doebbeling Bradley N.
Published: January 2012

Healthcare organizations are increasingly implementing electronic medical records (EMRs) and other related health information technology (IT). Even in institutions which have long adopted these computerized systems, there are still instances where employees rely on paper to complete their work. The use of paper suggests that parts of the EMR may not be sufficiently designed to support clinicians and their work processes. To understand the use of paper-based alternatives, we conducted 14 key-informant interviews in a large Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), with a fully implemented EMR. We found nine distinct categories of paper-based workarounds to the use of the EMR. In several cases, paper served as an important tool and assisted healthcare employees in their work. In other cases, paper use circumvented the intended EMR design, introduced potential gaps in documentation, and generated possible paths to medical error. We discuss implications of these findings for EMR design and implementation.
Communication and the Perceived Involvement of Team Members during the ICU Morning Round
Authors: Reader Tom , Flin Rhona , Mearns Kathryn , Cuthbertson Brian
Published: January 2012

This descriptive study investigated team communication behaviours and perceptions of involvement in decision-making during the ICU round. A combination of self-report and observational measures were made during the review of patients. Observations focused (during each patient review) on i) the frequency of verbal communication behaviours made by junior team members (trainee doctors and nursing staff), ii) the frequency of information requests made by senior doctors, and iii) the frequency of explicit goal setting made by senior doctors. Furthermore, team members also recorded their perceived levels of involvement in the patient decision-making process. Data was collected on a sample of 37 ICU teams (44 participants), who assessed 105 ICU patients. The data indicated team member roles to influence observed behaviours and self-assessed perceptions of involvement during the patient decision-making process. Specifically, junior team members felt less involved in the patient decision-making process and were observed to contribute information to the patient discussion infrequently. The implications of the study are discussed.
Drug Labeling and its Impact on Patient Safety
Authors: Vredenburgh Alison G. , Zackowitz Ilene B.
Published: January 2012

Adverse drug events (ADE) are defined as any medication errors with significant potential to harm a patient. ADE frequently occur due to inadequate or ineffective systems of medication labeling. These ADE often result from mistakes in adherence (compliance) with the prescription instructions. Potential problems with drug labeling can occur in both in-patient and out-patient environments. This paper discusses some of the key issues to consider in drug labeling and its impact on patient safety.
Framework and Application for Modeling Control Room Crew Performance at Nuclear Power Plants
Authors: Boring Ronald L. , Gertman David I. , Tran Tuan Q. , Gore Brian F.
Published: January 2012

This paper summarizes an emerging project regarding the utilization of high-fidelity MIDAS simulations for visualizing and modeling control room crew performance at nuclear power plants. The key envisioned uses for MIDAS-based control room simulations are: (i) the estimation of human error associated with advanced control room equipment and configurations, (ii) the investigative determination of contributory cognitive factors for risk significant scenarios involving control room operating crews, and (iii) the certification of reduced staffing levels in advanced control rooms. It is proposed that MIDAS serves as a key component for the effective modeling of cognition, elements of situation awareness, and risk associated with human performance in next generation control rooms.