bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Speech Recognition, Speech Synthesis and Touch-Panel Technology Applied to the Control of Remotely Piloted Spacecraft
Authors: Slaby Christina A. , Hartley Craig S. , Pulliam Robert
Published: January 2012

A permanent Space Station (SS) is under development which will be serviced by remotely piloted spacecraft such as the Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV). When arriving or departing the SS, the OMV will be controlled from a pilot station in the SS. This study describes continuing research in progress at the Martin Marietta Space Operations Simulator Laboratory which is contributing to the design of a prototype pilot station. Speech recognition, speech synthesis and touch-panel technology are being examined as means for data display and control operation. Where appropriate, speech recognition is experimentally compared with touch-screen as a means of entering commands, using a measure of subjective workload. Selected technologies will be incorporated in an evolving prototype pilot station and used to drive simulations of operations near the SS. Simulation will provide an empirical test of the selected technologies, in concert with tests of operating scenarios and engineering design. This research will contribute to the literature on human aspects of control system design and eventually to the design of the SS - OMV operating interface.
Future Directions for Cost Effective Air Force Aircrew Training: Managed Technology and the Training System
Authors: Heintzman Richard J. , Courtice Major Andrew J.
Published: January 2012

Although early simulation efforts were slow to be accepted and exploited, their value in reducing flight training risk and cost has resulted in the development and use of modern technology to the point where today many airline training programs require zero hours of inflight training time. This means that the first time a first officer steps into the real airplane to fly it is full of passengers. The savings from these efforts in terms of dollars, safety and time to train have been so significant that airlines were able to pay for their entire training programs with the fuel savings alone.

The oil embargo provided the military the incentive to try and achieve the same type of benefit as the airlines, from its aircrew training programs, through an extensive use of aircrew training devices. Early in this effort, the military realized that the vast differences between commercial airline operations and military missions made it extremely difficult to apply ground based trainers to the same extent as the airlines. Simulators lacked the fidelity to reproduce the military training environment.

This paper will review the current situation concerning simulation within the Air Force and outline the steps we are taking to better apply training simulation to the military mission. It reviews the challenges still lying ahead, especially in the areas which require the exploitation of human factors research and application.
A Cognitive Analysis of Database Query Production
Authors: Greene Sharon L. , Gomez Louis M. , Devlin Susan J.
Published: January 2012

Two distinctly different methods of expressing database queries were compared to evaluate differences in their difficulty. One method was a standard database query language, SQL, while the second method only required subjects to be able to make use of tables representing sample databases. Clear differences emerged in subject performance. Regression techniques demonstrated an association between performance and a set of cognitive skills.
An Evaluation of Critical Incidents for Software Documentation Design
Authors: del Galdo Elisa M. , Williges Robert C. , Williges Beverly H. , Wixon Dennis R.
Published: January 2012

A technique to determine end-users' perception of the documentation of a system can help documenters understand users' needs. Documenters can reflect this understanding in their documentation design, thereby increasing communication between designers and users. This study investigates the use of critical incidents as a mechanism to collect end-user reactions to software documentation, the presentation of this information to systems designers, and the effectiveness of critical incidents as a tool in an iterative process of online and hardcopy documentation design. The principle purpose of this study was the development and validation of critical incidents as an effective tool for the incorporation of end-user feedback into the simultaneous design and evaluation of both online and hardcopy documentation.
The Use of Multidimensional Scaling for Facilities Layout: An Application to the Design of the Space Station
Authors: Tullis Thomas S. , Sperling Barbra Bied , Steinberg A. L.
Published: January 2012

Before an optimum layout of the facilities for the proposed Space Station can be designed, it is necessary to understand the functions that will be perfomed by the Space Station crew and the relationships among those functions. Five criteria for assessing functional relationships were identified. For each of these criteria, a matrix representing the degree of association of all pairs of functions was developed. The key to making inferences about the layout of the Space Station from these matrices was the use of multidimensional scaling (MDS). Applying MDS to these matrices resulted in spatial configurations of the crew functions in which smaller distances in the MDS configuration reflected closer associations. An MDS analysis of a composite matrix formed by combining the five individual matrices resulted in two dimensions that describe the configuration: a “Private-Public” dimension and a “Group-Individual” dimension. Seven specific recommendations for Space Station layout were derived from analyses of the MDS configurations. Although we have applied these techniques to the design of the Space Station, they can be applied to the design of any facility where people live or work.
Development of the Criterion Task Set Performance Data Base
Authors: Schlegel Robert E. , Gilliland Kirby , Schlegel Betina
Published: January 2012

The initial phase of a large-scale experimental study was conducted involving the training and testing of fifty human subjects on the Criterion Task Set (Version 1.0). Testing was performed under baseline conditions and the stressors of noise and sleep loss. The resulting data base includes CTS performance data and subjective ratings obtained using the Subjective Workload Assessment Technique (SWAT) for each task, along with information on subject individual differences. This paper presents the methodology used for the data collection and analysis efforts and provides a summary of the performance and subjective assessment information. In general, no performance differences were found under the noise stress condition. Following sleep loss, response times for the central processing tasks deteriorated as did performance on the Unstable Tracking and Interval Production tasks.
Task Complexity and Subjective Arousal
Authors: Pond Daniel J. , Kimball Laurie A.
Published: January 2012

Responses on the Activation–Deactivation Adjective Check List were recorded for forty–eight subjects who were performing a visual perceptual information processing task at one of three levels of task difficulty. In general, significant task performance differences in the expected direction were recorded. Two of the activation measures were found to differentiate between low and high task difficulty groups, while the scores for the medium group fell between these two-but did not significantly differ from either. Gender differences for both performance and activation measures were largely not significant.
Mapping of Amplitude onto CRT Luminance in Frequency-Time-Intensity Displays
Authors: McFadden S.M. , Swanston K.
Published: January 2012

A common method of presenting passive sonar information on a CRT is the frequency–time–intensity (FTI) display. Detection of targets on an FTI display can be affected by the method used to map the original sonar input onto the visual display. The current study examined the problem of mapping the acoustic amplitude of the incoming sound onto CRT luminance. Detectability of a single target line was measured as a function of the number of quantization levels used to map amplitude onto CRT luminance (2, 4, 8, 16 or 256) and the marking density (percentage of the display set to other than background luminance). Marking density was varied by mapping all amplitude values below a fixed cut-off point (either 3, 1, or 0 S.D. below the mean of the noise) on to the lowest quantization level. On average, detection performance improved more than 3 dB as the number of quantization levels increased from two to eight. If amplitude was mapped onto fewer than sixteen quantization levels, the selection of a cut–off point was important.
User Evaluation of the Lisp Intelligent Tutoring System
Authors: Hoecker Douglas G. , Elias Glenn S.
Published: January 2012

In a cooperative arrangement between Westinghouse and Carnegie-Mellon University, a test version of CMU's LISP Intelligent Tutoring System (LISPITS) was installed on a Westinghouse VAX 11/785 that could be accessed by engineering personnel from company sites anywhere in the country. The object of this research was to evaluate LISPITS's performance in a more industrial environment than heretofore attempted. More specific research questions concerned (a) dialog structure, (b) computer resource requirements for large numbers of students, (c) rule–base applicability to students of different backgrounds, and (d) LISPITS's effectiveness as measured by student performance. Four classes of data were collected: (1) computer usage (accounting data) (2) 34–item questionnaires, (3) mid–term and final exams, (4) computer–readable files of activity in both the exercise and coding windows.

Results suggest (a) overall, this group's experience with LISPITS was a positive one, and that basically this technology works in an industrial environment; (b) dialog management, while adequate, could be further optimized on the current 80–column x 24–line display; (c) dialog could be improved even more greatly with a more advanced display (e.g., more and larger windows, high resolution, bit-napped text and highlights) (d) two aspects of the interaction appear to have salient impact on learning and user acceptance for students with professional engineering experience: (1) the tutor's flexibility in dealing with potentially–valid student solutions, and (2) the level of analysis that governs error detection, diagnosis, and intervention strategies.
Effect of Psychosocial Variables on Maximum Acceptable Weight of Lift
Authors: Selan Joseph L.
Published: January 2012

Fifteen male subjects classified as Type A personalities (aggressive, impatient) and fifteen Type B (passive, patient) subjects performed a psychophysical lifting task under three social facilitation conditions: alone (box lowered automatically), with a confederate of similar physical ability lowering the box, and with a confederate of superior physical ability lowering the box. Results indicated that Type A subjects worked at a higher percentage of their aerobic capacity than Type B subjects, and spent less time deciding their maximum acceptable weight. The social facilitation conditions had no significant effect on maximum acceptable weight of lift.
Techniques for Acquiring Computer Procedures: Some Restrictions on “Interaction”
Authors: Sebrechts Marc M. , Deck Joseph G.
Published: January 2012

Although many current theories emphasize the interactive and exploratory nature of learning, computer-aided training systems that use these principles often appear ineffective. A series of four experiments examined two kinds of interaction that are available in a number of commercial systems: (1) interactively reading instructions and then performing the indicated steps; (2) interactively selecting the order in which to explore the instructions. The data suggest that although interaction leads to better performance initially, this advantage is lost after a short delay. Likewise, unstructured access to training materials can actually inhibit subsequent performance. The consequences for the design and use of training materials is discussed.
Performance Assessment in Training Systems: Methods and Application
Authors: Breidenbach S.T. , Ciavarelli A.P. , Sievers R. , Lilienthal M.G.
Published: January 2012

This paper offers an improved methodology for systematic development and validation of a performance measurement system. Application of this methodology is presented in the context of a measurement system designed to assess aircrew performance during air-to-air combat training conducted on the Navy's Tactical Aircrew Combat Training System. Procedures for identifying the purpose and appropriate application of measures, formatting operationally useful training feedback displays, and conducting reliability and validity tests are presented.
Response Modalities and Time-Sharing Performance
Authors: Vidulich Michael A.
Published: January 2012

The recent development of speech technology has provided an opportunity for new approaches in display/control design. Some researchers have proposed that the use of speech can reduce resource competition with manual controls and improve multi-task performance. However, it has also been suggested that due to the heavy reliance on within-subject experimental designs, the research supporting the resource competition hypothesis was potentially contaminated by asymmetric transfer. The present study examined the value of speech responses as a control device in a dual-task experiment. The experimental design permitted the evaluation of asymmetric transfer effects. Despite numerous significant effects supporting the advantage of mixing manual and speech responses there was no statistically significant finding that suggested the occurrence of asymmetric transfer. Also, the value of speech output was demonstrated in between-subject analyses that were logically immune to asymmetric transfer effects. Therefore, although the possibility of asymmetric transfer remains a legitimate experimental design concern, it is not a sufficient explanation for the observed response modality effects. The present results supported the resource competition hypothesis of response modality effects, and suggested that in operational environments the judicious use of speech technology can enhance performance.
Human Factors in Space
Authors: Regal David M.
Published: January 2012

Space is a unique living and working environment. It is an environment that demands the highest level of performance from crewmembers and is very unforgiving of errors and inefficiency. The spacecraft that we build will have to sustain their inhabitants at a high level of productivity for missions of many months, perhaps longer. Clearly, human factors has a most important role to play in this area. In recognition of this fact, NASA has recently contracted for the writing of a single human factors standard to aid in the design and construction of manned spacecraft. This document is the Man/System Integration Standards, and is the subject of this symposium. Participating contractors include the Boeing Aerospace Company, Lockheed Missiles and Space Company, the Essex Corporation, and CAMUS, Inc.

The six presentations in this session provide an overview of this project. We begin with a history of the manned space program. Then, through the use of a film shot on orbit, graphically demonstrate the need for human factors in space. The mechanics of organizing and managing a large scale project to create a new human factors standards document is outlined next. The final three presentations describe contents of the document. These include a description of how human performance in space differs from that on Earth, unique design requirements in zero-gravity, and human factors considerations of extravehicular activities.
Living and Working in Space
Authors: Pogue William R.
Published: January 2012

Developing an ability to anticipate the various human engineering implications of the weightless (or zero-g) environment of outer space poses a special problem for designers, planners and engineers. This presentation consists of a film entitled, “LIVING AND WORKING IN SPACE”. The film is intended to serve as a training device to create an awareness of zero-g human factors issues. The author is currently serving as a member of the Government Industry Advisory Group (GIAG) for the Manned System Integration Standards (MSIS) study being done under NASA contract and acted as Technical Director for the film which will be a part of the final MSIS package delivered to NASA.
Physical Abilities and Performance Tests for Coal Miner Jobs
Authors: Laughery Kenneth R. , Jackson Andrew S. , Osburn Hobart G. , Hogan Joyce C.
Published: January 2012

A project was carried out to develop a physical abilities test battery for coal miner jobs. A job and task analysis indicated that strength is an important requirement while cardiovascular endurance is not. A sample of 87 underground miners completed a battery of 14 physical tests and measures. Supervisor ratings of performance were obtained for the miners and used as a validation criterion. The results indicated that three isometric tests would serve as a useful battery for predicting job performance. The test data also indicated that for this workforce percent body fat increased and aerobic capacity decreased with age. Measures of these physical characteristics as part of an ongoing physical abilities testing program for current employees would provide valuable data for monitoring potential workforce problems.
Driver Drowsiness Detection Using Subsidiary Task and Driving Performance Measures
Authors: Hardee H. Lenora , Dingus Thomas A. , Wierwille Walter W.
Published: January 2012

Six male and six female subjects operated a moving-base automobile simulator for 2 1/2 hours after having been kept continuously awake for approximately 19 hours past their normal wake-up times. During this session, subjects drove both while performing three subsidiary tasks (auditory, visual, and tactual) which required a tactual output but which otherwise differed only in terms of stimulus input modality, and while performing no task. The driving performance, behavioral, physiological, and subsidiary task response measures collected during the experiment were subjected to a series of linear discriminant analyses, and the results indicated that the detection of driver impairment due to drowsiness may indeed be possible by monitoring combinations of subsidiary task and physiological measures.
Afoot in a Hazardous World
Authors: Goldman Alexander , Cantilli Edmund J.
Published: January 2012

Pedestrians are at particular risk in situations where the planning, design and intended use of facilities has concentrated on factors other than the well-being of pedestrians; situations in which architects and engineers have overlooked the need to access the facility or traverse it on foot. Hazards to pedestrians are designed into urban roads when planners overlook the advantages of walking or using a vehicle other than a standard automobile. This paper offers hypotheses based on human factors knowledge to explain how these hazards get into the system and are repeated and permitted to exist. The authors propose ways of reducing hazards and ways of obtaining implementation of the proposals.
Asynchronous Visual Delays and the Development of Simulator Sickness
Authors: Uliano Kevin C. , Kennedy Robert S. , Lambert Elizabeth Y.
Published: January 2012

Three asynchronous visual throughput delays were investigated for possible relationship to the development of simulator sickness in a fixed-base flight trainer. The SH-60B Vertical Takeoff and Land (VTOL) Simulator, part of the Navy's Visual Technology Research Simulator (VTRS) program, was used to investigate this issue. Twenty-four experienced pilots flew two, 20-minute tasks under each delay condition for a total of three nonconsecutive hours over the course of three days. Objective and self-report indices were collected and, while results showed no differences between delay conditions, there was a high initial incidence of illness among all pilots followed by a rapid adaptation. Relationships between indices are presented along with suggested areas for future research.
United States Air Force Experience with Simulator Sickness, Research and Training
Authors: Kellogg Robert S. , Gillingham Kent K.
Published: January 2012

With the advent of complex, wide-screen visual flight simulators in the United States Air Force, there has also developed a significant problem with simulator-induced sickness. This paper reviews the history of this problem in the Air Force as it is understood at present and discusses its possible impact on training. It also reviews preliminary studies conducted on one of the most advanced visual systems developed thus far, the General Electric Visual System Component Development Program (VSCDP) as well as future Air Force plans for research on this system.
Human Factors Success Stories in Communications Symposium
Authors: Israelski Edmond W. , Klemmer Edmund T. , Ferguson Jock , Wattenbarger Blake
Published: January 2012

The purpose of this symposium is to present some examples of successful applications of human factors engineering in the telecommunications industry. All three speakers are distinguished researchers in their fields and make their points on the basis of many years of applying human factors research to the design of telecommunications products and systems. The speakers make the point that the well known optimal time to introduce human factors into a product design is, of course, as early in the design process as possible, but as E. T. Klemmer points out in one example human factors can contribute to a successful product even at later stages of a product's life-cycle. In summary, human factors' specialists can learn a great deal from the success stories which are described in the following symposium papers.
Self-Inspection in Discrete Product Manufacturing
Authors: Knight James W. , Thomas Marlin U.
Published: January 2012

This paper examines the conditions for the use of self-inspection in a discrete product manufacturing environment. To motivate the subject the potential benefits of self-inspection are first reviewed. Then characteristics of individual workplaces are discussed which are consistent with and to some degree necessary for self-inspection. Lastly the relationship between self-inspection and the overall manufacturing environment is presented.
Human Factors Issues in Designing Explanation Facilities for Expert Troubleshooting Systems
Authors: Phillips Elizabeth R. , Eike David R. , Fleger Stephen A.
Published: January 2012

Research has revealed that the extent to which users will utilize an advice-giving expert system is dependent on the quality of the system's explanation facility (Woods, 1986). Independent researchers have attempted to explore alternative explanation concepts by designing and building separate systems to test explanation facility theory. These efforts have focused primarily on the computational aspects of expert system design, leaving many of the central issues concerning human requirements of explanation facilities unresolved. This paper presents results of an extensive literature review designed to identify and define specific human factors issues which must be addressed to determine guidelines or standards for explanation facility design. The work described in this paper is part of an ongoing research program to develop guidelines for developers and users of expert troubleshooting systems (ETS).
Training in Sport Diving: Can Improving Written Tests Improve Safety?
Authors: Hahn Heidi Ann
Published: January 2012

A survey aimed at assessing the adequacy of the written testing materials used in certifying sport SCUBA divers was administered to 11 student divers. The results indicated that the areas of training concerned with the diving environment and with diving procedures were in need of improvement. Since these topics are critical to dive safety, it was concluded that improving the written training materials might have a positive impact on diving accidents and injuries.
Analysis and Design of Women's Protective Ice Hockey Equipment
Authors: Howell Linda
Published: January 2012

Because of the violent nature of ice hockey the sport has traditionally been dominated by men. As a result, all of the existing equipment has been designed for men. Currently, a growing interest by women to play the sport is leading to the formation of women's ice hockey leagues across the country. A design deficiency exists which may make this a very risky sport for women to play. The lack of a particular system of protection for women directed the research toward the design of hockey equipment for women. The solution that was designed was a result of the conclusions drawn during research to attempt to provide ample defense for an emerging, new market of women ice hockey players.
Joint Motion Clusters in Servomanipulator Operations
Authors: Draper J. V. , Sundstrom E. , Herndon J. N.
Published: January 2012

The Consolidated Fuel Reprocessing Program (CFRP) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is developing advanced teleoperator systems for maintenance of future nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities. Remote maintenance systems developed by CFRP emphasize man-in-the-loop teleoperation. This paper reports the results of a recent experiment which investigated how users interact with a multi-degree of freedom servomanipulator. Principal components analysis performed on data collected during completion of typical remote maintenance tasks indicates that joint motions may be summarized by two orthogonal clusters, one which represents fine-adjusting motions and one which represents slewing motions. Implications of these findings for servomanipulator design are discussed.
Recent Advances in our Understanding of Peripheral Vision and Some Implications
Authors: Leibowitz H. W.
Published: January 2012

The characteristics of peripheral vision and its relation to object recognition and snatial orientation functions are reviewed in the light of recent developments. Implications of these findings and their relevance to some selected hunan engineering problems are discussed.
The Effects of Experience and Tpaining on the Assessment of Pilot Subjective Workload
Authors: Adrion Janeen
Published: January 2012

This paper presents the results of an experiment designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a pilot workload assessment technique called POSWAT. The motivation for this research arises from the need to evaluate the workload impact of complex cockpit systems being advanced for improved safety, efficiency and reduced pilot workload. In this study 36 experienced instrument pilots gave workload ratings at periodic intervals while making three LOFT type simulated instrument cross-country flights of varying levels of induced workload in a Frasca 141 simulator. Results indicate that the POSWAT workload evaluation method is highly correlated with induced workload. They are also correlated with some, but not all performance measures. Pilot currency was also reflected in POSWAT ratings.
The Crewstation Assessment of Reach Model: Status and Future Development Plans
Authors: Iavecchia Helene P. , Harris Regina M.
Published: January 2012

The Crewstation Assessment of Reach (CAR) is a design tool for determining if a candidate population of operators or individuals can achieve vision and reach accommodation within a user-defined workspace. CAR has undergone four major updates since its creation in 1976. The latest version of the CAR model, CAfi-IV, can predict female as well as male population accommodation. Numerous experimental studies have validated individual components of CAR as well as validating CAR's ability to predict population accommodation. Plans are underway to further refine CAR submodels and also to integrate CAR with a CAD graphics package to assist users in constructing and evaluating crewstation designs.
Jar Lids: Effect of Diameter, Gripping Materials and Knurling
Authors: Nagashima Kazunobu , Konz Stephan
Published: January 2012

In Exp. 1, 10 female subjects each twisted six jar lids vs a torque meter with a bare hand, rubber gripper and a cotton cloth. The torques of 3.17 Nm for the 48 mm dia, 5.02 for the 67 mm dia, and 6.04 for the 86 mm dia lids differed significantly. Torques of 4.04 for the cotton cloth in the hand, 4.85 for the bare hand and 5.36 for the rubber gripper also varied significantly. The 4.66 Nm for non-knurled was not significantly different from the 4.84 for knurled.

Exp. 2 replicated Exp. 1 with 5 of the 6 lids for 29 visitors to a University Open House. The results were compatible with Experiment 1. Torque exertable on a lid can be predicted well from grip strength, lid radius and the gripping material (rubber, bare hand or cloth).
An Expert System Approach to Workload Reduction
Authors: Kuperman Gilbert G. , Wilson Denise L.
Published: January 2012

A research facility for the development of rule-based, expert systems was developed. Workload reduction was selected as an application area for demonstration. The specific crew function demonstrated was the employment of a high resolution radar in a navigation update task.
Facial Perception: Holistic or Feature-Analytic?
Authors: Jensen Dean G.
Published: January 2012

These experiments explored whether groups of facial features are perceived holistically or independently of one another. This was tested with the speeded classification task on inner (the eyebrows, eyes, nose, and lips) and outer (hair and chin) groups of features. When the inner features were separated, either by grouping the eyebrows or the lips as an outer feature, classifications by the inner group were affected by changes in the outer group although classifications by the outer group were unaffected by changes in the inner group. These results indicate that the outer features are perceived independently of the inner features and that the eyebrows, eyes, nose, and lips are perceived holistically. This implies that for facial reproduction, a change of an inner feature should be followed by the reconsideration of the other inner features in the presence of the changed feature.
Case Study in Data Entry System Design
Authors: Thompson David A. , McEvers Donald C. , Olson Charles H.
Published: January 2012

This is a case study of changes successfully made in the job design, workspace layout, and wage payment plan for a very large mail remittance processing facility. The changes were necessitated by excessive musculoskeletal injury and disability claims history, by low morale, and by low production. In addition to the other work changes, programmed exercise breaks for all employees were introduced. Measures of the economic impact of ergonomic changes were made.
S*M*A*S*H*: A Framework for Information System Design
Authors: Green Daniel F. , Charipper Bret A.
Published: January 2012

This paper presents a framework for matching information system design to the needs and constraints of the organization. The framework provides a device for linking and balancing a variety of methodologies that are aimed at different stages of system development such as design, organizational goals and strategies, specifics for technical design, and organization of specific work units. The framework integrates the information system design developed from the methodologies, the actual contingencies of the existing organizations, and the demands of the work. The framework has been titled *S*M*A*S*H*, Strategy Matrix, Automated System Hierarchy.
Effects of Display Proximity and Memory Demands on the Understanding of Dynamic Multidimensional Information
Authors: Harwood Kelly , Wickerts Christopher , Kramer Arthur , Clay Deanna , Liu Yili
Published: January 2012

Two experiments explored the ability of individuals to integrate several sources of information about units or conceptual objects. The task domain might describe the air traffic controller's monitoring of the horizontal and vertical separation of several aircraft, the process controller's supervision of the temperature, pressure, and entropy of several energy systems, or any other multidimensional database. The first experiment examined working memory limits for different object-attribute combinations. When subjects monitored a display with a smaller number of objects with more attributes, responses were slower but significantly more accurate than for a larger number of objects with few attributes. In the second experiment, interest centered on how variations of proximity affect the detection of events that occur within a multidimensional database. Results showed that the use of color and spatial position to define proximity facilitated information integration and thereby event detection.
Eye movements when dividing Attention between a Tracking Task and Instrument Displays
Authors: Haga Shigeru , Moray Neville
Published: January 2012

In many tasks such as train driving, the operator must divide his attention between viewing a dynamic environment and viewing instruments on a control panel. Such a situation was simulated and eye movements were recorded in two conditions, (I) when all displays were continuously visible, and (II) when instruments could only be viewed on demand by means of an observing response. Eye movement patterns were far more constrained in the second condition, and there were marked individual differences. In Condition I, attention was more homogeneously distributed. The results are thought to be relevant to the design of CRT-based displays.
Coping with Impaired Vision and Aging
Authors: Faye Eleanor E.
Published: January 2012

Visual function in older persons may decline gradually or in some cases acutely. Most degenerative eye diseases are age-related and adversely affect performance of all visual tasks. Diseases of the optical media reduce contrast, macular disorders reduce central acuity, while glaucoma and neurologic diseases reduce peripheral visual field. A low vision evaluation will determine the types of optical or non-optical low vision aids, devices, or services indicated for an individual with low vision.
Hair Dryer Electrocutions – Can they be Prevented?
Authors: Elder Jacqueline
Published: January 2012

Electrocution cases with hand-held hair dryers typically involve children under 10 years of age who either knock a plugged-in hair dryer into the bathtub or take it in with them. This paper looks at how effective a revised UL Standard would be in preventing these electrocutions. The revision requires that a plugged-in hair dryer with its switch in the “off” position will not leak dangerous levels of current. Investigations of hair dryer electrocutions and the child development literature are reviewed. The conclusion reached is that the new immersible switch will not prevent electrocution in a number of the cases. The recommendation is made to pursue the development of a shock protection device that could be made an integral part of the hair dryer.
Efficiency of Limited Vocabulary Speech Recognition for Data Entry Tasks
Authors: Schurick Jayne M.
Published: January 2012

Performance using four different levels of speech entry was compared to manual entry using a keyboard. Twenty subjects entered text as individual words, phrases, and characters using both orthographic and phonetic alphabets. Overall, when text is entered as words or phrases, performance is equivalent to using a keyboard for individuals who are able to type reasonably well. Spelling text character by character produces approximately seven times as many errors and requires significantly more time to enter information. Use of a phonetic alphabet improves performance but is not as efficient as phrase and word entry.
Assessment of Human Physical Strength – Biomechanics of Force and Torque Exertion
Authors: Kroemer Karl H. E.
Published: January 2012

Knowledge of human capability to exert strength from the body (usually using hands or feet) to an external object (such as a control, or while lifting a load) is of great interest to the human factors engineer. Definition and measurement of human strength has been of considerable interest in various disciplines, such as physiology, psychology, biomechanics, sports physiology, physical education, and of course in human factors and ergonomics. With such a diversity of disciplines and interests, it is not surprising to find the concept, the problem, the techniques of solving it, and the results to be diverse, in fact partly incompatible. This undesirable condition needs to be resolved. For this, several eminent researchers, studying different aspects of the “strength” problem, are presenting their thoughts, experiences, and solutions.

We do not dare to hope that this symposium will in fact solve the problem, define what human strength is, how it can be measured, and how the data may be applied. Still, we expect this to be a first and deciding step in bringing together the various fields interested in human strength.
Strength and Accuracy of Motor Control
Authors: Schopper Aaron W.
Published: January 2012

Existing references to human strength capabilities and to manual control design provide relatively little information pertaining to the effects of interindividual differences in strength on accuracy of control inputs. In an effort to address that void, a review of the existing journal literature was undertaken. The results yielded little relevant research in spite of the fact that known strength-related factors are strongly expected to have performance-related implications.
Effects of Chemical Protective Handwear and Headgear on Manual Dexterity
Authors: Johnson Richard F. , Sleeper Lynn A.
Published: January 2012

During operations in a chemically contaminated environment, the combat soldier must wear, in addition to his normal combat uniform, a special chemical protective overgarment including jacket, trousers, overboots, rubber gloves, and a gas mask with hood. This clothing system was investigated for its impact upon the soldier's ability to perform one-handed and two-handed tasks of manual dexterity. The results of this study indicated that compared to bare-handed conditions, manual dexterity was substantially poorer with the gloved hand. In addition, learning of the manual tasks was slower under the gloved conditions. The difference in performance between bare-handed and gloved conditions remained the same regardless of whether or not the soldier was wearing the gas mask with hood.
Embedded Training: Lessons from System Development Programs
Authors: Ditzian Jan L. , Purifoy George R. , Sullivan Gregg K. , Bogner Marilyn Sue
Published: January 2012

The objective of the ARI-PM TRADE-TRADOC program in embedded training (ET) is to make ET considered systematically as a part of the systems acquisition process such that it is always considered as an option for the training system when appropriate to do so and developed such that it provides the maximum benefits. This objective requires that we develop methods and guidelines for determining if and how the ET component should be developed for any particular system during the acquisition process. ET has, up to now, been a very systematic process. PM-TRADE, TRADOC, ARI, and our contractor team intend to change this such that ET is a systematic part of the Life Cycle Systems Management Model (LCSMM) process.
Evaluating the user Interface: Videotaping without a Camera
Authors: Connally Cynthia E. , Tullis Thomas S.
Published: January 2012

A user interface evaluation technique has been developed that: a) accurately documents user inputs and system responses; b) follows the logic behind user actions; c) obtains behavior that is not biased by the evaluation technique; d) does not cause the participants to feel uncomfortable; and, e) easily illustrates user interface problems to others. The basic technique involves participants working in pairs, direct video recording of screen images without a camera, and audio recording on the same videotape of the users' verbal interactions. The result is a real-time record of the interactions, which, when replayed on a monitor and speaker, provides a very faithful reconstruction of what happened during the evaluation. The main advantages of this approach over other data collection techniques, such as computerized recording of data and video recording with a camera, are that it is easier and less expensive to implement, and it is unobtrusive.
Specifying and Communicating data structure in Computer-Based Graphic Displays
Authors: Eastman M. C. , Woods D. D. , Elm W. C.
Published: January 2012

This paper presents a set of techniques that were developed to respond to an important need in the design of computer-based graphic displays: how to specify requirements for communicating data structure to the user. These techniques were developed in the context of designing a display system to aid nuclear power plant operators in supervising the automatic controller of a feedwater system.
A Mathematical Model for the Reduction of Neck Tension
Authors: Hamilton Nancy
Published: January 2012

Tension in the muscles of the neck has been found to be a major contributing factor to pain and discomfort among office workers. It was the purpose of this study to produce a mathematical model for the prediction of neck muscle tension based on source document placement at a word processing workstation. 20 subjects were electromyographically sampled for levels of neck muscle tension during both reading and typing tasks in six different source document positions. Measures of head position were also taken in each document position under each condition. From this data a series of regression equations was developed which predict neck muscle tension based on both document position and head position.
HFS Job Survey: What do we need to know?
Authors: Sperling Barbra Bied , Curran Patrick S. , Sanders Mark S.
Published: January 2012

In the summer of 1985, a survey was sent to a sample of 997 members of the Human Factors Society (HFS) living in the continental United States. A part of the survey focused on what people need to know to perform their job effectively. Respondents indicated how important each of 101 subject-matter areas was in their work. This paper discusses these results, comparing masters and doctorates, those with degrees in engineering and in psychology, and those working in various types of organizations.
Standardized Postural Identification in the Elderly: The Categorized Posture Method
Authors: Silva Ulises A.
Published: January 2012

A method developed for categorizing various postures assumed during performance of activities of daily living by older adults is presented. The system is designed so that observers can simply and easily identify a posture and place it into the appropriate category. The method was found to be easily learned with a short training session and highly reliable. Postural categories are identified which are high in frequency, involve gross postural changes during meal preparation sequences and may cause injury to older adults. Suggestions are offered to restructure tasks and environments to reduce the frequencies of these “problem” postures.
Age and the Measurement of Workload by a Secondary Task
Authors: Diaz Manuel F.
Published: January 2012

The purpose of this study was to investigate age differences in the amount of workload imposed by a tracking task. Twelve subjects between the ages of 18 and 22, and 12 subjects between the ages of 48 and 67 performed a serial, choice-reaction-time task alone and concurrently with a pursuit rotor tracking task. Workload, as defined by Ogden et al. (1979) and Michon (1966) was evaluated as a function of age and tracking complexity. Significant tracking complexity and age main effects were revealed for the workload measure in choice reaction time. This suggests that the complexity of the tracking task affected the amount of workload, and that the tracking task imposed a greater workload on the older subjects. The implications of age difference in the amount of workload imposed on the subjects were discussed.
Effects of Stimulus Characteristics and Task Demands on Pilots' Perception of Dichotic Messages
Authors: Wenzel Elizabeth M.
Published: January 2012

The experiment is an initial investigation of pilot performance when auditory advisory messages are presented dichotically, either with or without a concurrent pursuit task requiring visual/motor dexterity. The dependent measures were percent correct and correct reaction times for manual responses to the auditory messages. Two stimulus variables which show facilitory effects in traditional dichotic-listening paradigms, differences in pitch and semantic content of the messages, were examined to determine their effectiveness during the functional simulation of helicopter pursuit. In an effort to further manipulate task demands competition between pairs of subjects was varied; subjects accumulated points for the advisory messages for accuracy alone or for both accuracy and reaction times which were faster than their opponent's. In general, the combined effects of the stimulus and task variables are additive. When interactions do occur they suggest that an increase in task demands can sometimes mitigate, but usually does not remove, any processing advantages accrued from stimulus characteristics. The implications of these results for cockpit displays are discussed.
Fuzzy Sets: An application to Warnings and Instructions
Authors: Kreifeldt John C. , Rao Kodali V.N.
Published: January 2012

Instructions and Warnings while often requiring the reader to make fairly precise sensory judgements or physical actions, yet convey these requests in the qualitative terms of common discourse, such as the phrase “fairly precise” in this sentence, or the instruction “press firmly”. The consequences of “not following instructions” can range from less than satisfactory product performance (e.g., “poor shine”) to broken equipment or even serious personal injury. The writer of instructions and warnings must know (1) how such qualitative or “fuzzy” terms will be quantitatively translated into action and (2) how to design terms (e.g. “press firmly but not hard”) to produce the desired user action. This paper describes initial work undertaken to apply fuzzy set theory to these problems and comparison of empirical definitions of a membership function.
The Effect of Task Difficulty on the Steady State Visual Evoked Response
Authors: Junker Andrew M. , Kenner Kevin M. , Ingle David F.
Published: January 2012

Steady State Visual Evoked Responses to sum-of-sine wave modulated light were measured for subjects as they performed a decision making task. Describing function phase values demonstrated a positive shift under task conditions. For those subjects classified as Alpha producers (peak response in the 8 to 12 Hz region) there was an attenuation of gain with increasing task difficulty. In the beta range (above 12 Hz) a resistance to gain attenuation with increasing task difficulty, even to the point of gain increase, was observed.
The Role of Vision in Producing Motion Sickness
Authors: Valter Kristiina M.
Published: January 2012

To investigate the ways in which visual cues affect the sensation of motion, the visual component was isolated by presenting stationary subjects with a moving visual field. This induced a sensation of vection or illusory self-rotation in the subjects. The effect of various visual variables such as the eccentricity of the visual display and the distance of the display from the plane of focus were investigated by varying the position of a stationary visual reference point. More vection was observed when this reference was held by the subject than when it was secured to ground, and when held in the peripheral visual field. Less vection was observed when the reference was held closer to the subject than the moving visual display. In addition to establishing the role of visual cues in the perception of motion, these results can be helpful in inducing or inhibiting the sensation of motion through visual displays.