bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Perceptual Grouping on Text Entry Performance
Authors: Hamblin Christopher J. , Bohan Michael , Chaparro Alex
Published: January 2012

One of the primary challenges confronting designers of mobile computing devices is the issue of efficient text entry. One potential solution is to group multiple letters onto single keys, similar to the T9 keyboard currently used on telephones. However, grouping multiple letters onto single keys may make the visual search for individual letters within the grouped-key more difficult analogous to Navon's (1977) “can't see the trees for the forest” effect. Two experiments examined the effects of perceptual grouping on soft keyboard transcription rates. Results from Experiment 1 showed significantly slower transcription rates for QWERTY keyboards with grouped keys (ρ = .001). Results from Experiment 2 showed various levels of perceptual interference due to the different Gestalt grouping effects (ρ = .003). These results indicate that perceptual grouping can negatively affect text entry performance, and placing multiple letters onto single keys reduces the speed at which users can transcribe words.
Cultural Differences in Risk Perception: Comparison of USA and Ghanaian Workers
Authors: Martin LaTanya F. , Smith-Jackson Tonya L. , Artis Sharnnia
Published: January 2012

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in risk perception between two cultures — USA and Ghanaian industry workers. A twenty question modified version of a risk perception questionnaire (Leonard, Hill, and Karnes, 1989) was administered to 73 participants from both the USA and the Republic of Ghana. Significant differences in ratings of hazard situations were identified. Implications for global workplace safety training are discussed.
Human Factors Deficiencies in Handgun Safety Training
Authors: Paradis Paul , Hendrick Hal W.
Published: January 2012

Deaths and serious injury from accidental handgun shootings are a major problem in the United States. Among children and adolescents, firearm injuries is the second leading cause of death in the United States, with over 25% being from accidental shootings. Yet, there is evidence that when sound, mandatory training is provided, accidental shooting deaths can be dramatically reduced. When a gun safety program is required or made available in a community, it usually is the standard NRA basic gun safety program. Unfortunately, from a human factors perspective, this training system has a number of deficiencies that limit its potential effectiveness. Some of these deficiencies are described along with suggestions for their elimination. Implementation of these suggestions would provide a training system and program that, if taken by all persons with guns, could dramatically reduce accidental shootings and related injuries or death.
7 Habits of Highly Effective HFES Students: Making Your Hfes Membership Work for You
Authors: Cuevas Haydee M.
Published: January 2012

Students join the organizations that represent their field of study for many reasons, but they may not be aware of how to fully maximize the potential of their student membership. Possibly the most important benefit that organizations, such as HFES, can offer students is to contribute to their professional development. In this paper, I present seven “habits” of highly effective HFES student members, with the goal of illustrating how students can effectively make their membership work for them. These strategies include ways to build one's curriculum vitae, refine one's communication skills, expand one's knowledge base, establish a professional network, identify potential mentors, and create both internship and career opportunities. And although the focus of this discussion is on students, in particular, these principles apply to all HFES members in general.
Older Adults' Opinions of a Technology-Rich Home Environment: Conditional and Unconditional Device Acceptance
Authors: Sarkisian Gregory P. , Melenhorst Anne-Sophie , Rogers Wendy A. , Fisk Arthur D.
Published: January 2012

Functional independence remains a key component of the emotional and psychological well being of older adults. One method of aiding older adults in retaining their independence is through the use of technology. While researchers have addressed issues that relate the needs and characteristics of older adults to the design of such an environment, many issues remain unexamined. The matters of acceptance, comfort, and perceived usefulness are crucial to the implementation of the technology. A structured interview with 17 older adults aged 65 to 75 were conducted in a technology-rich home environment, with the aim of examining these concerns first-hand. Two devices are discussed using preliminary qualitative results to compare the conditions of their acceptance.
Modeling Steering Using the Queueing Network — Model Human Processor (QN-MHP)
Authors: Tsimhoni Omer , Liu Yili
Published: January 2012

The Queueing Network — Model Human Processor (QN-MHP) is a computational architecture that combines the mathematical theories and simulation methods of queueing networks (QN) with the symbolic and procedure methods of a GOMS-style task description and the Model Human Processor (MHP). Using QN-MHP, a steering model was created to represent the concurrent perceptual, cognitive, and motor activities involved in vehicle steering as truly concurrent processes. The model was compared with driving performance of human subjects and demonstrated realistic steering behavior. It steered a simulated vehicle at a fixed speed within the lane boundaries of straight sections and curves of different radii. In a quantitative validation of several basic measures of driving performance, the steering model yielded steering angle and lateral position similar to the human subject data. This work showed the strength of QN-MHP as a model of driving behavior. Ongoing work further develops the model by expanding the scope of the driving task and by adding a concurrent secondary in-vehicle task.
Multifunction Displays for Optimum Manning: Towards Functional Integration and Cross-Functional Awareness
Authors: Linegang Michael P. , Lintern Gavan
Published: January 2012

The Navy is faced with the challenge of designing integrated “multifunction displays” that provide information from traditionally disparate domains. These multifunction displays can be expected to improve operator situational awareness by presenting information that creates an integrated picture of related functional areas, increasing real-time coordination of actions across functional domains. In developing a process to design multifunction displays, we specified a method to provide linkages from analytical products to the resultant display designs, based on a Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) approach. This project created a multifunction display design for the Navy surface ship environment, focusing on opportunities to integrate information between two traditionally separate domains: Anti-submarine Warfare (ASW), and Damage Control (DC). Future efforts would expand the analysis and design effort to a more comprehensive level and validate the effectiveness of displays designed through this method.
Analysing Activity for Future Systems
Authors: Naikar Neelam , Pearce Brett
Published: January 2012

Future systems pose special challenges that preclude many standard forms of work analysis for identifying the cognitive demands of those systems. Yet identifying the cognitive demands of future systems early during development is critical for system effectiveness. In this paper we demonstrate that Cognitive Work Analysis offers an approach for capturing the cognitive demands of future systems. Specifically, we illustrate the kinds of cognitive models that result from conducting a Cognitive Work Analysis of a future system called Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C). These models characterise the cognitive activity of AEW&C in terms of: the work domain, decision making, and mental strategies. We also discuss actual and potential applications of these analyses for team and interface design and we show how we have applied this approach to design a team for AEW&C.
Just-in-Time and Continuous Physical Protection for Military Personnel in a Chemical or Biological Environment
Authors: Nadeau Jean
Published: January 2012

This paper presents a capability development framework to define the operational requirements for CB protective clothing. The ultimate goal is to make CB physical protection as transparent as possible to the wearer. Protection is currently provided gradually through MOPP levels (Mission Oriented Protective Posture). Threat/Hazard assessments, actual CB attacks/incidents and location of troops in the battle space dictate the adoption of each level. The intent is to provide Just-In-Time (JIT) protection so as not to create negative effects on the wearer and the fighting force. Synchronized JIT can work if timely and accurate information is available. The donning time of the Individual Protective Equipment (JPE) components also has to be considered, particularly when within range of conventional and asymmetric delivery means. For example, during the Iraq war some of the coalition forces warfighters adopted MOPP 1 (Clothing) for 21 consecutive days. Essentially, their clothing component of IPE became their daily wear uniform. The operational context defines the need for continuous wear of the CB protective clothing, and therefore, the concept of continuous and JIT physical protection.
Comparison of Fuzzy Signal Detection and Traditional Signal Detection Theory: Approaches to Performance Measurement
Authors: Murphy Lauren , Szalma James L. , Hancock Peter A.
Published: January 2012

A recent advance upon Signal Detection Theory (SDT) promises to enhance measurement of performance in complex real world domains where stimuli do not fall into discrete, mutually exclusive categories. This development, Fuzzy Signal Detection Theory (FSDT) combines traditional SDT with Fuzzy Set Theory (FST) to extend signal detection analysis beyond the traditional crisp, categorical decision making model. FSDT allows for events to simultaneously be in more than one state category (e.g. signal and non-signal), so that stimulus and response dimensions can be continuous rather than categorical. This study compared the differences in methods of analyses from FSDT and traditional SDT using the same data set. Data suggests that FSDT analysis and traditional SDT provide different vistas into signal detection performance. FSDT provided a better description of the effects of stimulus uncertainty on observers' response bias and sensitivity. This is because the FSDT model explicitly captures this uncertainty and can provide insight into system performance in domains in which stimulus categories vary along a continuum.
Validation of Cultural Awareness Training Concept
Authors: Sutton Janet L.
Published: January 2012

A self-paced computer-based training (CBT) tool, designed by Klein Associates Inc. as proof of concept for their Cultural Lens model, was delivered to the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) (Hahn, Harris, & Klein, 2002). The model posits that interactions between members of multinational teams will improve if team members could see the world through each other's eyes. The training concept was based on interviews and observations of culturally-based cognitive differences and barriers to team performance at Stabilization Force (SFOR) headquarters in Bosnia-Herzegovina (B-H). A usability study was conducted by ARL at SFOR HQ to determine the tool's applicability for training cultural awareness and assessing its ability to improve multinational team performance. The proof of concept was found to be viable. Findings support refinement of the tool and development of additional CBT interventions designed to improve multinational mission effectiveness.
Adaptive Expertise during Simulated Flight
Authors: Jodlowski Mark T. , Doane Stephanie M. , Brou Randy J.
Published: January 2012

The present research examined pilot ability to perform simulated flight maneuvers in routine and nonroutine instrument flight situations as a function of expertise. Twenty-one pilots were asked to fly nine simulated instrument flight maneuvers using a modified version of Microsoft Flight Simulator©. Each of the flight maneuvers involved performing routine control movements on up to three axes (airspeed, altitude, and/or heading). For the first seven trials, all instruments operated properly. During the final two trials, the attitude indicator experienced a partial vacuum failure that was either announced or unannounced. Pilot control movements, eye fixations, and flight status were recorded. Percent goal completion within specified bounds (commercial pilot standards) was calculated for each trial. Eye fixations were not analyzed. The results indicated an overall expertise effect for routine flight. However, during unannounced failure, expert performance dropped to novice levels. The results are discussed in terms of training and routine versus adaptive expertise.
Improving Sa: Training Challenges for Infantry Platoon Leaders
Authors: Strater Laura D. , Jones Debra G. , Endsley Mica R.
Published: January 2012

Novel applications of digital technologies promise to revolutionize the battlefield of the Infantry Warfighter by expanding the information available to all echelons through enhanced acquisition, faster access and wider distribution. The integration of this information into a coherent picture is the essence of the Warfighter's Situation Awareness (SA), which provides the basis for sound decision-making and enhanced performance. This study investigates areas of SA that are considered problematic by the soldiers who train new Infantry Platoon Leaders, identifying strategic target areas for future training efforts. The number and variety of items identified as significant problem areas for SA support the concept of the multidimensional nature of SA within the Infantry arena. This research provides a framework for development of targeted training programs to better equip our fighting forces to establish and maintain superior levels of SA in the challenging environment of Infantry operations.
The Effectiveness of Cognitive Elaboration Using Augmented Reality as a Training and Learning Paradigm
Authors: Vincenzi Dennis A. , Valimont Brian , Macchiarella Nickolas , Opalenik Chris , Gangadharan Sathya N. , Majoros Anthony E.
Published: January 2012

Until now, little research attention in the area of Augmented Reality (AR) has been paid to the cognitive benefits engendered by this emerging technology. AR, the synthesis of computer images and text in the real world (Azuma, 1997), affords a supplement to normal information acquisition that has yet to be fully explored and exploited. AR achieves a more smooth and seamless interface by complementing human cognitive networks, and aiding information integration through multi-modal sensory elaboration, by utilizing visual, verbal, proprioceptive, and tactile memory while the user is performing real world tasks. AR also incorporates visuo-spatial ability, which involves the representations of spatial information in memory. The use of this type of information is an extremely powerful form of elaboration.

This study examined four learning paradigms: print (printed material) mode, observe (video tape) mode, interact (text annotations activated by mouse interaction) mode, and select (AR) mode. The results of the experiment indicated that the select (AR) mode resulted in better learning and recall when compared to the other 3 conventional modes of learning. Implications for training and curriculum design are discussed.
Using Virtual Environments for Conducting Small Unit Mission Rehearsals
Authors: Pleban Robert J. , Salvetti Jena
Published: January 2012

This research examined the use of virtual environments as a viable dismounted infantry mission rehearsal tool. Four squads of soldiers individually conducted two missions that involved clearing a two-story building located at an urban operations training site. Two squads rehearsed the mission in a virtual representation of the exact building they would clear at the urban training site. The remaining squads rehearsed in an actual two-story building that was similar to the one they would clear at the urban training site. Squads executed both missions in each environment. Performance differences between the rehearsal groups across the two “real-world” missions were small to negligible. Group performance differences for fratricides and personnel flagging were negatively affected by simulator constraints. The research showed that while virtual environments show promise for this type of training, a number of interface and technology problems must be overcome. Currently, virtual environments do not appear to be as effective as real-world tactical training for improving skills underlying specific small unit tasks or battle drills. However, these environments may be used effectively at selected stages of training to enhance cognitive skills development.
Reducing the Symptoms of Visually-Induced Motion Sickness: An Experimental Analysis
Authors: Mouloua Mustapha , Smither Janan , Kennedy Robert S.
Published: January 2012

Overcoming motion sickness, correcting performance, and regaining normal perception in space may involve many of the same processes as adaptation to perceptual rearrangement in general. This study examined the effect of adaptation training in a form of self-propelled simulated rotary stimulation (SRS) on simulation sickness by inducing graded motion sickness through the systematic distortion of the relevant characteristics of a virtual reality (VR) and optokinetic rotating drum (OKN) devices. Twenty adults between the ages of 18 and 34 participated in this experiment. In the control condition, ten participants were required to complete only a single self-propelled rotation simulation (SRS) trial, and then use a head-tracked mounted VR device plus exposure to an OKN device. In the experimental condition, a group of 10 participants took part in a five-session study in which they were exposed to five trials of the SRS and to the VE and OKN rotating drum. Immediately following each task, all twenty participants from both groups were required to rate their level of dizziness. The results showed a significant main effect of adaptation training on both the VR and OKN rotating drum as reported by the dizziness ratings. These findings indicate that the difference in dizziness rates was markedly higher among the control group than the experimental group showing transfer of adaptation into both the VR and OKN rotating drum as a function of prior SRS exposure. These findings demonstrate the technical feasibility of developing a transfer of training technique or paradigm for the acquisition of adaptation from one condition that produces motion sickness to another different perceptual situation.
Evaluating the Utility of a Multi-Layer Visual Display for Air Battle Managers
Authors: Bolia Robert S. , Nelson W. Todd , Middendorf Matthew S. , Guilliams Nicole M. , McLaughlin Annie B.
Published: January 2012

Air Battle Managers in the United States Air Force must continually monitor a situation display (SD) in addition to performing a number of secondary tasks, which typically occlude part or all of the SD. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine whether the use of a multi-layer display, on which visual information is presented at two different depths, with varying degrees of transparency, would reduce the performance decrement associated with concurrent task performance by eliminating the effects of occlusion. A multi-element tracking task was employed as an analogy to the SD, while a cognitive vigilance task was used to represent the additional visual task. Analyses suggest that transparency effects may play a role in reducing the deficits introduced by occlusion, and may also reduce perceived mental workload. However, despite the findings of previous research, there was no significant effect of depth.
Effects of Air Traffic Geometry on Pilots' Conflict Detection with Cockpit Display of Traffic Information
Authors: Xu Xidong , Wickens Christopher D. , Rantanen Esa M.
Published: January 2012

We explored the effects of conflict geometry on pilot conflict understanding, manifested in estimation accuracy of three continuous variables: miss distance, time to closest point of approach, and orientation at the closest point of approach. Results indicated (a) increased difficulty of understanding with conflicts that occurred with slower speeds, a longer time into the future, and a longer distance into the future; (b) a tendency for pilots' judgments often to be conservative, judging that conflicts were both more risky and would occur sooner than was actually the case; and (c) a “distance-over-speed” bias, such that two aircraft viewed farther apart and converging rapidly were perceived as less risky than two aircraft that were closer to each other and converging at a slower rate, even though the time until a conflict occurred was identical.
Automation and Aids: GPS Outage En-Route Simulation
Authors: Racine Nicole S. , Sierra Edmundo A. , Buondonno Karen
Published: January 2012

This study was an initial examination of controllers' ability to manage Global Positioning System outage situations caused by intentional/unintentional radio frequency interference. Twenty-seven certified professional air traffic controllers staffed their on-the-job sectors that were emulated on a high fidelity platform. Three navigational system outage conditions were simulated: no outage, partial outage, and full outage. Three operational environments were also simulated: a current environment, a future avionics equipage environment, and a future avionics equipage environment with ground based navigation aid reductions. The research team collected coordination, task effectiveness measures, and real-time subjective workload ratings. Results indicated the controllers had significant increases in workload and coordination activities due to outages; however, no differences in task effectiveness measures emerged. The overall conclusion made in this study is that although there was a significant effect of outage on workload, controllers were generally able to compensate for the increase. The operational environment was inconsequential.
Advanced Display Technology Effects on Flight Error and Workload in Average-Time Pilots
Authors: Hall Steven M. , Doherty Shawn M. , Mion Albert
Published: January 2012

A study of advanced cockpit displays (synthetic vision systems) and their impact on pilot performance and workload was investigated. Data from 42 average-time pilots were assessed for flight technical error and workload in simulated landings. Results indicated that the synthetic vision system greatly enhanced performance, but had little impact on workload.
“Cognitive Factors in Homeland Defense” Reusing Intelligence Analysts' Search Plans
Authors: Whitaker Elizabeth , Simpson Robert , Burkhart Laura , Tavish Reid Mac , Lobb Collin
Published: January 2012

Because of the huge volumes of data that open source intelligence analysts must search, effective information gathering on the web, is a complex activity requiring planning, text processing, and interpretation of extracted data to find information relevant to a major intelligence task or subtask (Knoblock, 1995), (Lesser, 1998) and (Nodine, Fowler et al., 2000). This paper describes our use of analysts' plans to build a case library of reusable automated plans. This process involves analyzing analysts' approaches to identify the important characteristics of a knowledge discovery plan for case indexing and retrieval and devising techniques for representing plans so that they can be automatically adapted and executed. For this research, we are not building a “complete” case library, but are developing approaches and guidance for getting maximum usage out of the cases that are represented and providing processes for identifying further areas for case development. The knowledge discovery plan categories that we have identified thus far correspond to different contextual domains that may be indicators of terrorist activities. When a plan is selected from one of these categories, it is adapted, and the resulting plan is executed, relevant information is extracted from unstructured documents, and the extracted information is used to make further inferences and launch additional searches.
Modeling Human Transcription Typing with Queuing Network-Model Human Processor (QN-MHP)
Authors: Wu Changxu , Liu Yili
Published: January 2012

Typing is one of the basic and prevalent activities in human machine interaction. John (1988, 1996) proposed a PERT (Project-Evaluation-Research-Technique)-based model called TYPIST, which modeled 21 of the 31 behavioral phenomena in transcription typing (Salthouse, 1986, 1987; Gentner, 1983). However, TYPIST can only analyze the typing phenomena along the time dimension; it can not model error and eye movement of typing. Based on the queuing network theory of human performance (Liu, 1996, 1997) and current discoveries in brain and cognitive sciences, this paper proposes a queuing network model of typing which successfully modeled not only all the 21 phenomena modeled by TYPIST, but also 13 additional phenomena in transcription typing including 5 typing error phenomena, 3 eye movement phenomena and 2 brain imaging phenomena. Further developments of the queuing network model in modeling typing and other tasks, and its value in proactive ergonomic design of typing interfaces are discussed.
Multimodal Interaction: Multi-Capacity Processing Beyond 7 +/− 2
Authors: Samman Shatha N. , Stanney Kay M. , Dalton Joseph , Ahmad Ali M. , Bowers Clint , Sims Valerie
Published: January 2012

Multiple resource theory suggests that enhancements in human information management capacity may be realized via multimodal interaction. The possibility of leveraging multiple sensory systems to maximize working memory (WM) throughput becomes essential as the information age conveys volumes of data that would overburden the visual channel alone. The current study proposes an expansion of the current bi-modal (verbal, visual/spatial) model of WM to a multimodal WM system, which includes verbal, visual, spatial, kinesthetic, tactile, and tonal component subsystems. Single modality capacity was measured for each proposed subsystem. In addition, multimodal capacity was calculated for combined modalities. Results demonstrated that multimodal WM capacity surpasses that of single modality capacity. Most notably, multimodal WM capacity averaged nearly three times the ‘magic number’ seven.
Applying the Proximity Compatibility and the Control-Display Compatibility Principles Toward Engineering Design Using Configural Interfaces
Authors: Rothrock Ling , Barron Kimberly , Simpson Timothy W. , Frecker Mary , Ligetti Chris , Barton Russell R.
Published: January 2012

This paper presents a study to investigate the applicability of two display design principles toward the development of interfaces for engineering design. The first principle, called the Proximity Compatibility Principle, specifies that displays relevant to a common task or mental operation should be rendered close together in perceptual space. The second principle, called the Control-Display Compatibility Principle, stipulates that the spatial arrangement and manipulation of controls should be easily distinguishable. We conducted an experiment comparing the ability of subjects to search for effective designs using a separable versus two configural interfaces in a multiple-objective engineering design task. Results suggest that the Proximity Compatibility Principle is an effective indicator of task performance. Moreover, we found that the Control-Display Compatibility Principle can be used as an indicator of performance efficiency.
The Impact of Asynchronous Multimedia Communications on Understanding and Recall
Authors: Bower Jennifer I.
Published: January 2012

This research focused on the design of software environments to support rich asynchronous communication and to understand the impact of such communications on understanding and recall in a military context. The goal was to explore how the design of a multimedia asynchronous communication tool influenced the understanding and recall of information. 46 ROTC cadets each received a company Operations Order, and based on that were required to write a platoon OPORD followed by two recall questions. Half of the cadets received the company OPORD in a conventional text format that included a static map overlay. The other half received the OPORD with 4 subsections presented with a multimedia presentation tool that included synchronized animation and voice narration. Overall, our findings show that the group that viewed the multimedia presentation recalled mission critical information 26-47% more often.
On the Study of Performance and Trust in Aided, Adversarial Decision Making
Authors: Basapur Santosh , Bisantz Ann M.
Published: January 2012

Aided-adversarial decision-making (AADM) refers to military command and control decisions in environments in which computerized aids are available to groups of co-located and distributed decision-makers, and in which there is a potential for adversarial forces to tamper with and disrupt such aids. It is therefore necessary to understand the extent to which decision-makers rely on or use these decision aid systems, and factors affecting that reliance. Researchers have suggested that trust can affect how much people accept and rely on increasingly automated systems. Ongoing research and experimentation in the Center for Multi-source Information Fusion at the University at Buffalo has been addressing these concerns.
Exploring the Relationship between Decision Appropriateness and Mission Effectiveness in a Simulated Command & Control Task
Authors: Galster Scott M. , Bolia Robert S.
Published: January 2012

The development of automated decision support systems requires a real-time metric of decision quality. Historical links between decision quality and mission effectiveness suggest that the former is predictive of the latter, and thus the outcome is what needs to be measured. The purpose of the present paper is to describe an experiment designed to separate the measurement of decision quality from that of mission effectiveness. Mission effectiveness and decision quality were examined using the RoboFlag simulation environment. Environmental uncertainty and knowledge of the opponent's strategies were manipulated factorially. Measures of mission effectiveness and decision quality were obtained along with subjective assessments of situation awareness and workload. Results are discussed in terms of decision quality as expressed by the tactics assigned to the operator's robots, and with respect to the mission outcome for each trial. Further, the number and appropriateness of re-tasking orders and the effects of unreliable information are addressed.
Explorations in Cognitive Work Analysis: Analysis to Design
Authors: Lintern Gavan
Published: January 2012

The problem is not to match a display format to the mental models of the operators but to design an interface that forces operators to adopt a faithful mental model of the design constraints in a way they can directly manipulate the constraints so as to bring the system into the goal state and/or prevent it from entering dangerous states.
Collaboration with Ecological Interface Design
Authors: Garabet Angela , Burns Catherine M.
Published: January 2012

Ecological Interface Design (EID) has been shown to be an effective design approach for building single-operator interfaces for complex systems. However, in such systems, operators typically are also a part of a team. An experiment was conducted to examine the effect of EID on collaboration. Teams of two operated a feed water simulator, DURESSj, through a series of scenarios given either the EID interface or the Non-EID interface. It was found that there was no penalty to using EID, as scenario completion times with the EID interface were equivalent to the Non-EID interface. Indeed, EID operators demonstrated evidence of more robust control and reported significantly lower mental workload especially when dealing with system faults.
Investigating Dynamic Environments Using the Game of Diplomacy
Authors: Gattie Gordon J.
Published: January 2012

Cognitive engineers are constantly exploring human performance in naturalistic environments. Recently, cognitive engineering techniques have been utilized by the intelligence community as potential tools to improve human performance. In this study, the game of Diplomacy was used as a testbed for applying Brunswik's Lens Model to dynamic environments containing multiple agents. The game of Diplomacy is based on the diplomatic relationships between the seven Great Powers of Europe just prior to the start of World War I. In contrast to many two-player strategic games, the game of Diplomacy includes seven independent players moving simultaneously, players creating and breaking alliances, and an historically-based playing board; yet one game can be completed in a few hours. This study, which was based on archival data, compares the judgmental policies of seven decision makers from two completed games. Limitations of this study and possibilities for using Diplomacy variants for future research are discussed.
Reliability and Age-Related Effects on Trust and Reliance of a Decision Support Aid
Authors: Sanchez Julian , Fisk Arthur D. , Rogers Wendy A.
Published: January 2012

Trust has been identified by previous research as a key determinant of automation reliance and usage (Lee & Moray, 1992). One factor that may affect trust and reliance on automation is the reliability of the automation (Parasuraman 1993; Riley, 1996). The effects of automation reliability and age on perceived reliability, trust, and reliance were investigated. A driving-like task was created and the reliability of the automation was manipulated by generating three levels (100%, 80% and 60%). Automation was present in the form of a decision support system that indicated the state of the gauges. Results indicated that high levels of automation reliability lead to increased reliance and higher subjective levels of trust. There were age-related effects on the ability to perceive the reliability of the automation and levels of trust where older adults were more sensitive to the change between 80% and 60% reliability than the younger adults.
Crowd Behavior Observation for Military Simulation
Authors: Boone Carlotta M. , Gaskins Ryland C. , Petty Mikel D.
Published: January 2012

Observations are frequently used to examine naturally occurring behavior. The researchers used this tool to determine what types of behaviors crowds exhibited and the degree of aggression expressed by the crowds. Footage of the 1999 WTO protest in Seattle was examined and coded for 55 behaviors. Of the observed behaviors standing on an elevated platform, chanting, yelling and shouting, and raising flags were the most frequent behaviors. Overall, most of the action was moderately aggressive. Highly aggressive behaviors such as fighting and attacking police officers composed only 1% of the observed behaviors. A similar observation was conducted of an anti-war protest in New York. This observation found comparable results of prevalent nonviolent behaviors. The findings from these studies along with those obtained from interviews of returning military officers will be used to develop a model for simulation of crowd behaviors.
Confirmation Bias in Scientific Reasoning: The Roles of Gender, Perceived Competence and Actual Competence
Authors: Ballion Tatiana T. , Sims Valerie K. , Van de Car Sidra I.
Published: January 2012

It has been previously shown that there is a relationship between level of metacognitive ability and estimation of ability for largely verbally-based tasks; those with lessened facility for the task tend to overestimate their aptitude relative to their peers (Kruger & Dunning, 1999). This study examines this effect for a task of mechanical ability, where subjects (n = 69) were given an abbreviated Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test (BMCT) to establish a level of competency. Participants were then asked to estimate a grade for their performance, as well as the relationship between their hypothetical grade, and the grades of others. Participants then explained the solution to one of the problems, and their explanations were coded for degree of bias towards confirmation versus disconfirmation. Females on the high and low ends of skill were more likely to use a confirmatory approach when there was a discrepancy between Perceived Relative Competence, and Actual Competence.
A Process Tracing Approach to the Investigation of Situated Cognition
Authors: Shattuck Lawrence G. , Miller Nita Lewis
Published: January 2012

Technologists and human factors practitioners tend to approach the measurement of situation awareness from different perspectives. Technologists compare the difference between the data available in the environment with what has been detected by the sensors built into a system. Human factors practitioners focus on perception and cognition to the exclusion of the technological parts of the system. The authors propose a Dynamic Model of Situated Cognition and use it as a framework for analyzing both the technological and human aspects of a complex system. They employ a process tracing method in the analysis of a high fidelity military command and control (C2) simulation. Their results indicate that the model and the process tracing method are effective ways in which to investigate the development of situated cognition in complex systems. In addition, their results have important implications for designers of software, hardware, and training systems.
Measuring Speech Flow of Co-Located and Distributed Command and Control Teams During a Communication Channel Glitch
Authors: Kiekel Preston A. , Gorman Jamie C. , Cooke Nancy J.
Published: January 2012

Team cognition can be observed in the flow of communications among team members. This is shown in the context of a simulated unmanned aerial vehicle ground control station. Automatic measures of low-level team communication flow were used to assess high-level constructs of team cognition. Measures show support for the expected results of manipulations in this task. Co-location and channel degradation effects were successfully predicted by CHUMS, ProNet, and a cross-correlation function-based Dominance measure. Results grant concurrent validity to the measures, and highlight substantive effects of the manipulations. In particular, in geographically distributed teams, communication patterns are less stable, and the route planner exerts less communicative influence. Some co-location effects drop with task experience. During a mission containing a five-minute one-way communication channel cut, all teams communicate more like distributed teams, and team members do create alternate pathways to retain information flow.
Natural Language Prompts for an Automated Call Router: Examples Increase the Clarity of User Responses
Authors: Knott Benjamin A. , Bushey Robert R. , Martin John M.
Published: January 2012

Speech-enabled interfaces are proving to be an effective option for service-center call routing applications. However, the effectiveness of a call routing application is dependent upon the speech recognizer correctly interpreting the caller's utterance. One approach to increase the clarity and routability of callers' initial requests is to provide examples within an open-ended prompt to provide context and guide caller's speaking behavior. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of including examples in the opening prompt for a natural language call routing application. In both experiments, callers were asked to say the purpose of their call with an open-ended prompt. Half of the caller's were presented a prompt that contained examples, and half of the callers were presented with a prompt that did not contain examples. The results showed an advantage for the use of examples in terms of the percentage of routable caller utterances. The design implications for natural language prompts are discussed.
Effect of Speaker and Sampling Rate on Mos-X Ratings of Concatenative TTS Voices
Authors: Lewis James R.
Published: January 2012

The MOS-X is a recently-developed questionnaire used to evaluate the quality of artificial speech. In this experiment, participants listened to audio files produced by concatenative text-to-speech voices for the purpose of assessing the effect of Speaker and Sampling Rate on MOS-X ratings. The concatenative voices were developed from recordings of three different human speakers (code named AF, AM, and B) and produced using two different sampling rates (8 kHz and 22 kHz). Six independent groups of raters participated, one group for each combination of speaker and sampling rate. Analyses of variance indicated a significant main effect of Voice, but no significant main effect of Sampling Rate and no significant Voice by Sampling Rate interaction. The results indicate that independent groups of raters are sensitive to speaker differences in concatenative text-to-speech (TTS) voices, but not to differences in these sampling rates.
The Effect of Target Position and Tactual Recognition Field Size on Touch Bias
Authors: Wilson Elizabeth L. , Doherty Shawn M.
Published: January 2012

Past studies have shown that touchscreen display angles other than those that perpendicularly bisect the operator's line of sight cause the operator to touch slightly below the target. The amount of bias created from this misjudgment fluctuates according to the target's position on the screen. Additionally, the percentage of touches that activate a specific target varies according to the size of the tactual recognition field. This study sought to match three square tactual recognition field sizes with the amount of touch bias occurring in each location. The results showed that although bias differed according to location, the tactual recognition fields did not vary enough in size, nor were they large enough to find a significant difference between them in the number of touches captured according to the location of the target. The tactual recognition field that optimally captures responses varies in size over display position and is non-square in shape.
User-Centered Symbol Design Through Human-Computer Collaboration
Authors: Carnahan Brian , Dorris Nathan T.
Published: January 2012

The purpose of this research was to develop a new approach to symbol development that used an interactive evolutionary computation (IEC) algorithm to expand end-user participation in the design process. IEC iteratively employs subjective assessment and parameter recombination to create a population of anthropomorphic symbols that “evolve” based on user input. Three design groups, comprised of both student and industrial subjects, used the IEC algorithm to develop 60 symbols for awkward posture, an risk factor for work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Factor analysis was used to reduce the nine design parameters (i.e., limb angles) to a three-factor structure. Analysis of variance revealed that student generated symbols differed significantly from those created by industrial participants in terms of two of the three factor scores. Actual or potential applications of this research include a new approach to creating symbols that encourages end-user input into their design.
Does a Haptic Mouse Help Older Adults Use the Web?
Authors: Maheshwari Kalmi , Bergel Marguerite , Tullis Thomas S.
Published: January 2012

The goal of our study was to learn if providing older adults with tactile feedback would improve their performance on the Web. The study examined the effects on performance of older users completing tasks on a prototype website using both a normal mouse and a mouse that provides haptic, or tactile, feedback. A total of 18 participants with low and high web experience took part in this experiment. These participants varied in age from 55 to 77 years. There was no correlation between age and level of experience with the Web. Performance was measured using task duration and task success. Results indicate an improvement in performance for users with less Web experience using the haptic mouse.
GUI Objects with Impenetrable Borders: Is Instruction Necessary?
Authors: Johnson Brian R. , Jones Keith S.
Published: January 2012

Placing menus against the edge of the screen reduces selection times because it creates an impenetrable border between the menu and the edge of the screen that the mouse cursor cannot penetrate (Walker, Smelcer, & Nilsen, 1991). The presence of the impenetrable border changes how users move the mouse, so that selection times quicken compared to menus with a penetrable border. However, it is not readily apparent whether or not GUI users could realize the advantages of impenetrable borders without instruction. The purpose of this experiment was to assess whether or not users would discover the benefits of impenetrable borders spontaneously. Results suggest that only 50% of participants who were unaware of the presence of the impenetrable border actually detected it. Additionally, with practice participants who were successful at detecting the impenetrable border selected the targets as quickly as participants who received full instruction concerning the benefits of impenetrable borders.
Usability Problems in Consumer-Directed Broadcast Advertisements of Prescription Medicines
Authors: Slater Carrie R. , Smith-Jackson Tonya L.
Published: January 2012

The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act broadly regulates the content of Consumer-Directed Broadcast Advertisements (CDBA). Information processing capabilities of average consumers may be exceeded by broadcast advertisements that present too much information. The purpose of this study was to examine usability problems encountered by viewers of broadcast advertisements and to isolate “best practices” that facilitated information transfer. Two age groups, older and younger viewers, evaluated different prescription drug advertisements based on usability and provided verbal reports to open-ended questions in a focus group. Avoiding information overload, eliminating or reducing distracting stimuli, and slowing the rate at which information is presented are important usability guidelines that should be applied to content specifications.
Development of a Hierarchical Estimation Method for Anthropometric Variables
Authors: You Heecheon , Ryu Taebeum
Published: January 2012

Most regression models of anthropometric variables use stature and/or weight as regressors; however, these ‘flat’ regression models result in large errors for anthropometric variables having low correlations with the regressors. For better accuracy in estimating anthropometric variables, this study proposed a method to estimate anthropometric variables in a hierarchical manner based on the geometric and statistical relationships among the variables. By applying the proposed approach to 60 anthropometric variables selected for the design of an occupant package layout in a passenger car, hierarchical estimation structures were constructed and then based on the estimation structures hierarchical regression models were developed with the 1988 US Army anthropometric survey data. The hierarchical regression models were compared with the corresponding flat regression models in terms of adjusted R2 and SE, resulting in on average a 55% increase in adjusted R2 and a 31% decrease in SE when compared to the corresponding flat models.