bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Solomon W. Straub (1842–1899)
Authors: Hash Phillip M.
Published: October 2015

The purpose of this study was to examine the life and work of Solomon W. Straub, who worked as a music teacher, composer, and publisher during the late nineteenth century. Straub was born in Butler Township of DeKalb County, Indiana, in 1842. He taught music in Dowagiac and Lansing, Michigan, before moving to Chicago, Illinois, in 1873. Straub established his own publishing firm in 1879 and promoted his publications and pedagogical ideas as a leader of singing conventions, normal musical institutes, and chautauqua choirs. Colleagues included his sisters Mary and Maria, his son, Arthur, and several prominent musicians who published with the company and assisted at institutes and conventions. Straub helped perpetuate, support, and develop music education through the cumulative influence of his various musical enterprises. His pedagogy reflected past methods developed by Lowell Mason forty years prior as well as the philosophies underlying progressive education during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Straub died in Chicago in September 1899 at fifty-six years of age. Although not considered a major figure in music education today, he played an important role in the musical life of the Midwest United States during the last three decades of the 1800s and helped carry the profession into the twentieth century.
Latino Educational Leadership Across the Pipeline
Authors: Rodríguez Cristóbal , Martinez Melissa A. , Valle Fernando
Published: October 2015

Educational leaders have challenges providing rich and equitable education for the Latino community, the fastest growing underserved demographic in the United States. Although the field of educational leadership draws connections to serve diverse populations, this work uses existing research and theory to establish the concept of Latino Educational Leadership. As a concept focused on serving Latino communities and the preparation of Latina/o leaders throughout the P-20 pipeline, the implication is to enhance research, policy, and practice for Latino communities.
Context Matters: A Critical Consideration of Latina/o Student Success Outcomes Within Different Institutional Contexts
Authors: Zerquera Desiree D. , Gross Jacob P. K.
Published: October 2015

This article examined the effect of elements within Latina/o students’ institutional context on Latina/o student success outcomes. Findings highlight the significant role institutional contexts play in Latina/o success. Specifically, it was found that student success was lower for students enrolled at regional campuses and campuses that serve high proportions of students of color and higher for students at campuses with higher proportion of faculty of color. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.
Effects of Communication Lag in Long Duration Space Flight Missions
Authors: Keebler Joseph R. , Dietz Aaron S. , Baker Anthony
Published: October 2015

As humanity aims to travel to Mars in the next two decades, it will be faced with numerous issues related to the coupling of humans and technology. Specifically, the communication lag of up to 40 minutes between long duration space flight (LDSF) crews and mission control back on earth will lead to unknown effects on teamwork and the multi-team system through the degraded quality of communication. This paper will review research on virtual teamwork and unmanned systems as it relates to communication, specifically with implications for extended communication delays and lag that may occur in LDSF missions.
Well Clear
Authors: Ott Joseph T.
Published: October 2015

This research explored how pilots perceived the concept of the Well Clear Boundary (WCB), observing if that boundary changed depending on aircraft type: manned versus unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Pilots’ WCB perceptions were collected through simulator recordings and subjectively through questionnaires. Significant differences were found in WCB perception between two pilot types (General Aviation [GA], and Airline Transport Pilots [ATPs]), and significant WCB differences were evident when comparing two intruding aircraft types (manned versus unmanned aircraft). Significant differences were dependent on other manipulated variables (intruder approach angle, ownship speed, and background traffic levels). Subjectively, there were differences in WCB perception across pilot types; GA pilots trusted UAS aircraft higher than the more experienced ATPs. Overall, analyses indicated that pilots’ mental models for WCB varied depending on position from ownship. Aircraft in front on ownship were perceived as time - based boundaries while aircraft to the rear of ownship were perceived distance based.
Understanding Retirement Community Employees’ Perceived Benefits and Concerns of Smart Presence Technology
Authors: Liles Karina R. , Stuck Rachel E. , Kacmar Allison A. , Beer Jenay M.
Published: October 2015

The goal of this study was to understand the perceived benefits and concerns of smart presence technology from continuing care retirement communities (CCRC) employees. We define smart presence technology as technology that enables an aural and visual presence (i.e. telepresence) with the added benefit of mobility. To better understand their perceptions of the benefits and concerns for smart presence systems, we conducted a needs assessment with CCRC nurses and staff (N=23). We employed a qualitative assessment and interviewed employees who were given first-hand experience operating the smart presence device. We found that there is potential for smart presence in CCRCs; however, employees were not without concerns. The top benefits that were mentioned included convenience and effort/time saving, visualization and socialization whereas the top concerns that were mentioned included limitations of the system, emotional harm to others/residents and physical harm to others. Knowing the employees’ perspectives of smart presence technology will provide insight on how smart presence technology may be used in retirement communities (e.g., resident interaction with family and friends, conducting meetings, etc.) and how to better design smart presence to meet CCRC employee needs (e.g. increase visibility, embed safety mechanisms, etc.).
Workload Change Over Time for Nuclear Power Plant Operation Tasks
Authors: Leis Rebecca , Reinerman-Jones Lauren , Mercado Joseph , Szalma James , Hancock Peter
Published: October 2015

Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) operation requires multiple task types to complete necessary day-to-day activities and operating procedures. The accurate completion of these tasks is necessary for safety-critical domains, as errors and omissions can potentially result in severe consequences. As a result, it is important to determine the cause of human error within various task types. One factor that contributes to human performance is workload. The present experiment is a follow-up, further investigating levels of workload, within a NPP simulated environment, with experienced participants. EEG, ECG, and the NASA-TLX have been shown to be sensitive to changes in workload across domains and are thus utilized in the present experiment to record workload differences. Specifically, the present experiment investigated these participants across 27 sessions for three different NPP task types –checking, detection, and response implementation.
Manners Matter
Authors: Inbar Ohad , Meyer Joachim
Published: October 2015

The ‘intuitive’ trust people feel when encountering robots in public spaces is a key determinant of their interactions with the systems. To study the trust we presented subjects with static images of a robot performing an access-control task, interacting with younger and older male and female civilians, applying polite or impolite behavior. Our results showed strong effects of the robot’s behavior. Age and gender of the people interacting with the robot had no significant effect on participants’ impressions of the robot’s attributes. This preliminary study shows that politeness may be a crucial determinant of people’s perception of peacekeeping robots.
Beyond Reliance and Compliance
Authors: Chiou Erin K. , Lee John D.
Published: October 2015

Increasingly autonomous machines may lead to issues in human-automation systems that go beyond the typical concerns of reliance and compliance. This study used an interaction-oriented approach that considers interdependence in coordinating and cooperating on a joint task. A shared-resource microworld environment was developed to assess how changes in environmental demands and agent behavior affect cooperation and system performance. Seventy-two participants were recruited to perform a scheduling task that required coordination with a cooperative and a relatively uncooperative automated agent. Cooperative automation enhanced performance because it provided more resources to the person and because the person provided more resources to the automation. Considering interdependence theory and the associated structure, signal, strategy, and sequence of human-automation interaction can guide design for appropriate trust and cooperation.
Effects of Goal versus Target Orientation on Information Quality and Quantity in Military Reconnaissance Operations
Authors: Streefkerk Jan Willem , Huijsman Wim-Pieter , van Trijp Suzanne , Thönissen Floor
Published: October 2015

In reconnaissance operations, military observers are tasked to notice objects, people and events in their environment that may be relevant for their commander’s goals and objectives. Which ‘elements of information’ are noticed is influenced by how the operation assignment is presented (cf. the principle of priming). A distinction here is made between assignments that broadly outline the commander’s intent (‘goal orientation’) or that narrowly point to only one or two categories of information elements (‘target orientation’). In a virtual environment, eighteen male military participants carried out and reported on a reconnaissance operation, after being briefed with either goal-oriented or target-oriented assignments. Results show that a goal-oriented assignment leads to more information elements as well as more diverse elements being reported, albeit at a lower level of detail than a target-oriented assignment. Reconnaissance commanders should therefore choose carefully how they present their information gathering assignments.
Concept Mapping as a Methodology to Develop Insights on Cognition During Collaborative Information Seeking
Authors: McNeese Nathan J. , Reddy Madhu C.
Published: October 2015

The importance of collaborative information seeking (CIS) during team decision-making is starting to be examined within the human factors community. Without the ability to collaborate to seek and retrieve information, a team cannot make accurate decisions. One area of particular importance to CIS is individual and team cognition. Through previous research, we know that cognition is critical to the performance of many collaborative efforts. Yet, there has been little research on the relationship of cognition to CIS. Consequently, appropriate methods to use and how to use them have not been clearly identified. One useful approach to understanding cognition during CIS is to implement a concept mapping methodology. In this paper, we discuss concept mapping and utilize it in a laboratory study focused on understanding the role of cognition during CIS. Through analysis of CIS oriented individual and team concept maps, we gained insights into how people cognitively perceive CIS.
Human-Robot Teaming in Urban Search and Rescue
Authors: Bartlett Cade E. , Cooke Nancy J.
Published: October 2015

Although current urban search and rescue (USAR) robots are little more than remotely controlled cameras, the end goal is for them to work alongside humans as trusted teammates. Natural language communications and performance data are collected as a team of humans works to carry out a simulated search and rescue task in an uncertain virtual environment. Conditions are tested emulating a remotely controlled robot versus an intelligent one. Differences in performance, situation awareness (SA), trust, and workload are measured. The Intelligent robot condition resulted in higher levels of performance and operator SA.
How Analysts Think
Authors: Wong B.L. William , Kodagoda Neesha
Published: October 2015

In this paper we present early observations of how seven criminal intelligence analysts think and how the make inferences. We used the Critical Decision Method to identify the causal mechanisms of how they think and reason, i.e. how they organize, structure and assemble their information, understandings and inferences. We envisaged that this would enable us to design software to support the structuring of arguments and the evidential reasoning process. Our early observations suggest that analytic reasoning is not straight-forward, but appears chaotic and haphazard, and sometimes cyclic; and that inference making – abduction, induction and deduction – are not independent processes, but are closely intertwined. These processes interact dynamically, each producing outcomes that become anchors used by the others.
Improving Vigilance Analysis Methodology
Authors: Gartenberg Daniel , Gunzelmann Glenn , Veksler Bella Z. , Trafton J. Gregory
Published: October 2015

We describe a vigilance experiment of a successive task and a simultaneous task. Successive tasks require comparing the current stimulus on the screen to a representation in memory (i.e. making a declarative memory retrieval), whereas simultaneous tasks require making a comparative judgment based on information that is available on the screen. When analyzing the data from this experiment using conventional methods, there was an effect of time-on-task (i.e. block), an effect of task type, and an interaction between block and task type. These findings were consistent with previously reported studies regarding the successive and simultaneous vigilance task distinction, which interpret such findings as evidence that the decrement is more severe for successive tasks. But different results and conclusions are made when more appropriate analyses of the data are used, such as: including block as an interval variable instead of a categorical variable and making the dependent variable detection of critical signals instead of using A’. When these analysis techniques were used, there was no effect of task type and there was no interaction with time on task. This raises questions about many of the findings in the literature, especially those regarding the successive and simultaneous distinction.
The Human Factors of Cyber Network Defense
Authors: Gutzwiller Robert S. , Fugate Sunny , Sawyer Benjamin D. , Hancock P. A.
Published: October 2015

Technology’s role in the fight against malicious cyber-attacks is critical to the increasingly networked world of today. Yet, technology does not exist in isolation: the human factor is an aspect of cyber-defense operations with increasingly recognized importance. Thus, the human factors community has a unique responsibility to help create and validate cyber defense systems according to basic principles and design philosophy. Concurrently, the collective science must advance. These goals are not mutually exclusive pursuits: therefore, toward both these ends, this research provides cyber-cognitive links between cyber defense challenges and major human factors and ergonomics (HFE) research areas that offer solutions and instructive paths forward. In each area, there exist cyber research opportunities and realms of core HFE science for exploration. We raise the cyber defense domain up to the HFE community at-large as a sprawling area for scientific discovery and contribution.
Measuring the Effectiveness of Team-Based Leaning Outcomes in a Human Factors Course
Authors: Dorneich Michael C. , Bickelhaupt Sarah E. , Dorius Cassandra , Artz Georgeanne , Bender Holly , Bestler Laura , Caissie Beth , Gahn Sandra , Jacobs Keri , Lamm Monica H. , Orgler Lisa , Rongerude Jane , Smiley-Oyen Ann , Stone Richard T.
Published: October 2015

This paper will describe a synopsis of the development and application of a survey instrument to assess team skills and professional development outcomes of Team-Based Learning (TBL) in a human factors course. TBL is an advancing teaching pedagogy that shifts instruction from a traditional lecture-based teaching paradigm to a structured learning sequence that includes individual student preparation outside of class followed by active, in-class problem solving exercises completed by student learning teams. As an evolving teaching method, TBL appears to be producing new empirical learning outcomes in areas that have only preliminarily been explored. Traditionally, the effectiveness of TBL has been assessed through grades and numeric measures of performance; however, TBL was designed to both enhance learning as well as team collaboration and critical thinking skills. Thus there a need for a validated measurement instrument emerged to assess the development of team skills in TBL classes. The newly developed survey instrument is designed to assess three overarching factors within the TBL framework: 1) attitudes and beliefs about learning; 2) motivation to learn; and 3) professional development. A pilot survey was created and administered in the summer of 2013 to 25 undergraduate students at a large Mid-Western university and was tested for internal consistency. To further improve the quality of the survey, two focus groups were also conducted. In the fall of 2013 the revised survey was administered to 182 undergraduate students and in the spring of 2014 to 197 undergraduate students. Based on encouraging results, the survey was used to assess the learning outcome gains in a graduate level human factors course. Preliminary results for this sample showed modest gains in critical thinking and external motivation. The survey has the potential to provide instructors a mechanism to measure student learning gains in TBL educational settings.
Lessons Learned While Navigating the Academic Path in Human Factors
Authors: Lum Heather C. , Via Christopher M. , Shelstad William , Brill J. Christopher , Bliss James P.
Published: October 2015

The objective of this panel was to examine how individuals at different stages in their professional careers view human factors in relation to the educational process. The panel began by Heather Lum briefly giving an overview and the precipice for this discussion panel. The panelists then provided their views and experiences regarding this topic. William Shelstad discussed how he discovered human factors as an undergraduate and why he has chosen to pursue a path to graduate school. Christopher Via, a doctoral candidate, shared lessons he learned about being successful at that stage in his career. Chris Brill discussed his pursuits and the trials and tribulations of a tenure-track position in academia. Jim Bliss shared his experiences with the types of challenges faced by faculty in smaller universities. The specific theme of this discussion panel was focused on the differing perspectives that one might face as they move through the academic path of human factors. Each panelist had a unique perspective that was guided by where they are in the process and they shared these experiences as well as suggestions for those who are considering pursuing a similar path. Dr. Lum fostered discussion among the panelists and questions from the general audience. Discussion time: 90 minutes.
Applications of Ecological Interface Design for Engineering Course Design
Authors: Huynh Albert , Dawe Nikita , Ayanian Karin
Published: October 2015

Instructional course design in engineering poses a challenge for many practitioners given the lack of defined rules and complicated interactions between the goals of maximizing student learning and satisfying administrative requirements. The aim of this work was to create a proof-of-concept for the application of Ecological Interface Design (EID) to a complex intentional system, specifically the development of a theoretical interface for university-level engineering course design. This work reviews the establishment and application of an abstraction hierarchy for considering pedagogical principles (Bloom’s Taxonomy and Active Learning Pyramid) in conjunction with organizational rules for the University of Toronto. Presented are also selections from a preliminary interface mock-up which addresses learning outcomes, activity and content selection, and timetable scheduling.
Power Buggy Catastrophe
Authors: Whetsel Borzendowski Stephanie A. , Campbell Alan O. , Funcik Robert M.
Published: October 2015

Previous research suggests that while humans may be able to accurately assess whether or not slopes are traversable by foot, they are not as skilled at estimating the grade of slopes in degrees or percentages. This finding has practical implications for users of heavy power equipment who may operate such equipment on sloped terrain. Specifically, users who are unable to accurately estimate the grade of a slope where they plan to operate power equipment may put themselves in a dangerous position if the grade of such a slope exceeds the maximum permissible grade for safe equipment operation. In the present case a worker operated a power buggy on a slope that exceeded what was recommended by the manufacturer for operation. The operator was subsequently thrown from the equipment and was ultimate rendered a quadriplegic. We describe the method and results of a study conducted by our human factors personnel to determine the accuracy with which the “average” person is able to estimate and measure the grade of a slope. The implications of these findings for the present case are discussed. Additionally, the importance of adequate instructions, warnings, and feedback in the context of this unfortunate incident are discussed.
Modeling The Effects of Disability Glare on Trailer Side Underride Crashes
Authors: Maddox Michael E. , Kiefer Aaron
Published: October 2015

Those of us who practice in the forensic area are aware that many litigated vehicle crashes occur during hours of darkness, when visual cues that alert drivers to hazards are either missing or compromised due to the characteristics of headlights. One particular type of crash of interest to forensic practitioners is a passenger vehicle driving beneath a trailer that is positioned across the roadway during a backing or pullout maneuver. In addition to the loss of certain visual cues, such crashes are frequently characterized by the presence of the tractor pulling the trailer being located in the oncoming travel lane. This may appear to the oncoming motorist to be a benign situation, i.e., a vehicle approaching in the adjacent travel lane. The headlights of the tractor not only provide a false cue to the oncoming motorist, they are also a source of disability glare. In this paper, we model the effects of disability glare during a typical crash scenario. Despite efforts to bias the analysis to minimize the effects of disability glare, it is clear that such glare may hide the presence of the trailer until the oncoming vehicle is relatively close to it, thus reducing the chance of the oncoming driver to avoid an underride collision.
Aligning Task Analysis With Human Reliability Analysis
Authors: Laurids Boring Ronald
Published: October 2015

In human reliability analysis, the basic unit of analysis is the human failure event (HFE). In probabilistic safety assessment (PSA), the HFE is defined as the subset of hardware faults that can be caused by a human error. In practice, this does not intersect with human factors approaches that attempt to define the HFE through a task analysis. This paper presents a seven-step guideline to ensure a task analysis completed as part of a human factors analysis decomposes to a level suitable for use as HFEs for use in a PSA.
Examining the Successful Outcomes of Multidisciplinary Teamwork in a Code Situation using the Shared Mental Model Framework
Authors: Moore N. Kay , Squire Karina M. , Blocker Renaldo C.
Published: October 2015

In complex health care situations, teamwork becomes immensely integral to favorable patient outcomes. This study examines an unusual prolonged resuscitation case to understand elements that contributed to the successful outcome of this patient. Through use of the Shared Mental Model Framework (SMMF), we highlighted the importance of multidisciplinary teamwork during resuscitation efforts by analyzing team members’ perceptions through surveys. An 11-item open-ended questionnaire was administered to clinicians (N=9) involved in the resuscitation effort. A case analysis technique was used to identify four key themes that contributed to the success of this resuscitation effort: (1) clear goals are essential to the team’s functioning; (2) strong and effective communication solidified longitudinally among team members; (3) provider’s expertise was paramount to the case’s success; and (4) resources readily available helped manage the team’s cohesiveness. Identifying key teamwork elements in successful resuscitation efforts further informs the valuable need for team cohesiveness in health care.
Utilization of Participatory Ergonomics and Socio-Technical Models to Identify the Risk Factors of Invasive Medical Technologies in Non-Clinical Environments
Authors: Gray Joshua L , Takata Glenn S , Lawlor Mary C , Placencia Greg , Meshkati Najmedin
Published: October 2015

In 2010 ~12 million Americans received home health care or care in a non-clinical environment due to the growing cost and capacity constraints of hospital health care. The purpose of this research study is to initiate an effort to understand the socio-technological risk factors associated with invasive medical therapies in non-clinical environments and develop mitigation strategies for non-clinical caregivers. Participatory Ergonomics is utilized to facilitate the discovery of cognitive, physical and macro-ergonomic risk factors associated with invasive medical technology in non-clinical environments to address the socio- psychological, technological and organizational perspectives of this study. This research study will result in a patient safely template and quality of care model for health systems engineering that involves invasive medical technologies in non-clinical environments, which can be applied to pediatric and adult populations globally.
Predicting Group Decisions Based on Group Information Seeking and Assembly Behavior
Authors: Zhang Xin , Mendonça David
Published: October 2015

In group decision making situations, group members may have or may express preferences for decision alternatives only indirectly or incompletely, based on goals and on information collected from the environment. For example, group members undertaking a route-planning task may express a preference only for route segments, such as traveling from home to the supermarket. The method developed in this research uses information collected on task structure and on group information seeking and (implied) preferences to predict group decisions on a dynamic decision making task. An advantage of the method is that it relies upon data collection methods that are either unobtrusive (e.g. clickstream logging) or minimally intrusive (i.e. recording of conversations) to inform predictions. The method is illustrated using data from the performance of a simulated emergency response task by experienced emergency response personnel. Potential use of the proposed method in predicting group decisions in certain dynamic decision making settings is discussed.
Analysis on Force Tracking Capabilities of Healthy Adults
Authors: Lee Baekhee , Park Hyunji , Kim Sungho , Lee Byung Wha , Na Duk L. , You Heecheon
Published: October 2015

A reduction of motor performance due to brain disorders can be screened by evaluating force tracking capabilities (FTCs). Existing studies have examined FTCs mainly using simple sinusoidal waves, of which repeated profiles have a critical limitation due to a learning effect in force tracking. The present study examined the effects of personal factors (age and gender) and sinusoidal wave factors (central force and complexity) on FTCs of healthy adults using composite sinusoidal wave profiles (CSWPs). FTCs were measured using Finger Touch for 30 seconds and quantified in terms of time within the target range (TWR, accuracy measure) and relative RMSE (RRMSE, variability measure). A total of 90 healthy adults in 20s to 70s with the equal gender ratio participated in the experiment consisting of combinations of 2 central force levels (6 N and 10 N) and 2 complexity levels (approximate entropy, ApEn = 0.03 and 0.06) of CSWPs. Significantly decreased FTCs (lower TWR and higher RRMSE) were found in aged adults, females, the low central force, and the high complexity. The detailed FTC decrements include a 43% reduced TWR and a 85% increased RRMSE of older adults in 70s as compared to those in 20s, a 17% reduced TWR and a 17% increased RRMSE of female as compared to those of male, a 30% reduced TWR and a 108% increased RRMSE at central force = 6 N when compared to those at central force= 10 N, and a 19% reduced TWR and a 30% increased RRMSE at ApEn = 0.06 as compared to those at ApEn = 0.03.The characteristics of FTCs for CSWPs can be of use in establishing an assessment protocol of motor performance for screening brain disorders.
Judgments of Team Workload and Stress
Authors: Helton William S. , Epling Samantha , de Joux Neil , Funke Gregory J. , Knott Benjamin A.
Published: October 2015

How do people perceive team workload and stress? Is team workload and stress simply judged to be the sum of the constituent parts, or do people perceive interactive effects between task demands and the team member’s respective skill levels? The present study explored whether people have an intuitive theory of team stress and workload that they use to predict team’s stress and workload in performance contexts. Participants were trained for five weeks on a UAV team task, and then were asked to rate eight hypothetical scenarios for team stress and workload. The present results indicate the participants basically perceived team workload and stress as the sum of the constituent parts in regards to team members.
ATC Developmental Trainees’ Perceptions of Fairness Toward FAA’s New Facility Placement Process
Authors: Byrne Cristina L. , Pierce Linda G.
Published: October 2015

Recently, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revamped its selection and placement process for incoming developmental air traffic controllers. Among other procedural changes, the way facility placement decisions are made changed significantly from previous hiring initiatives. Given these changes, it is important for the FAA to analyze and evaluate how these changes are affecting the perceptions of newly hired developmental controllers regarding their placement and how these perceptions might impact facility transfer rates in the future. This study looks at the reactions of students after receiving their facility placement under the new system. In particular, their satisfaction with their facility placement and the perceived fairness of the facility placement process was assessed using a paper-and-pencil survey. The relationship of their responses to these items and their intentions to change facilities later in their careers was also examined.
Alternating hands when interacting with a desktop touchscreen can reduce physical efforts of the shoulder muscles
Authors: Kang Hwayeong , Shin Gwanseob
Published: October 2015

Finger-touch interface has not been widely adopted to desktop touchscreen displays as it requires entire arm movements and causes resultant arm and shoulder discomforts. As one of possible ways to lessen the physical discomfort of the touchscreen users, this study investigated potential benefits of an ‘alternating hands’ strategy in interacting with a desktop touchscreen display. Twenty three participants conducted cyclic reach-tap-return operations on a 23” desktop touchscreen in three different touch strategies (‘left- hand only’, ‘right-hand only’ and ‘alternating hands’) and with the display in three positions (near flat, upright-distant and upright-close). Mean and integrated myoelectric activity (EMG) of the left and right shoulder muscles were compared between the nine conditions. Two-way ANOVA found that the‘alternating hands’ (participants freely switched hands depending on target location) strategy resulted in significantly less amount of total mean and integrated EMG of the shoulder muscles compared to the other two strategies (p<0.01). Among the three display positions, participants used shoulder muscles significantly less when the display was in the ‘near flat’ position than when the display was in the other two positions. Study results suggest that the ‘alternating hands’ strategy should be recommended for desktop touchscreen users to reduce physical efforts of shoulder muscles.
Associations between job physical and psychosocial factors in a pooled study
Authors: Thiese Matthew S. , Hegmann Kurt T. , Kapellusch Jay , Merryweather Andrew , Bao Stephen , Silverstein Barbara , Garg Arun
Published: October 2015

Introduction: There is a growing body of research connecting musculoskeletal diseases to both job physical exposures and psychosocial exposures. Associations between job physical exposures and psychosocial factors have not been well studied or measured. These exploratory analyses evaluate relationships between quantified exposures and psychosocial outcomes. Methods: Personalized measures of duration, repetition, force and composite scores of the Strain Index (SI) and the Threshold Limit Value for Hand Activity Level (TLV for HAL) were compared to 10 psychosocial measures. Associations and predicted probabilities were evaluated using ordered logistic regression. Results and Discussion: Among 1834 study participants there were numerous significant relationships. Overall, as job physical exposures increased, psychosocial measures worsened. However, both general health and mental exhaustion improved with higher job exposures. Depression was most strongly related with higher repetition, while physical exhaustion was most strongly related with higher force. SI and TLV for HAL were significantly related to numerous psychosocial factors. Relationships remained after adjustment for confounders of age, BMI and gender. Conclusion: This study measured multiple associations between job physical exposures and both occupational and non-occupational psychosocial factors. Further research is needed to quantify the impacts on occupational health outcomes.
Variable definitions and distributions of exposure data from a consortium study on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Authors: Bao Stephen S. , Kapellusch Jay M. , Garg Arun , Silverstein Barbara A. , Harris-Adamson Carisa , Burt Susan E. , Marie Dale Ann , Evanoff Bradley A. , Gerr Frederic E. , Hegmann Kurt T. , Merlino Linda A. , Thiese Matthew S. , Rempel David M.
Published: October 2015

Insufficient sample size causes lower statistical power that may hinder findings of relationships between occupational physical exposures and musculoskeletal disorders. To solve this problem, researchers often want to pool data with similar study designs together to increase the statistical power. However, a recent consortium study on the relationships between physical exposures and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) found that due to slight differences in variable definitions, data collection procedures, data processing approaches, and data analysis methods, pooling data from multiple studies can be challenging. Using data independently collected by six research groups in 54 US workplaces in 10 US States, this paper presents some of the challenges in data pooling, and final selections of comparable variables. Distributions of the selected exposure data of 3010 subjects and variable definitions are presented. This abstract is based on a recent publication in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Effects of Uneven Ground Surface on Human Balance
Authors: Hu Boyi , Ning Xiaopeng , Dai Fei
Published: October 2015

The effect of anteroposteriorly slanted ground surface on human posture control at fully flexed trunk postures was investigated in this study. Custom made wooden apparatus were used to simulate slanted ground surfaces, the slanted were set at -15, 0 and 15 degrees respectively. The flat ground condition was included in the study as a control. Fourteen healthy male subjects were asked to maintain in fully flexed trunk posture while standing on different ground surfaces. The segmental sway motion of C7, T12 and S1 spinal vertebrae in the anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) directions were recorded. Results showed that when standing on an anteroposteriorly slanted ground surface and facing downhill (i.e. -15 degree condition) subjects consistently demonstrated the highest sway speeds and reported the highest subjective rating of instability. Therefore, we concluded that, when standing on an anteroposteriorly slanted ground surface in a fully flexed trunk posture facing downhill may result in much higher risk of falling in comparison to facing the opposite direction.
Evaluation of Low-Tech Client Transfer Devices Used by Home Care Aides
Authors: Sun Chuan , Buchholz Bryan , Punnett Laura , Gallegan Catherine , Quinn Margaret
Published: October 2015

Home care tasks, such as patient lifting and transferring, involve forceful exertions and awkward postures and may increase the risk of low back injury. Sixteen home care aides completed simulated client transfers between a bed and wheelchair using a manual transfer method and four transfer devices. Findings suggested that high (bed) to low (wheelchair) transfers produced significant lower hand forces than low to high transfers, while the hand forces using the Beasy board and the Tyvek board were less than the manual’s during transfers in both directions. Average trunk flexion speeds were significantly slower while using devices than using the manual method during these transfers. The usability survey suggests that the Beasy board required less exertion and would be preferred for future client visits.
Comparison of Traditional Psychophysical and Sorting Methods for In-Vehicle Display Design
Authors: Lewis Bridget A. , Baldwin Carryl L.
Published: October 2015

Modern vehicles can present an ever-changing plethora of information, making it of the utmost importance that signals are evaluated efficiently in the early stages of design. The current study investigates the relationship between traditional methods of physchophysical scaling and newer methods of sorting or categorization. Participants sorted a sample of sounds into “Alarms”, “Status Notifications” and “Social Notifications”. Following the sorting task, participants were asked to rate each individual sound (using a 1-100 scale) on urgency, annoyance and acceptability. Results indicate extremely high correlations between alarm categorization and urgency level where sounds categorized as alarms by more participants were also rated as more urgent by all participants.
The Relationship between Inattentional Blindness, Inattentional Insensitivity, Situation Awareness, and Performance in a Driving Simulator
Authors: Dattel Andrew R. , Battle Amanda N. , Stefonetti Matthew C. , Bifano Martin , Majdic Kristen
Published: October 2015

Fifty-eight students at a small liberal arts college in northeastern United States participated in a study of inattentional blindness (IB) and inattentional insensitivity (IIS). IIS is the inability to detect the sensation of a salient stimulus while performing a task within a congruent sensory modality. Participants’ driving performance and situation awareness (SA) were tested in a driving simulator. Similar to previous research, IB was found to exist in about 45% of the participants who watched the Invisible Gorilla video. However, over 80% of participants displayed IIS in a tactile condition. Moreover, participants who displayed IIS showed better performance in SA. In addition, IIS participants were less likely to slam on the brakes when driving the simulator compared to participants who noticed the irrelevant tactile stimulus. Finally, it was found that participants who have high working memory (WM) are more likely to correctly count the number of basketball passes made in the Invisible Gorilla video than participants who have low WM.
Individual Differences in Video Gaming
Authors: Kapalo Katelynn A. , Dewar Alexis R. , Rupp Michael A. , Szalma James L.
Published: October 2015

The purpose of this study is two-fold: 1) replicate the results of Phan, Jardina, Hoyle, and Chaparro (2012), and 2) extend their work on video gamers by understanding how female and male hardcore gamers differ from those who play casually, as well as examine the differences between hardcore gamers. Two hundred and twenty-five undergraduate students completed an online survey related to gaming behaviors, technology usage, and demographics. The outcomes of our study aligned with a majority of the findings of Phan and colleagues (2012). However, we extend these results by explaining the differences between females and males who play often (e.g., hardcore) and those who play occasionally (e.g., casually). The results indicated that men were more likely to be hardcore gamers than women. Hardcore female and hardcore male gamers did not significantly differ on most of the outcome measures. The implications of these results will be discussed at greater length.
Individual Differences and Phablet Purchase Intent
Authors: Fraulini Nicholas W. , Dewar Alexis R. , Claypoole Victoria L.
Published: October 2015

A phablet, by definition, is the hybrid of both a cellular phone and tablet with a screen size measured diagonally between 5.3-6.9 inches. While phablets have existed since 2010, they have not been sold in millions of units until fairly recently. Given the limited amount of research on phablets, as these devices are still very new, the present study aims to better understand the perception of phablets in a college student population, as well as explore the perceived system usability. In this study 122 undergraduate students completed a measure of technology usage, measures of personality, trust, and usability, all of which have been implicated in previous studies on purchase intent. The results indicated a significant difference between high and low trust scores for purchase intent. Additionally, a thematic analysis was performed and specific trends on purchase intent emerged. We discuss the implications of this research for phablet developers and designers.
Mechanical and Membrane Keyboard Typing Assessment Using Surface Electromyography (sEMG)
Authors: Pham Tri , Kelling Nicholas
Published: October 2015

There are many different types of keyboards available for use. However, the mechanical keyboard is becoming more popular with enthusiast computer users. Vendors and users alike proclaim that they provide increased typing speeds and that less physical effort is required to activate the keyswitches due to the additional tactile and auditory feedback from the keyswitch design. This study investigates words per minute (WPM), error percentage, and surface electromyography (EMG) of the flexor arm muscle activity during a typing task using a membrane and mechanical keyboard. Results showed statistical significance with both flexor muscles exerting less effort on a mechanical keyboard. Advantages were not limited the mechanical keyboard with WPM revealing greater typing speeds with the standard membrane keyboard.
Change in Memory of Emergency Warnings
Authors: Whitmer Daphne E. , Torres Michael E. , Sims Valerie K.
Published: October 2015

The goal of this research was to examine individuals’ proximity, gender, and memories about a specific situation in which emergency alerts were distributed. Students, faculty, and alumni were surveyed online one week after an averted campus shooting and again nine months later. Overall, this research suggests that closer living proximity to campus positively influences subscription to the emergency alert system and that women are more interested in safety than men. Data suggest that participants’ memory of their emotional reaction to the event and their memory of perceiving the alerts as serious warnings stayed approximately the same. Responses immediately after the crisis indicated that people were significantly more confident in their memory and remember feeling more worry over not receiving a warning than did the responses nine months later. The uniqueness of the situation may have influenced the lack of memory inaccuracies, due to the reduced negativity and affect towards the situation.
Unsafe Texting and Socially Problematic Texting
Authors: Bailey Shannon K.T. , Schroeder Bradford L. , Sims Valerie K.
Published: October 2015

As texting becomes the dominant medium for communication, problematic and unsafe texting habits arise. Understanding who is more likely to engage in problematic texting can give insight into the underlying traits driving these behaviors. The current exploratory study investigated the extent to which texting habits were correlated with an individual difference measure, the Need for Cognition scale. Results indicated endorsement of certain texting behaviors is inversely related to an individual’s need for cognition, or the extent to which a person enjoys and engages in thinking. In particular, texting behaviors related to safety (e.g., texting while walking), avoidance texting (e.g., texting while in a new place), negative behaviors (e.g., texting to insult or gossip), and health (e.g., waking up to respond to texts) were correlated negatively with stronger need for cognition. These and other texting behaviors have human factors implications of health, safety, and interpersonal relations.
Field Assessment of Multimodal Communication for Dismounted Human-Robot Teams
Authors: Barber Daniel J. , Abich Julian , Phillips Elizabeth , Talone Andrew B. , Jentsch Florian , Hill Susan G.
Published: October 2015

A field assessment of multimodal communication (MMC) was conducted as part of a program integration demonstration to support and enable bi-directional communication between a dismounted Soldier and a robot teammate. In particular, the assessment was focused on utilizing auditory and visual/gesture based communications. The task involved commanding a robot using semantically-based MMC. Initial participant data indicates a positive experience with the multimodal interface (MMI) prototype. The results of the experiment inform recommendations for multimodal designers regarding perceived usability and functionality of the currently implemented MMI.
Are All Tests Equal? A Comparison of Emulator and Device Testing for Mobile Usability Evaluation
Authors: Levulis Samuel J. , Harris Dennis J.
Published: October 2015

As technology becomes increasingly mobile-focused, usability techniques must evolve to support users in this next era of computing. Usability testing of mobile applications and websites can be conducted with either a mobile device, or a desktop emulator that simulates the device’s content and functionality. Emulator testing offers several advantages, such as the capacity to test multiple devices in rapid succession, though device testing may offer more valid data. Although both methods are commonly implemented in mobile usability testing, little research has directly compared the findings generated from each approach. The current study examines whether emulator and device testing produce differences in eye tracking measures and established metrics that assess the ISO 9241-11 usability dimensions of effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction. Results indicated that mean task completion times and mean fixations per task were greater for participants in the emulator condition than for those in the device condition for two of the fourteen tasks tested. A qualitative analysis of potential drivers of these effects is presented, and implications for substituting device testing with emulator testing are discussed.