bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Examining the Effect of Grouping Border Type on Visual Search Performance
Authors: Naidu Shiva
Published: January 2012

Past research has shown that enclosing a group of items within a border can actually slow the reaction time of individuals during search tasks. Navon (1977) and Mermelstein, Banks, & Prinzmetal (1979) suggested that individual components are “hidden” within a larger group formed by borders because global perception comes before perception of the individual items. This study tried to identify the minimal visual cues needed to effectively produce perception of grouping. Different border types, including solid lines, dashed lines, and simple chevrons were manipulated in order to assess how quickly subjects can detect targets within groups. Results indicated that the single character condition was significantly faster than the double and triple character conditions. In addition, the Full Border condition was also significantly faster than the 1:3 Ratio Border condition.
Pitfalls in Evaluating Aviation Accident Risk
Authors: Coury Bruce G. , Bruce Deborah
Published: January 2012

Reducing accident risk is a primary goal of aviation safety. To accomplish that goal requires a thorough understanding of accident and exposure data used in the evaluation of accident risk. Using Gulf of Mexico helicopter data as an example, this paper examines the way in which civil aviation accident risk is determined, and discusses the pitfalls found in accident and exposure data. The implications for characterizing accident risk and evaluating safety improvements are discussed.
Accommodating Age-Related Differences in Computer-Based Information Retrieval Tasks
Authors: Pautz Steven L , Price Margaux M. , Pak Richard
Published: January 2012

Previous research has shown that spatial ability is associated with performance on information retrieval tasks. Age-related changes in spatial ability may thus explain older adults' tendency to have lower performance on such tasks. However, previous studies have emphasized hierarchical information organization. The current study will examine the extent to which a different information retrieval interface can accommodate age-related changes in cognitive abilities. Younger and older adult performance in two information retrieval interfaces will be compared. One interface is meant to simulate hierarchically organized information systems while the second interface is specifically designed to reduce demands on age-related abilities while increasing demands on age-invariant abilities. It is expected that the results of this study will identify potential methods for improving information retrieval task performance for older adults.
Using Displays to Improve Training: Functional Aviation Displays Improve Novice Piloting Knowledge
Authors: Smith Carl F.
Published: January 2012

Twenty novices were trained on either a conventional Cessna display or a functional flight display over 6 flight sessions in an Elite iGATE flight simulator. Between flight sessions, participants completed concept maps of the system state changes required to perform specific maneuvers. When compared to expert concept maps, novices trained on a functional flight display showed significantly greater agreement than novices trained on a conventional display. This indicates that novices exposed to functional displays in training have an improved conceptual understanding of system dynamics, as well as a more accurate understanding of proper system operation.
Intra-Individual Ergonomics (I2E): Performance Effects of Ultra-Negative-Ion Water
Authors: Bittner Alvah C. , Bittner Rachel C. L. , Lile Keith , Sakuragi Yoshihide
Published: January 2012

This study both: (1) tested the effects of MSW ultra-negative-ion (-550mV ORP) water (8KNOT, Ltd., Osaka) on aerobic performance; and (2) partially evaluated the utility of an I2E: Unified-Model (Bittner & Sakuragi, 2006). Swim-team volunteers (11 Ps) were accessed double-blind over 4 days following a MPPM or PMMP Schedule (M = MSW or P = Placebo, 250ml 120s before lap-swim). Analyses, adjusted and unadjusted for carryover, revealed significant ( p < 0.015) increases in 600s lap-swim distance (≥3.3%) and associated aerobic output (≥13.2%). Lap-time analyses indicated emerging increases ( p = 0.04, 1-tailed) within the first 100yds (50–100s) and between 1st and 2nd laps ( p = 0.01). It is concluded that (1) MSW Neg.-Ion Water increased 10 min. lap-swimming aerobic-output by ≥ 13.2% – pointing to potential for substantial performance increases in athletes and older-workers, as well as VO2-Max challenged retirees, and (2) this unprecedented increase supported predictions of the Bittner-Sakuragi Unified Model.
The Effect of Input Device on Performance of a Driving Task in an Uncoupled Motion Environment
Authors: Walker Alexander D. , Gomer Joshua A. , Muth Eric R.
Published: January 2012

Objective: To examine the effect of input device on performance of a driving task during uncoupled motion (UM). Background: Muth, Walker & Fiorello (2006) demonstrated that UM affected performance on a driving task with a steering wheel input device. However, it was unclear if the effect was due to general (motion sickness) or specific (interference with motor control) effects of UM. Methods: Ten participants completed a driving task while in a stationary and a moving real vehicle using a handheld control pad. Data were combined with the results of the previous study. Results: Regardless of input device, performance was significantly affected by UM, F (1, 18) = 16.69, p < 0.01, [Formula: see text]p2=0.48. There was also a condition by input device interaction, F (1, 18) = 4.81, p < 0.05, [Formula: see text]p2=0.21. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that UM can have both specific and general effects and that system design can potentially mitigate some of these effects.
Evaluation of Driver Visual Behavior and Road Signs in Virtual Environment
Authors: Cai H. , Lin Y. , Mourant Ronald R.
Published: January 2012

Human errors are blamed for nearly 90 percent of traffic accidents; however, the human driver is only one of the three principal components (driver, vehicle and road/environment) in driving. Why are so many errors attributed to drivers? Are drivers inherently error prone? Based on these questions, twelve drivers' visual behavior and mental stress were investigated through simulated driving in a virtual environment. A Tobii eye tracker was used to record drivers' eye gaze activities and a FlexComp biofeedback system was used to record physiological parameters related to mental stress change. The preliminary experiment results found that improperly placed traffic signs have a significant effect on drivers' visual behavior and mental stress. Drivers tend to simply ignore the signs with poor visibility or poor readability in simulated driving. Compared with properly placed signs, improperly placed signs are less effective and cause more stress to the drivers. The decreased attention and insufficient response to critical traffic facilities indicates necessity of correction in highway design and management. The current experiment methods and research results are useful for highway safety evaluation.
The Complexity of Signal Detection in Air Traffic Control Alert Situations
Authors: Allendoerfer Kenneth R. , Pai Shantanu , Friedman-Berg Ferne J.
Published: January 2012

Air traffic controllers continually monitor the traffic situation in their sectors and take action when they detect potentially hazardous situations. Automation systems simultaneously and independently monitor the situation and provide alerts when the situation meets defined criteria. The decisions made by the controllers and the automation systems may agree or disagree. Signal Detection Theory (SDT) provides a theoretical framework for understanding how controllers and automation systems make these decisions. However, traditional SDT provides an incomplete explanation of decision-making in the real-world ATC situations. In this paper, we examine instances where controllers take actions independently of the alert and where controllers take actions in response to an alert, but delay their actions until more information is available. Results from this study are applicable to other domains where operators are tasked to monitor situations while simultaneously monitoring the output of an alerting system.
A Flight Test Evaluation of the Arc Segment Attitude Reference for Use as a Primary Flight Reference in Helmet-Mounted Displays
Authors: Jenkins Joseph C. , Gallimore Jennie J.
Published: January 2012

The objective of this evaluation was to determine if the use of the Arc Segment Attitude Reference (ASAR) symbology in a head-up display (HUD) in place of the legacy climb-dive ladder attitude reference aids in unusual attitude recovery (UAR) piloting tasks as specified in AFM 11–217 for use as a primary flight reference (PFR). Flight tests were conducted at the US Air Force Test Pilot School (TPS), Edwards AFB, California on the NF-16D Variable-stability In-flight Simulator Test Aircraft (VISTA). Five VISTA flight UAR test sorties were flown. The time for the pilot to initiate a recovery was measured in addition to the correctness of the recovery. The flight tests were conducted with the use of the HUD combiner on VISTA to examine three symbology configurations. Each of the symbology configurations, the Mil-Std-1787C HUD, dual-articulated (DA) HUD, and ASAR HUD were evaluated by five pilots for the UAR task. The flight test results revealed the ASAR resulted in faster stick input for correction of UARs then the Mil-Std-1787C HUD. This study along with other supporting research indicates that the configural design properties of the ASAR support the ability of pilots to quickly ascertain aircraft attitude.
The Central Role of Principal Issues in Aviation Accident Investigation
Authors: Coury Bruce G. , Kolly Joseph M. , Gormley Erin , Dietz Aaron
Published: January 2012

Major aviation accident investigations conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board involve uncertainties in cause, complexities in avenues of inquiry, multiple stakeholders, and no obvious solution path. As a result, investigations can be difficult, time consuming, and resource intensive. This paper will describe a project being conducted at NTSB to develop an approach to accident investigation that takes into consideration the complexities, uncertainties, and nonlinearities in accident investigation. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of this approach for the typical linear, structured approaches to accident investigation.
Older Adults and Technology Adoption
Authors: Czaja Sara J. , Lee Chin Chin , Nair Sankaran N. , Sharit Joseph
Published: January 2012

Access to computers and the Internet is a major public policy concern as technology has become a significant aspect of economic, social and health equity. Recent data suggest that although computer and Internet use is lower among older, as compared to younger adults access is increasing among older people. This paper examines changes in use of computers and the Internet over time (2000–2002 and 2006–2007) among two samples (N=424) of older adults ranging in age from 50–85 yrs. Data are also reported on changes in attitudes towards computers and how adoption is influenced by attitudes and demographic characteristics. Technology adoption and attitudes towards computers were assessed via questionnaire. Over time, although there was no difference in percentage of participants who had computer experience, both breadth of computer use and Internet use increased. Participants from the more recent time point also reported more comfort with computers. The data also indicated that age, education, and comfort with computers predicted breadth of computer and Internet use. Understanding factors that influence access is important to the development of strategies to close the gap between adopters and non-adopters.
Advancing the Modeling of Student Performance through the Inclusion of Physiological Performance Measures
Authors: Biddle Elizabeth , McBride Dennis K. , Malone Linda C.
Published: January 2012

Sophisticated virtual environments and computer simulations provide realistic training environments and web-based delivery mechanisms enable students to train virtually anywhere, anytime. Consequently, the ability to automate instructional functions such as assessing and diagnosing student performance, providing instructional feedback, and appropriately advancing students through a given curriculum is vital to the effectiveness of these technologies. While simulations provide a rich environment for training complex tasks, they introduce a complex assessment environment, which creates challenges in the accurate and efficient diagnosis of trainee needs as a single behavior can be interpreted in several ways. Additionally, student state variables such as affect, personality, and motivation contribute to the numerous interpretations of a single student behavior. Therefore, accurate diagnosis of student learning needs is a daunting task; which has resulted in various investigations of simulation-based performance assessment techniques, but no single recommended best practice or guidelines. An adaptive learning research program (Perrin, Dargue, & Banks, 2003; Perrin et al., 2007) has developed a standards-based student modeling capability. This capability is based on root cause analysis of the underlying causes of student learning needs based on evaluation of fundamental knowledge mastery. As this approach is based on industry standards, this student modeling capability can be extended to include additional variables related to student performance such as student affect. In 2001, Sheldon demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of utilizing physiological measures to integrate student state variables into a student modeling capability. At the time of this research, physiological measurement devices used sensors that required the user to restrict his movements in order to ensure integrity of the data recorded and to not disturb the wiring that tethered him to a computerized recording device. Physiological measuring technologies have significantly advanced since this time, such that wireless, accurate measurement devices are available, thus allowing for integration with a training environment. The focus of this lecture is on bridging the student state and standards-based student modeling methodologies to provide an improved student modeling capability.
Effects of Task Performance and Task Complexity on the Validity of Computational Models of Attention
Authors: de Koning Lisette , van Maanen Peter-Paul , van Dongen Kees
Published: January 2012

Computational models of attention can be used as a component of decision support systems. For accurate support, a computational model of attention has to be valid and robust. The effects of task performance and task complexity on the validity of three different computational models of attention were investigated in an experiment. The gaze-based model uses gaze behavior to determine where the subject's attention is, the task-based model uses information about the task and the combined model uses both gaze behavior and task information. While performing a tactical compilation task, participants had to indicate to what set of objects their attention was allocated. The indications of the participants were compared with the estimations of the three models. The results show that overall, the estimation of the combined model was better than that of the other two models. Contrary to what was expected, the performance of the models was not different for good and bad performers and was not different for a simple and complex scenario. The difference in complexity and performance might not have been strong enough. Further research is needed to determine if improvement of the combined model is possible with additional features and if computational models of attention can effectively be used in decision support systems. This can be done using a similar validation methodology as presented in this paper.
Motive and Affect Based Control for Uninhabited Vehicles
Authors: Pepe Aaron A. , Zachary Wayne , Read Stephen , Miller Lynn , Iordanov Vassil , Miller Darius , Chopra Gurveen
Published: January 2012

Two core challenges must be overcome to enable the wider use of robotic and uninhabited vehicles by personnel with limited training. These are robust and understandable autonomy and simplified, intuitive, and learnable human control mechanisms. Our research is based on the premise that investigation into computational models of human cognition, personality, communication, and emotion can be used to solve leading edge problems in robotic and uninhabited vehicle control. Specifically, it is hoped that Motive and Affect-based Robotic Control (MARC) can enhance collaboration between human controllers and robotic vehicles by enabling a motive and affect based control language and paradigm that more closely resembles that used by human dyads and teams in collaborative behavior. Results of our research indicate an improved ability of human controllers with minimal training to use a MARC prototype to control multiple UAV's in a simulated mission. Workload comparisons (Cooper-Harper and NASA-TLX) with a baseline control interface indicate a clear advantage to the MARC based system.
The Effect of Task Based Automation for the Control of Unmanned Systems on Operator Performance
Authors: Cosenzo Keryl , Parasuraman Raja , Pillalamarri Krishna
Published: January 2012

Robotic technology will be a vital component of future combat. However, the combination of robotic operational tasks with other traditional military tasks will create high workload peaks during military operations. The objective of this research is to develop and evaluate flexible automation strategies to aid the operator in this complex military environment. In this experiment we evaluated the effect of an automation that was invoked based on task load. Participants conducted a military reconnaissance mission using a simulation that required them to: use an unmanned air vehicle sensor for target detection, monitor an unmanned ground vehicle, and respond to multi-level communications. Participants completed sixteen missions in the environment, during which task load and automation were manipulated. The results of this experiment showed that operator performance did improve when the automation, an aided target recognition for the unmanned air vehicle, was invoked relative to when it was not invoked. Further, when automation was appropriately applied (high task load conditions) workload decreased significantly. This data along with the results of other experiments discussed in this paper indicate that adaptive automation may be a useful mitigation strategy to help offset the potential deleterious effects of high cognitive load on Army robotic operators in a multitasking environment.
Work Domain Analysis for Assessing Simulated Worlds for ATC Studies
Authors: Xiao T. , Sanderson P. M. , Mooij M. , Fothergill S.
Published: January 2012

Work Domain Analysis (WDA) was used in a study of the workload of en route Air Traffic Controllers (ATCos) to help characterise the fit between different ATC simulated worlds and our research aims. A WDA captured the ATCo's reasoning space in a way that exposed potential sources of workload, and it was then applied to three cases. Case 1 was the use of a simple laboratory program originally developed to study basic cognitive processes relating to conflict detection and separation. The program captured simple work domain properties relating to safety only. Case 2 was the use of an interactive ATC microworld to study ATCos' separation strategies and workload. The microworld captured a broader range of work domain properties related to safety and expeditiousness. Case 3 involved the evaluation of a task load metric in a full-scale ATC simulator operated by our industry partner, Airservices Australia. The simulator captured the broadest range of work domain properties related to safety, expeditiousness, and orderliness. Overall, WDA can be a useful tool for (a) helping research teams determine the appropriate level of work domain fidelity to examine specific research questions and (b) communicating the strengths and weaknesses of different simulated worlds for the purpose of research.
Selecting Methods for the Analysis of Reliance on Automation
Authors: Wang Lu , Jamieson Greg A. , Hollands Justin G.
Published: January 2012

Human reliance on imperfect automation has been the subject of many laboratory experiments. Across these studies, a diverse set of indices of reliance have been used, even in studies with similar experiment settings. This inconsistency of reliance measures makes the meta-analysis of experimental findings difficult. Moreover, few researchers have rigorously defined the optimal level of automation reliance in their settings, making it difficult to judge the appropriateness of that reliance. This paper attempts to guide researchers in selecting and interpreting measures of automation reliance behavior. We review the reliance analysis methods in existing research and propose four criteria for selecting among them. It is recommended that, where possible, future studies define optimal reliance to make unequivocal judgment about the appropriateness of reliance. In addition, more reliable and insightful conclusions can be obtained through the use of multiple measures.
Cognitive Artifacts in Transition: An Analysis of Information Content Changes between Manual and Electronic Patient Tracking Systems
Authors: Pennathur Priyadarshini R. , Guarrera Theresa K. , Bisantz Ann M. , Fairbanks Rollin J. , Perry Shawna J. , Wears Robert L.
Published: January 2012

Today's emergency departments (ED) could not function without a patient tracking system of some kind, manual or electronic. Manual patient tracking systems such as “whiteboards” are large, dry erase, manually updated status boards used as information tracking devices in most EDs. Although it is expected that manual whiteboard systems will completely transition to electronic patient tracking systems with increasing availability of technological solutions, it is not clear if these technological solutions will sufficiently address the information tracking needs of providers. This study documents the changes in the use of a manual whiteboard versus an electronic patient tracking system in an ED to compare types of information and meanings of the represented information. Results show that both systems were used to represent information serving a variety of functional roles. In addition, an analysis of patient chief complaint entries indicates that manual whiteboards are used more dynamically than electronic systems. Differences in functional uses of the systems and the consequences of these changes are discussed.
Dealing with Interruptions can be Complex, but does Interruption Complexity Matter: A Mental Resources Approach to Quantifying Disruptions
Authors: Cades David M. , Werner Nicole , Boehm-Davis Deborah A. , Trafton J. Gregory , Monk Christopher A.
Published: January 2012

Past work examining the effects of interruption complexity on primary task performance has yielded quite mixed results. Some research suggests that more complex interruptions lead to greater disruption of the primary task, while other studies have shown that interruption complexity does not directly influence the amount of primary task disruption. It is our hypothesis that interruption complexity, defined by the number of mental operators required to complete a task as opposed to an intuitive sense of difficulty, does affect primary task performance, such that interruptions requiring more mental operators (more complex) lead to greater disruption than do less complex interruptions. Participants performed a single primary task in conjunction with either a simple or complex interruption. The complex interruption required more mental operators to complete than the simple interruption. Our results showed that it took longer to resume the primary task following a complex interruption than it did following a simple interruption. These results suggest that more complex interruptions, as quantified by the number of mental operations required, do indeed lead to greater primary task disruption.
Cultivating Resilience in Urban Firefighting: Supporting Skill Acquisition through Scenario Design
Authors: Voshell Martin , Trent Stoney , Prue Brian , Fern Lisa C.
Published: January 2012

Whether studying human cognition, designing new technologies, or exploring concepts such as safety and resilience, understanding decision making in natural settings is fundamental to Cognitive Systems Engineering (CSE). Across all of these, it is crucial for human factors engineers to be able to create realistic scenarios of interest that hit upon “cognitive pressure points” (Woods and Dekker, 2000) to elicit challenges and observe patterns in cognitive work. Although many converging methodologies have provided a rich ecological body of practice-based research and application, there is a shortage of research demonstrating the efficacy of scenario-based design in support of skill acquisition. Based on continuing research with a major metropolitan fire department, the current paper reports initial findings from ongoing work analysis. From a series of scenarios, patterns of coordination challenges are discussed with implications for future emergency response operations and training.
Using Work Domain Analysis to Evaluate the Impact of Digitization on Command and Control
Authors: Jenkins Daniel P. , Stanton Neville A. , Salmon Paul M. , Walker Guy H.
Published: January 2012

This paper introduces a new approach for evaluating the impact of technological change on complex sociotechnical systems. The approach uses Work Domain Analysis as a theoretical base for extracting the key factors that influence system performance. The process has been designed to be expeditious, both in terms of construction and data collection. The approach uses the opinion of subject matter experts to evaluate the impact of each of the abstraction hierarchy nodes on system performance. This approach was used to evaluate the effects of digitization within land based military headquarters, at brigade and battlegroup levels. The proposed approach proved sensitive enough to reveal clear differences between the old analogue and new digital system. The description of the same system at a number of levels of abstraction allows the analyst to develop a high level rating of the system as well as understanding of the key factors that have influenced this opinion.
An In-Depth Look into the Text Entry User Experience on the iPhone
Authors: Allen Jennifer M. , McFarlin Leslie A. , Green Thomas
Published: January 2012

Sixty volunteers participated in a within-groups study aimed at evaluating the text entry system on the iPhone. Participants completed multiple structured text entry tasks on the iPhone's soft keyboard and two hard-key mobile phone keypads - QWERTY and numeric. The message completion time and number of errors per message were collected to identify potential differences in performance between the devices. Participants made significantly more total errors on the iPhone than on the hard-key numeric and QWERTY phones. When using the iPhone, iPhone owners left more errors in the completed messages than hard-key QWERTY device owners. Furthermore, novice and expert iPhone users did not differ in terms of the number of errors they made on the iPhone. A detailed analysis of the iPhone keyboard was also conducted. iPhone key hit rates were all above 90%, while hit rates for a hard-key QWERTY keypad were above 96%. Keys on the iPhone also had higher false alarm rates.
The Impact of Web Page Usability Guideline Implementation on Aesthetics and Perceptions of the E-Retailer
Authors: Agarwal Anshu , Hedge Alan
Published: January 2012

This study examined the impact of front-end, web page usability guideline implementation on aesthetic evaluations of e-commerce web pages and perceptions of the e-retailer. Four design factors (background color, white space, thumbnail image location, and thumbnail image size) were selected and varied based upon an in-depth review of the usability, human factors, and human-computer interaction literature. As a secondary focus, this study also explored the impact of these design factors on consumer trust, product preference, and purchase intention. Conjoint analysis and optimal design methodologies were used to develop sixteen web page prototypes, which were assessed through an online survey. Results indicated that subtle design manipulations had significant effects on consumer evaluations of web page aesthetics and perceptions of the e-retailer.
Secondary Encoding
Authors: Tang Lisa , Fourney David , Huang Fei , Carter Jim
Published: January 2012

Translation between media is often used to make information encoded in one modality available to users who are unable to make use of that modality. Translation acts on the primary means of encoding the information (e.g., text, sound). Secondary encoding (e.g., color, intonations) is often added to primarily encoded information to help the user correctly interpret its intended meaning. During translation between media, secondary encodings are often removed and their information remains inaccessible. When this happens, miscommunications may occur. Although secondary encoding is a multi-discipline problem, different types of secondary encoding are usually analyzed as separate problems. In reality, they are aspects of a single problem. This paper presents a taxonomy of secondary encodings and guidance for improving the accessibility of secondary encoded information.
The Ongoing Evolution of Standards to Meet the Needs of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Authors: Fourney David , Carter Jim
Published: January 2012

The recent publication of three documents by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) evolves the previous understanding of the needs of deaf and hard of hearing computer users. This paper explores these new documents and their recommendations for this group of users. The implications of these new guidelines and their relation to other standards are also discussed.
Teaching Human Factors through Popular Music: A Series of Human Information Processing Demonstrations
Authors: Resnick Marc L.
Published: January 2012

Human Information Processing (HIP) is an important component of human factors training and education because challenges of HIP are often the limiting factor in human performance. Demonstrations in which students personally experience the strengths and weaknesses of HIP are an effective pedagogical technique because of the salience of personal experience and the possibility of metacognitive insight. Using popular music as a content source adds an additional benefit because students and trainees of all ages and experience will be familiar with it and it is intrinsically motivating. These demonstrations are also easy and inexpensive to create and deliver. This paper presents a series of demonstrations using popular music that can be used to demonstrate each of the stages of HIP. The paper also describes possible methods and discussion points that can be used during and after the demonstration.
A Pilot Test of Participatory Ergonomics and Technology Teams among High School Teachers
Authors: Korkmaz Sahika Vatan , Sommerich Carolyn M. , Lavender Steven A.
Published: January 2012

The promise and potential of Information Technology (IT) to improve education in educational environments is offset by potential for problems that can stem from an unhealthy information ecology. The long-term goal of this line of research was to improve teachers' effectiveness with IT and incorporating IT into their curriculum. This goal was addressed in this research through a participatory approach that employed an action research model. The specific aim was establishing small groups of teachers to meet weekly to engage in collaborative exploration of the use of IT in their classrooms and assessing progress of their learning. Teachers' team evaluation surveys indicated that a majority of Participatory Ergonomics and Technology Team members were satisfied with their participation and the quality of the teams. Team member teachers' perception about their own computer proficiency and their belief about the usefulness of IT statistically increased from pre- to post-intervention. It is possible to conclude that this approach is a viable method that may have positive effects on supporting teacher collegiality and improving teachers' use of IT.
Comparisons of Seated Postures between Office Tasks
Authors: Nathan-Roberts Dan , Chen BingYune , Gscheidle Gretchen , Rempel David
Published: January 2012

Seating is an active area of ergonomics research; however, little research has been performed that evaluates seated body postures for a variety of tasks and chairs. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of common office tasks on head, upper extremity, torso, hip, and leg postures. Prolonged awkward postures may contribute to musculoskeletal pain and disorders. Twenty-five participants performed four office tasks using four office chairs while postures were recorded using a 3D optical marker system. The tasks were typing on a desk fixed at 73.7cm (29“), typing with the desk adjusted to be slightly above elbow height, reclined movie watching, and a forward leaning writing task. Head angle, pelvis-to-head angle, thoracic cage angle, and pelvis angle were all significantly different between tasks ( p = <0.0001). This method for full body posture measurement will allow further research into the effects of tasks and chairs on seated posture.
Challenges in Forensics Practice and Ethics for Expert Witnesses
Authors: Hornick Richard J. , Hendrick Hal W. , Kennedy Robert , Laughery Kenneth , Thompson David
Published: January 2012

This is another in a series in which experienced practitioners consulting in the forensics arena address practical as well as related ethical considerations in the area of human factors. The panelists address issues regarding working with plaintiff versus defense attorneys, dealing with demands for records and support materials including computer files, fees and contracts, interacting with attorneys who try to direct or control testimony, and what differences might exist for presentations to juries versus those for scientific meetings. The participants also comment on their most satisfying as well as their most uncomfortable or frustrating experiences.
Controllability of Manual and Powered Wheelchairs for Spinal Cord Injury Users
Authors: Drury Colin , Koontz Alicia , Feathers David , Kankipati Padmaja , Paquet Victor , Lin Jui-Feng
Published: January 2012

This study investigates wheelchair maneuvering control for persons with a spinal cord injury across two protocols, path control and terminal aiming. Thirty-one participants using either a manual or powered wheelchair, performed self-paced longitudinal movements (path control) as well as self-paced stopping actions (terminal aiming) across multiple trials. Results show performance differences across both protocols for manual and power wheelchair user groups. This study exemplifies the use of model-based data for clinical applications. Further research using this approach may help to identify individual control settings for optimal maneuvering performance.
Bridging Human Factors and Human Reliability Analysis
Authors: Boring Ronald Laurids , Bye Andreas
Published: January 2012

Human factors (HF) and human reliability analysis (HRA) are often treated as two distinct disciplines. The former is seen under the purview of experimental psychology, while the latter is linked to an engineering approach for risk assessment. Despite this seeming separation, there exists significant overlap between these approaches, and it may be argued that the two disciplines are, in fact, more integrated than dissimilar. This paper explores the historical origins of the perceived differences between HF and HRA, discusses the seemingly disparate data end products of HF and HRA, and proposes a research framework in which the complementary nature of HF and HRA is fully realized.
What is IT? New Conceptualizations and Measures of Pediatric Nurses' Acceptance of Bar-Coded Medication Administration Information Technology
Authors: Holden Richard J. , Scanlon Matthew C. , Brown Roger L. , Karsh Ben-Tzion
Published: January 2012

New healthcare technologies, such as bar-coded medication administration (BCMA), are implemented into rich, multiple-level work system, and jointly shape work processes. We provide theoretical and methodological rationale for studying these processes as a way to understand the impact of technologies in healthcare. Results are reported from a study conducted before and after implementation of BCMA in a pediatric hospital, in which the outcome of interest was satisfaction with the medication administration process. As predicted, two beliefs about the medication process, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, predicted satisfaction with the process before and after BCMA.
Effects of Interruptions on Prospective Memory Performance in Anesthesiology
Authors: Grundgeiger T. , Liu D. , Sanderson P.M. , Jenkins S. , Leane T.
Published: January 2012

Interruptions have been associated with adverse events in healthcare. However, supporting studies are descriptive and atheoretical rather than explanatory, and they seldom show that interruptions compromise patient safety. Prospective memory may provide useful theoretical background. We analyzed video from a full-scale patient simulator for factors enhancing or inhibiting anesthesiologists' prospective memory performance. The critical task was to remember to cross check a unit of blood against the patient before administering the blood. All 12 participants were interrupted by the surgeon when the blood arrived. Only participants who self-initiated the retrieval (n = 3), or returned their full attention to the transfusion task and saw the blood bag label (n = 7), remembered the check. The result can be explained with findings from prospective memory literature.
Characterizing Finger Palpation in the Detection of Prostate Cancers and Abnormalities
Authors: Wang Ninghuan , Gerling Gregory J. , Childress Reba Moyer , Martin Marcus L.
Published: January 2012

Prostate cancer is detected in part via the digital rectal examination. Training for this hands-on exam is limited, in particular, by feedback given trainees with respect to finger palpation. This work characterizes finger palpation technique exerted by participants, using a simulator that can electronically record finger pressure on the prostate gland and abnormalities. In principal, we analyze 1) global finger movement, 2) local finger movement and 3) average finger pressure. The analysis determined that participants utilize four patterns of global finger movement (U, V, L and line), three patterns of local finger movement (tapping, vibration, smooth movement), and distinct finger pressures (in Newtons). This analysis also determined that participants who utilized certain techniques were better able to detect presented abnormalities.
Clinical Communication in a Trauma Intensive Care Unit (ICU): A Case Study
Authors: Miller Anne , Miller Richard , Hutchison Sarah , Weinger Matt , Buerhaus Peter
Published: January 2012

In 2006, JCAHO defined the second of its National Patient Safety goals as to “Improve the effectiveness of communication among caregivers”. The SBAR protocol gives practical guidelines for person-to-person communication but may not be appropriate in its current form for more complex contexts. This paper presents a case study showing communication processes in one ICU and illustrates important principles of complex clinical communication. The case study is based on observational and interview data from a bedside nurse, a charge nurse, a resident and a fellow over 12 hours each in a major trauma ICU. Artefacts were also collected and annotated. Five types of interconnected communication events are described in the sequence in which they occur. Each communication event is described in terms of its purpose, participants, process, and support tools. Four principles are defined.
Transport to Hospital: Design for Patient and Staff Safety
Authors: Hignett Sue , Coleman Roger , Crumpton Emma
Published: January 2012

In 2005 the UK Department of Health set out a vision for the provision of future ambulance services with an increasing range of quality mobile healthcare services for patients with urgent and emergency care needs. This paper describes a scoping study funded by the National Patient Safety Agency and Ambulance Service Association to investigate the short and longer term requirements of future emergency ambulances. Four stakeholder workshops were held to explore the wishes, concerns and preferences of the clinicians, operational staff and manufacturers about the future provision of ambulance services, and problems and possible solutions relating to ambulance design and use. Incident reports relating to ambulance design and use were reviewed from two national and international databases. Nine design codes were identified: access/egress; space and layout; securing people and equipment in transit; communication; security, violence and aggression; hygiene; equipment; vehicle engineering; patient experience. These topics are being used by the National Fleet Strategy Group to develop a specification for future emergency ambulances.
Potential Hazards in the Operating Room
Authors: Koneczny Sonja
Published: January 2012

The operating room (OR) unit is one of the most sensitive units of a hospital. Unfortunately, only limited efforts have been made so far to optimize the OR towards being an ergonomic work place. Due to a lack of ergonomics, awkward postures and adaptation to sub-optimal conditions, potential hazards for the OR staff as well as for the patients are a normal course of life within operating rooms and OR units.

Based on the evaluation of various OR units and surveys among surgeons and OR nurses, various reasons for these hazards can be discovered: medical technical devices were found to be lacking in usability as a result of unclear symbols, hindrances and insufficient ease in handling. In addition, the positioning of devices in the OR demonstrates ergonomic deficiencies which force the employees into awkward and often painful working postures. Cables and tubes often create snares for stumbling, hinder the OR team in their work or cannot be clearly assigned to the correct device.

Combining the findings from the ergonomic checklist with the results of the surveys draws a very sharp picture concerning potential hazards within the OR. These hazards can, sometimes easily, be minimized and therewith the safety of the working place OR can be maximized for the OR team as well as for the patient.
Models of Motor Control and Performance
Authors: Gray Wayne D. , Rosenbaum David A. , Martin Bernard J. , Byrne Michael D. , John Bonnie E. , Raschke Ulrich
Published: January 2012

Modern models of motor control and performance provide significant advances over the tried and true Fitts' Law on which Human Factors professionals still depend. However, the topic of motor control and performance is complex and the issues surrounding almost every aspect of the topic at times seem confusing or confused. To cut through this confusion, this symposium has assembled five researchers who represent different constituencies in the development and use of motor models. An overview will be provided of cognitive models of motor control as well as biomechanical and neural models. Unfortunately, the most modern models of motor movement have not been integrated into cognitive architectures such as ACT-R and EPIC. The Symposium will include a discussion of the obstacles to and advantages of such integration. Complex models may thrill the heart of the specialist with the subtleties that they embody, but may be difficult for the practitioner to use. An important question that will be posed and discussed is how simple can motor modeling be and still be useful?
Rating Severity of Aircraft Separation Violations from Logic of Collision Probability
Authors: Sheridan Thomas B.
Published: January 2012

Rating the severity of losses of standard separation between aircraft in controlled airspace is a critical component in the measurement of aviation safety performance. The proposed model provides such a severity rating based on a collision probability estimate for an event that is replayed with limited position variability. The model incorporates: (1) normalized slant separation derived from percentage of required horizontal and vertical separation, (2) size of each aircraft involved, and (3) a probability density function fitted to the slant range to account for human controller and radar surveillance variability error and pilot-aircraft controllability. The form of such a model may be used to evaluate anticipated future changes in separation standards, aircraft equipage, flight procedures, etc.
Issues and Challenges in Human Performance Modeling in Aviation: Goals, Advances, and Gaps
Authors: Byrne Michael D. , Kirlik Alex , Allard Terry , Hooey Becky L. , Gluck Kevin A. , Wickens Christopher D. , Pritchett Amy R. , Foyle David C.
Published: January 2012

As in many areas in Human Factors, human performance modeling has a long history in the aviation community. The real-time dynamism and safety criticality of the domain calls for the most advanced tools possible, and also provides a strong testbed for any modeling formalism Recent work has demonstrated significant advances in this field in the last decade, both in terms of applications to aviation and in terms of the domain pushing back and advancing the state of the art in modeling. Despite these advances, however, there is still a gap between even the most advanced models and engineering practice. In this panel, we intend to discuss all of these aspects of human performance modeling in aviation.
Relationships between Caffeine Consumption, Cognitive Slips-Failures, Daily Stress, and Sleep
Authors: Helton William S. , Holmstrom Richard
Published: January 2012

This article presents a study investigating the relationships between caffeine consumption, cognitive slips-failures, sleep and a short multidimensional self-report measure of daily stress state, the Short Stress State Questionnaire - Daily (SSSQ-D; Helton, Fields, & Thoreson, 2005). Thirteen participants filled out the SSSQ-D twice daily for approximately 14 days, once in the morning and once at night. They also reported daily cognitive slips-failures, caffeine consumption, and their sleep was recorded using actigraphs. Daily Distress and Worry correlated significantly with cognitive slips and sleep duration between-subjects. Until more is known, human operators should get the recommended 7–8hrs of sleep.
Concurrent Validity of Individual Differences in Intelligence in Activity Differences of Handicapped Wheelchair Users
Authors: Jipp Meike , Wittmann Werner W. , Badreddin Essameddin
Published: January 2012

The following paper investigates the concurrent validity of individual differences at the lower end of the continuum of intelligence and especially with regard to the cognitive processes determining situation adaptation. These cognitive processes can be used for intention estimation behaviors for intuitive wheelchair control. After a theoretical overview discussing the potential relationship between situation adaptation and intelligence, a study was conducted with 16 wheelchair users whose intelligence scores deviated from the mean with about two standard deviations. Still, the individual differences at hand were highly predictive especially with regard to the durations of their operations and with regard to shifts of the order of operations. Implications of these results especially with regard to intention estimation behaviors and adaptive automation are discussed.