bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Probe Variables for Nonvisual Judgment of Pathway Safety
Authors: Burton Gregory
Published: January 2012

About 10% of visually impaired Americans use canes to aid locomotion. Prior research has found surprisingly little influence of mechanical variables of these probes on judgments of walkway variables explored with them, and cane users spontaneously report employing various cane substitutes with little decrement. Cane users seem able to adapt to the mechanical variables of their tools, which approach functional transparency to the qualities explored. New research is discussed in which traditional-style aftereffects will be sought in conditions in which participants wield the same probe for several consecutive trials.
Ergonomic Evaluation of Student Computer Workstations
Authors: McKinney A. , Kub E. , Hallbeck M. S.
Published: January 2012

Student computer workstations have often been overlooked by ergonomists due to their temporary nature of use. Since students usually work at these facilities for a short period of time, ergonomic issues are often overlooked. Four different labs in a university setting were observed for comparison of the actual setup with the “ideal” setup. Placement of the monitor, keyboard, CPU, mouse, and work papers were documented. Postures of students were also taken to compare with the “ideal” posture while working at a computer. Students observed rarely adjusted the setup of the workstation to fit the “ideal” standard.
Industrial Ergonomics Tool Use by Certified Professional Ergonomists
Authors: Dempsey Patrick G. , McGorry Raymond W. , Maynard Wayne S.
Published: January 2012

A survey of Certified Professional Ergonomists (CPEs) was conducted to gather information on the types of basic tools, direct and observational measurement techniques, and software used by practitioners. The results of the industrial ergonomics tools are reported here. A high percentage of respondents reported using tape measures, video cameras, stopwatches and digital cameras. The most commonly used observational methods were those involving manual materials handling, whereas the most commonly used direct measurement tools were pinch and grip dynamometers and push/pull gauges. The type of checklists, software, and anthropometric data used also are summarized, and potential reasons for use, or lack of, are discussed.
The Effects of Distance on Psychophysically Determined Pushing and Pulling Tasks for Female Industrial Workers
Authors: Ciriello Vincent M.
Published: January 2012

The most frequent and expensive cause category of compensable loss is manual material handling (MMH). In an attempt to minimize these losses, refinement of existing MMH guidelines is a component of redesigning high risk MMH jobs. In the development of our present MMH guidelines (Snook & Ciriello, 1991), maximum acceptable forces (MAFs) of pulling were assumed to respond similarly to pushing at longer distances for male and female industrial workers. The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the effects of 7.6m and 15.2m distances on both initial and sustained MAFs of pushing and pulling at a frequency of 1 min-1. A psychophysical methodology was used whereby the subjects were asked to select a workload without “straining themselves or without becoming unusually tired, weakened, overheated or out of breath.” Ten subjects worked 40 min at each push or pull task within a 4-hour test that included other MMH tasks. The results revealed that initial and sustained MAFs were not significantly different between pushing and pulling at both the 7.6m and 15.2m distance. However, task time was significantly longer for pulling at both distances. It was concluded that our existing guidelines present an accurate estimate of MAFs at the longer pull distances for female industrial workers
Effect of Handle Design and Target Location on Wrist Posture during Aiming with a Laparoscopic Tool
Authors: Judkins T. N. , DiMartino A. , Doné K. , Hallbeck M. S. , Oleynikov D.
Published: January 2012

Laparoscopic surgery is a rapidly increasing field in healthcare today. However, current laparoscopic tools have inadequate handle designs and have been directly linked to post-surgery pain among surgeons. This study recruited forty subjects (20 male, 20 female) to evaluate the effect of handle design as well as target location on accuracy, precision, and wrist posture during an aiming task. Two laparoscopic tools were used for this study: a commercially available scissor-grip tool and a custom-designed ergo-grip tool. Each subject was asked to aim through a trocar at the center of one of five targets using one of the tools. The target was viewed by a laparoscopic camera and presented on a television. The results of this study showed that accuracy and precision were affected by both target position and tool; however, the differences were small (< 2 mm). Wrist flexion and ulnar deviation angles were affected by both target position and tool. Differences due to target position were expected given different hand locations are required to hit each target. Flexion angle was significantly smaller for the ergo-grip tool as opposed to the scissor-grip tool. Ulnar deviation angle was significantly smaller for the scissor-grip tool than for the ergo-grip tool. All but one subject preferred the ergo-grip tool when performing the task, suggesting that wrist flexion is a stronger predictor of comfort than ulnar deviation though both should be considered when designing ergonomic hand tools.
Effect of Graphic Input Device and Repetition on Wrist Posture
Authors: Lilien Janice Serafine , Wughalter Emily H.
Published: January 2012

This study investigated the Wacom Intuos2 pen and tablet and/or standard Microsoft mouse on wrist posture of 20 experienced users. Wrist posture, measured by extension, flexion, ulnar, and radial deviation, was compared across three independent variables: repetition (repetitive or alternative), input device (mouse and/or pen), and session (session 1 and session 2). Devices were used during a graphical computer task, which was repeated or alternated for two 30 minute test sessions. Neutral wrist range was defined within 15 degrees of 0 in any direction. Input device group interacted with session to significantly impact wrist extension, F (3, 16) = 9.42, p<.001 and ulnar deviation, F (3, 16) = 3.23, p<.05. When analyzing repetition while using the mouse, less extension was found than the pen. Both devices required movement outside the defined neutral range for extension. A significant repetition by session interaction effect for wrist flexion was revealed: F (1, 16) = 6.83, p<.05. The repetitive group revealed little to no flexion during the first session which was statistically different than the alternative group; both groups were inside the neutral range.
Remote Contextual Inquiry: A Technique to Improve Enterprise Software
Authors: English Jeff , Rampoldi-Hnilo Lynn
Published: January 2012

It is difficult to evaluate the usability of large-scale enterprise software because it is customized to each company's business process when it is implemented. Remote Contextual Inquiry is a research technique that allows software teams to remotely view how software users interact with the system and the types of software customizations that have been made. Understanding how users interact with the software and the types of customizations made during implementation can help designers and product managers prioritize existing features for redesign and describe the need for new features.
Improving User Search with Embedded Boolean Search Hints
Authors: Bandos Jennifer , Resnick Marc L.
Published: January 2012

Because of the extensive use of search engines on the Internet, even small improvements in usability can lead to huge benefits in productivity and effectiveness. Unfortunately, Internet users have consistently shown that they are unable or unwilling to use Boolean operators effectively. This paper presents an investigation of the use of embedded Boolean search hints to improve user search query construction. These hints consist of short, targeted in-line messages that present task-focused instruction on the use of Boolean operators. Three types of help content were studied: semantic, syntactic, and exemplar. The results indicate that inline help can significantly improve performance. However, the improvement was produced only when the content specifically matched the users' needs. Furthermore, some unexpected results suggest that users' experience with other Boolean interfaces can impair performance. Implications for search interface design are discussed.
Internet-Based Distance Education Materials: Does Writing Style Matter?
Authors: Jones Keith S. , Elgin Peter D. , Johnson Brian R. , Farris J. Shawn
Published: January 2012

How can distance educators format materials so that they maximize usability and optimize learning? Several web-writing characteristics have been identified that address these questions. “Objective” writing, most analogous to educational text, presents information without exaggerations or boasting. “Concise” and “scannable” writing omit superfluous information and support visual scanning by highlighting key features, respectively. “Combined” writing aggregates characteristics from the objective, concise, and scannable styles. Previous research suggests that, in contrast to results from the commercial domain, these writing styles do not influence memory of distance education materials. This discrepancy is possibly due to measurement differences. To address this issue, the present study employed recognition (i.e., multiple-choice) and guided recall (i.e., fill-in-the-blank) tasks in order to assess the efficacy of the writing styles in a distance education context. The results, however, confirmed the earlier findings, i.e., regardless of the material's writing format, memory for web site content was unaffected.
Empirical Evaluation of Organizational Epidemiology in Power Plants
Authors: Ayres T. J. , Gross M. M.
Published: January 2012

This paper provides an update on an exploration of using empirically-developed equations (“models') to predict power plant performance from diverse antecedent conditions related to human performance. After covering background on the project approach and findings, recent results are discussed. Models in this second phase work were based on over 7 years of historical monthly data for operating and personnel conditions at one power plant, employing predictive lags of at least 4 months. Results were promising for several of the outcome measures studied. Strengths and limitations of the approach, and recommendations for future application, are discussed.
Transitions in Care: Signovers in the Emergency Department
Authors: Wears Robert L. , Perry Shawna J. , Eisenberg Eric , Murphy Lexa , Shapiro Marc , Beach Christopher , Croskerry Pat , Behara Ravi
Published: January 2012

The need for 24-hour emergency care requires emergency department (ED) staff to work in shifts. We observed shift transitions in 5 EDs as part of a study on safety in emergency care. We found the observable characteristics of shift transitions to be highly variable across institutions and dynamically variable within shift change episodes. However, across all sites, turnovers were interactional rather than transactional, and were highly tailored to the immediate context. The high degree of situatedness in the turnovers suggest they are not likely to be adapted to a standardized tool or protocol.
Design and Evaluation of a Graphical Pulmonary Display for Anesthesia
Authors: Drews Frank A. , Wachter S. Blake , Agutter James , Syroid Noah , Westenskow Dwayne
Published: January 2012

A multi-disciplinary team developed and evaluated a graphical pulmonary display to support anesthesiologist's treatment of pulmonary complications. The design process incorporated central findings from the areas of naturalistic decision-making and medical cognition, and used rapid iterative prototyping. To evaluate performance when using the pulmonary display, 19 anesthesiologists participated in a study in a high fidelity simulator. 10 subjects used the graphical pulmonary display; 9 received the same information presented numerically. The anesthesiologists treated five critical events and one “non-event”. Measurements were taken for effective treatment time. The pulmonary display tended to improve overall performance. In addition, we found effects of expertise, with experts treating faster than the two less experienced groups.
Clinical Reminders: Why Don't they use them?
Authors: Militello Laura , Patterson Emily S. , Tripp-Reimer Toni , Asch Steven M. , Fung Constance H. , Glassman Peter , Anders Shilo , Doebbeling Bradley
Published: January 2012

There are many potential benefits associated with the use of computerized clinical reminders for both health care providers and patients. Clinical reminders are designed to reduce the likelihood that an aspect of care will “fall though the cracks” during a busy exam, ensure that care is well-documented so that the range of health care providers interacting with each patient will have full access to the patient history, and increase standardization across patient exams. While most agree that the concept of clinical reminders is good, recent research indicates that some providers do not use clinical reminders when available (Demakis et al, 2000). This paper describes the qualitative portion of a survey study aimed at exploring the perceived facilitators and barriers to clinical reminder use within Veterans Administration health care facilities.
Human Factors and Safety in Medical Systems: Where have we Reached? Where should we go?
Authors: Gopher Daniel , Donchin Yoel , Cook Richard , Fulton Jane , Sanderson Penny
Published: January 2012

Over the last two decades there has been a growing recognition in the need for a systematic study of adverse events, errors and difficulties in health care. The systematic investigation of this topic and the resultant database have grown and diversified exponentially. We believe that the time has come to evaluate the achievements of this first wave of research, and discuss directions for the next stage. The participants in the panel have been major contributors to this area of work. They differ in their background and specific research interests, which reflect aspects of the overall medical system. The panel addresses several key questions: Merit of different information sources, retrospective versus prospective studies, implementation methods, and education needs. The discussion examines communalities and differences of philosophy, principles and approaches, with an eye on guiding future work.
Designing an Overview Display for Computer Supported Medication Administration to Reveal Hidden Dangers to Patient Safety
Authors: Chapman Roger J. , Carlson Russell A.
Published: January 2012

The Veterans Health Administration uses a software application called Bar Code Medication Administration (BCMA) to assist in medication administration. The wireless application is typically operated on a desktop or laptop computer, physically located on a mobile cart during med passes. It works with a handheld bar code reader to scan patient wristbands and their medications to verify a match between the patient identified and the medications scheduled at the time of the scanning. Since replacing the paper-based system with this technology the rate of medication errors has declined significantly. After a participatory design process developing an overview display for BCMA, it was concluded such an additional view on the patient and medication data has promising safety and efficiency benefits by (1) integrating the current med pass view with a broader summary of medications active in +/− 24 hours and the patient's condition, so that relationships can more easily be seen; and a natural direct manipulation mechanism to zoom in for more details would be provided; (2) including a picture of the patient as an additional form of identification; (3) supporting perceptual and mechanical filtering to separate medications by attributes (e.g. time due and status) and facilitate efficient situation awareness and prioritization of actions; (4) including status information for medication orders in other nurses' med passes so they can more easily collaborate; (5) for each medication showing both the last action and next action, so that status information can be used to maintain awareness of what has happened and is going to happen from a medication perspective.
Designing Simulation-Based Training Scenarios for Emergency Medical first Responders
Authors: Lai Fuji , Entin Eileen , Dierks Meghan , Raemer Daniel , Simon Robert
Published: January 2012

Simulation-based training is a promising instructional approach for training military and civilian medical first responders such as EMTs. There is a need for first responder training in cognitively-based skills such as situation assessment and decision making. We are developing a training program for first responders that uses mannequin-based simulation technology effectively to fill this training need for valid meaningful scenarios that can be integrated into the curriculum and applicable for a variety of EMT skill levels. The program will provide detailed scenarios, instructions for administering the program, and measures for performance feedback. Each scenario will exercise a combination of skills and the set of scenarios will span all of the higher-level skills that have been identified as benefiting from targeted training. We discuss here the iterative process of designing and developing the first of these scenarios which has been shown to be capable of tapping into and measuring different skill levels.
Applying Human Factors Research on Warnings to a Decision Support for Primary Care Physicians
Authors: Vashitz Geva , Meyer Joachim , Porath Avi , Zelingher Julian , Bonneh Dan Y. , Henkin Yaakov , Maislos Maximo , Peleg Roni , Gilutz Harel
Published: January 2012

Human Factors research on warning systems may have relevance beyond the specific domain of operators receiving warnings about potential problems in technological systems. We present an analysis of physicians' responses to letters generated by an automated decision support system in terms of findings in the human factors literature on warnings. The automated system mails reminders to primary medical teams about patients requiring screening or lipid-lowering drugs. The effectiveness of the system depends, among other factors, on physicians' responses to the reminders. Some properties of the reminder letter have parallels in warning systems. They should affect physicians' responses as they affect the responses of operators of technological systems. We report the results of preliminary analyses of data after a 16 months follow-up of 6,571 patients. The compliance rate to recommendations in the letters in the intervention group, in which physicians receive reminder letters, was significantly higher than in the control group. Physicians in the control group were found to be less compliant as the number of their patients requiring the medical care grows. In contrast, physicians in the intervention group, who received the reminder letters, maintained similar levels of compliance irrespective of the number of patients who required their care. Thus the letters appear to provide valuable information for physicians who have to cope with more difficult patient populations.
The Multi-Dimensional Nature of Stress in an Endoscopic Surgery Simulator
Authors: Klein Martina I. , Warm Joel S , Riley Michael A. , Matthews Gerald , Parsons Kelley S.
Published: January 2012

Endoscopic surgery offers substantial advantages over traditional open surgery, but endoscopic techniques require considerable practice and have been reported to induce high levels of stress in the surgeon. Some of that stress is believed to arise because of perceptual-motor distortions associated with the endoscopic interface. Prominent among those distortions is the disruption of normal eye-hand mapping in the endoscopic environment. The present study used the Dundee Stress State Questionnaire to determine the stress profile associated with performance in a simple endoscopic simulator under varying degrees of distortion of eye-hand mapping. The results indicated distinct stress profiles associated with different levels of hand-eye mapping distortion.
Optimizing the Surgeon-Robot Interface: The Effect of Control-Display Gain and Zoom Level on Movement Time
Authors: Ellis R. Darin , Cao Alex , Pandya Abhilash , Composto Anthony , Chacko Mathew , Klein Michael , Auner Greg
Published: January 2012

While many advances have been made in surgical robotics technology, even for surgeons with relatively high levels of robotic surgery experience, many tasks take less time to perform manually. Although there are other benefits to surgical robotics that may outweigh task completion time, relatively lower efficiency will hinder the adoption of this technology. This study focused on two interface parameters: Control-Display Gain (CDG, i.e., the amount of robot movement resulting from a given robot controller movement) and the optical Zoom level that defines the working field of view. Results from a study with 10 participants suggest that CDG is a promising interface parameter for optimizing movement time in robot-assisted surgical tasks. The results have implications for the development and implementation of intelligent surgeon-robot interface technology and hold the potential to greatly improve the efficiency of robotic-assisted surgery techniques.
Divided Attention in Using Robotic Surgical Systems
Authors: Webster J. L. , Cao C. G. L.
Published: January 2012

Current surgical robots require surgeons to divide their attention between performing the surgery and driving the robot. Our goal was to examine how this division of attention, as imposed by the new technology, affects the surgeon's performance and memory. We expected that combining the various sources of attentional demands on the robotic console would lead to better performance. Twelve subjects were tested using three interface designs: 1) LCD menu separated from operative site, 2) menu overlay on the operative site, and 3) voice control. Results showed that voice control was the fastest in delivering a command to the robot. Error rates and confidence levels were not significantly affected by the interfaces. This research has implications for designing future surgical robots to enhance the efficiency and safety of surgical procedures.
Problems with Medical Instrumentation Experienced by Patients with Disabilities
Authors: Winters Jill M. W. , Story Molly Follette , Barnekow Kris , Premo Brenda , Kailes June Isaacson , Schwier Erin , Rempel David , Winters Jack M.
Published: January 2012

Methods employed to conduct a national survey designed to identify some of the difficulties that people with disabilities have experienced as patients using medical instrumentation for healthcare are described, and results from the survey are presented. A Delphi study was conducted to refine the questionnaire, which was then distributed nationally, primarily via the Internet. The initial respondent pool was not representative of the racial, ethnic, age, and disability distribution of the population and data gathering is ongoing. Preliminary results are that a majority of respondents reported moderate to extreme difficulty with a range of common medical equipment and furniture, such as examination tables and weight scales. Subsequent studies will evaluate the identified problems in greater depth.
Signal Detection Theory Applied to Size Constancy in Virtual Environments
Authors: Raddatz Kimberly R. , Uhlarik John , Foura Jodi E.
Published: January 2012

Pictorial depth cues and instructional set are two factors that influence the degree to which size constancy maintains in static two-dimensional perspective displays. Signal detection theory (SDT) allows the determination of whether these factors influence observers' sensitivity to perceived size (d') versus their subjective criteria (bias) for making ”same” or ”different” discriminative responses. Two objects were presented at various perceived distances in static perspective displays that varied in number of available pictorial depth cues. Observers made comparative size judgments regarding the objects' apparent distal size (phenomenal instructions) or objective distal size (objective instructions). Observers showed greater sensitivity to distal size differences when responding to apparent, rather than objective size differences. The presence of more pictorial depth cues produced greater sensitivity than a reduced-cue condition, especially under objective instructions. Overall, results indicate that SDT reveals aspects of size perception in pictorial displays not assessed through more traditional analyses based solely on accuracy.
Length and Area Estimation with Visual and Tactile Stimuli
Authors: Sapp Merrill , Gillan Douglas J
Published: January 2012

Why do the psychophysical functions for line length (linear) and area (compressive) differ and do they differ for both the tactile and visual modalities? Experiments 1A and B examined the effects of a two-dimensional perception on psychophysical functions for visual perception. Participants used magnitude estimation to judge the diameter, area, and circumference of a set of 14 circles. The psychophysical functions for diameter was approximately 1.0, for area was approximately .60, and for circumference was above 1.0, indicating that two-dimensional perception, per se, does not cause the compressive function for area. Obtaining spatial information without vision can be important for people with demanding graphically based decision-making tasks and people with visual impairments. Tactile interfaces provide an alternative way to display and obtain information. Do the tactile and visual modalities process spatial information in similar ways? Experiment 2 examined the correspondence between visual and tactile perception. Participants touched, but did not see, a series of circles. For each circle they judged diameter, area, and circumference. Psychophysical functions for diameter length, circumference length, and area of a circle estimated by tactile perception in Experiment 2 were comparable to those for visual perception.
Performance Operating Characteristics for Spatial and Temporal Discriminations: Common or Separate Capacities?
Authors: Thropp J. E. , Szalma J. L. , Hancock P. A.
Published: January 2012

Resource-sharing between spatial and temporal processing was investigated using dual task methodology to construct performance operating characteristics. Spatial tasks involved discrimination of line length and temporal tasks involved discrimination of duration. Preliminary results suggest that a tradeoff occurs within the easier task of the two difficulty levels, but that a simple tradeoff is not observed at the more difficult level. This pattern of results suggests that the relationship between spatial and temporal perception varies according to difficulty level. That is, the degree to which the processes share common capacities varies as a function of the metrical characteristics of stimuli to be processed.
The Effect of Practice on Visual Change Detection in Computer Displays
Authors: Neumann John L. , Durlach Paula J.
Published: January 2012

People are sometimes unable to detect changes in their field of view, especially when the change coincides with a distraction. This failure to detect visual changes is known as change blindness. Our research on change blindness is motivated by the increasing use of complex digital displays in both military and industrial process control systems. We are interested in the extent to which important changes in displayed information might be missed, and methods to decrease vulnerability to change blindness. The present study examined whether practice detecting specific changes would lead to better change detection performance in general. Participants practiced detecting specific visual changes, such as an icon changing from blue to red, using the flicker paradigm with feedback given after each trial. Practice did lead to improved detection performance for the practiced changes (i.e. the blue to red changes). As performance improved, reaction time declined as well. To assess the generality of this effect, following practice, participants were given a transfer test in which changes that had not occurred during practice were scheduled (e.g., green to yellow changes or icon shape changes). Performance on these novel changes was significantly worse than for the practiced changes and there was no significant difference between the within-category changes (such as green to yellow instead of blue to red), and the between-category novel changes (the shape changes). These results therefore suggest that the improvements observed were specific to the changes practiced. On the other hand, the possibility exists that the procedure used actually taught participants to ignore the features that changed in transfer. During practice, these features were presented, but never changed. If participants learned to ignore these features during practice, that would work to oppose any generalization of heightened visual attention. This and other factors that may have affected performance are discussed.
When Dogs Fly: The Roles of Context and Stimulus Type in Predicting Non-Amnesic Visual Search
Authors: Sims Valerie K. , Diaz Derek D. , Ellis Linda U. , Sushil David
Published: January 2012

The present study examined whether search memory is facilitated by the presence of ecologically congruent cues. Participants completed a visual search task in which they had to decide whether one or two targets were present in an array of 12 items. Reaction time and eye movements were recorded. Targets consisted of either organic stimuli (person, dog, bird), artifacts (jets) or symbols (stars or a backwards ‘S’). These were placed on one of three backgrounds (neutral gray, sky, or grass). Reaction times showed that search memory was greatest for organic stimuli (people, dogs), followed by complex symbols, and finally stimuli that are most associated with aerial searches. Eye movements showed a similar pattern of results. This pattern of data suggests a continuum in the reliance on inhibitive markers during visual search, such that naturally paired stimuli and backgrounds may be more likely to yield non-amnesic searches.
Kinesthetic Cueing for Manual Control in Rotated Frames: Compact Input Devices and User Technical Background
Authors: Adelstein B. D. , Ellis S. R. , Smith K. D. , Welch R. B.
Published: January 2012

The present study of user's capacity to utilize hand pose to sense the control coordinates of a manipulative task environment extends previous studies of this cueing method to examine more widely used trackball and trackpad computer input devices. Test subjects controlled the input devices with their right hand, while their left hand was aligned with an adjustable rigid object that provided the kinesthetically sensed cue. Results show that the kinesthetic cue reduces extraneous path motion, as previously seen for pen-tablet devices. Analysis indicates that when the cue was present, individuals having more exposure to geometry and mathematics slowed their movements, possibly indicating additional mental processing to monitor motion. Without cueing, the trackpad users showed worse performance than trackball users at large rotational disturbances. However, trackpad users showed the greatest improvements when the cue was added.
Choosing Frames of Referenece: Perspective-Taking in a 2D and 3D Navigational Task
Authors: Mintz Farilee E. , Trafton J. Gregory , Marsh Elaine , Perzanowski Dennis
Published: January 2012

This study investigates how frames of reference are chosen in a dynamic navigational task. Participants issued verbal instructions to an animated robot and were provided with one of three views for navigating the animated robot around a virtual world. The different views included a flat two-dimensional (2D) North-up map, a three-dimensional (3D) robot's eye view of the world, and a 3D view from behind the robot (3D-Camera) in which depth cues were manipulated. Our results show people adopt an egocentric frame of reference when depth cues are salient and an exocentric reference frame when depth cues are absent. The results suggest the absence or presence of depth cues is a critical component in choosing a reference frame. We discuss the extension of Bryant and Tversky's (1999) theoretical framework to a dynamic environment, such as navigation.
Application of the Multiple Resources Questionnaire (MRQ) to a Complex Gaming Environment
Authors: Boles David B. , Phillips Jeffrey B. , Perdelwitz Jason R. , Bursk Jonathan H.
Published: January 2012

The Multiple Resources Questionnaire (MRQ) is an easily administered instrument for measuring subjective workload, with a previously demonstrated ability to predict dual-task interference between simple laboratory-based tasks. Here its predictive properties are investigated using complex computer-based games. Participants performed pairs of games simultaneously with opposite hands. Percent performance decrements relative to single games were found to be positively correlated to the resource similarity between games as assessed by the MRQ. Specifically, a profile similarity metric (RSQ, the squared correlation between games in resource usage) significantly outperformed metrics based on overlap similarity (OLAP, the summation of minima across resources) and overall demand (TOT, the total demand summed across resources). The correlation obtained between the RSQ metric and task interference, r = +0.61, indicates that the MRQ possesses substantial criterion validity when applied to complex tasks.
Using Fault Trees and Cognitive Work Analysis to Assess Human Actions in Aviation Accidents
Authors: Coury Bruce G. , Schulze Dana
Published: January 2012

One of the functions of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is to examine and assess accident investigation methods and techniques. In this paper we present an approach being explored to assess human actions in aviation accidents that draws from fault tree analysis and cognitive work analysis. The paper shows how these two different approaches can be used to model human actions in an aviation accident, and then integrate the results of that process into an overall accident investigation process. The paper begins by showing how a fault tree depicts the sources of human interaction failures with aircraft systems, and then proceeds to describe the steps taken to derive the failures using cognitive work analysis. The paper concludes with a discussion of ongoing efforts to test the method and to explore other techniques.
Development, Status and Implications of ANSI Z535.6—A New Standard for Safety Information in Product-Accompanying Literature
Authors: Frantz J. Paul , Young Stephen L. , Bell Gary , Dorris Nathan , Hall Steven , White Sharon ,   ANSI Z535.6 Subcommittee Members
Published: January 2012

The ANSI Z535 Accredited Standards Committee is in the process of creating a new standard, ANSI Z535.6, which will address the presentation of safety information in product-accompanying literature (owner's manuals, instruction sheets, etc.). The Z535.6 subcommittee is completing a draft that will be considered by the Z535 committee in 2004. This panel session is intended to provide information about the proposed standard, its development, its application, and other issues related to the provision of safety information in product-accompanying literature.
Communication of Drug Hazard Information: A Critical Analysis of the Relationship between the Pharmaceutical Industry, FDA, Clinicians, and Patients and the Impact on Patient Safety
Authors: Vredenburgh Alison G. , Weinger Matthew B.
Published: January 2012

Adverse drug events (ADE) are common, costly, and responsible for significant morbidity and mortality among hospitalized patients. They are a leading cause of death, accounting for up to 106,000 American deaths annually. Our healthcare system relies on accurate reporting of ADE by clinicians to the pharmaceutical companies, and by the companies to the FDA. The system also relies on the pharmaceutical companies providing accurate and complete warnings and contraindications to physicians and patients. Frequently, however, these risks are not effectively communicated to those who prescribe and take the medications. A critical evaluation of the American drug hazard management system reveals several factors that contribute to these shortcomings and therefore impact patient safety. These system components interact to increase the probability of adverse drug events and accordingly, impact consumer safety.
A Model for Estimating Thermal Stress and Recovery Cycles for Firefighters
Authors: French Jon , Miller Jeff , Campbell Greg
Published: January 2012

The Thermal Stress Index (TSI) was developed to provide a means for rapidly estimating the physiological severity of exposure to extreme temperatures for shipboard firefighters and to provide a rational means for finding their most effective work rest cycles. It was meant to be an adjunct to discrete event simulation models of human behavior in complex environments. In this way, a modeling tool with the TSI equation could be used to recommend the number of personnel needed onboard for fighting shipboard fires, the least recovery time needed before they could be returned to duties and to estimate the extent of heat casualties while an onboard fire is fought. As a stand-alone algorithm, the TSI could assist management of fire crews using a simple spreadsheet program to estimate safe exposure and recovery times for forest fires, such as those that annually burn US forests and major building fires.
Introduction to Human Performance Modeling (HPM) & to this Symposium on Cognitive HPM
Authors: Gray Wayne D. , Pew Richard W.
Published: January 2012

The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) has recently announced the formation of a new technical group on Human Performance Modeling. This brief paper discusses the need and scope for that group. It also serves as an introduction to the symposium on Cognitive Human Performance Modeling
Use of Discrete Event Simulation to Model Human Performance
Authors: Schunk Dan , Plott Beth
Published: January 2012

For the past twenty years, Micro Saint simulation software has been helping the military and other commercial companies answer human performance related questions. Micro Saint Sharp, the next generation Micro Saint simulation tool, includes the ability to allow the user to add built-in parameters and reports that are specifically related to human performance modeling. With a well-designed model, users can easily represent who the operators are, what functions and tasks they perform, what visual, auditory, cognitive, and psychomotor demands are placed on them, and what their utilization is. There are a number of user-defined reports that can be generated based on the simulation execution. This demonstration will provide an overview of Micro Saint Sharp and present some of its new human performance modeling capabilities.
Human Factors and Voting Technology
Authors: Jastrzembski Tiffany
Published: January 2012

The success of any election ultimately depends on the voters' ability to accurately cast a vote using the given technology. If the user interface is confusing, the system may fail to record the intent of the voter, and essentially disenfranchise citizens in the process. In the extreme case of the fiasco surrounding the presidential election of 2000, it became exceedingly clear that the study of human factors for voting design was a necessary, yet neglected, area of research. This study presents an analysis of current electronic voting systems with regard to machine type (touchscreen versus touchscreen + keypad), ballot design (full ballot interface versus one office per page interface), and effects of age. Fifty participants ages 18–26 (M = 20.52) and fifty participants ages 64–77 (M = 68.27) were recruited from the community and asked to complete a hypothetical ballot given a list of candidates to choose, in each of four experimental conditions. Results revealed lowest error rates for both groups using the touchscreen system, and lowest errors for both groups using the one office per page interface. Touchscreen systems also revealed faster completion times than touchscreen + keypad designs for both age groups, with fastest completion times occurring in the full ballot interface. Implications are discussed.
What do Drivers Fail to See When Conversing on a Cell Phone?
Authors: Strayer David L. , Cooper Joel M. , Drews Frank A.
Published: January 2012

Our research examined the effects of hands-free cell phone conversations on simulated driving. We found that even when participants looked directly at objects in the driving environment, they were less likely to create a durable memory of those objects if they were conversing on a cell phone. Moreover, this pattern was obtained for objects of both high- and low-relevance, suggesting that very little semantic analysis of the objects occurs outside the restricted focus of attention. These data support the inattention-blindness interpretation in which the disruptive effects of cell phone conversations on driving are due in large part to the diversion of attention from driving to the phone conversation. We suggest that even when participants are directing their gaze at objects in the driving environment that they may fail to “see” them when they are on the phone because attention is directed elsewhere.
Hand-Held or Hands-Free? The Effects of Wireless Phone Interface Type on Phone Task Performance and Driver Preference
Authors: Mazzae Elizabeth N. , Ranney Thomas A. , Watson Ginger S. , Wightman Judith A.
Published: January 2012

The number of wireless phone subscribers in the U.S. is constantly growing. Studies have shown that use of wireless phones while driving contributes to crashes. Efforts to pass legislation allowing only hands-free wireless phone use while driving are widespread and based on the assumption that a hands-free interface is safer than a hand-held one. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conducted a driving simulator study to examine the effects of phone interface type on driving performance and drivers' ability to perform phone tasks. Participants' phone interface preferences were also recorded. Fifty-four participants drove a simulated freeway route with each of three phone interfaces: hand-held, headset hands-free (voice dialing and headset), and voice dialing hands-free (voice dialing with cradle-mounted speaker phone). Although post-drive questionnaire results show that participants rated the hand-held interface to be most difficult to use, this interface was associated with the fewest dialing errors and significantly faster dialing times than the two hands-free interfaces. Drivers answered the phone more quickly when using the voice dialing hands-free phone interface than when using the hand-held or headset hands-free interfaces. Younger drivers answered the phone significantly more quickly than the older drivers. Hang up times were significantly faster in the voice dialing hands-free condition and were slowest in the headset hands-free condition. Conversation task performance did not differ as a function of phone interface. Thus, although drivers considered them easier to use than hand-held phone interfaces, hands-free interfaces were more time-consuming to interact with while driving. Further analyses of these data will investigate how other aspects of phone task performance are related to eye glance behavior and driving performance.
Inferring Driver Intent: A Case Study in Lane-Change Detection
Authors: Salvucci Dario D.
Published: January 2012

This paper introduces a robust, real-time system for detecting driver lane changes. Under the framework of a “mind-tracking architecture,” the system simulates a set of possible driver intentions and their resulting behaviors using an approximation of a rigorous and validated model of driver behavior. The system compares these simulations with a driver's actual observed behavior, thus inferring the driver's unobservable intentions. The paper demonstrates how this system can detect a driver's intention to change lanes, achieving an accuracy of 85% with a false alarm rate of 4%; detecting 80% of lane changes within 1/2 second and 90% within 1 second; and detecting 90% before the vehicle moves 1/4 of the lane width laterally — that is, approximately when the vehicle first touches the destination lane line.
Lane Change Warning Design Guidelines
Authors: Olsen Erik C. B.
Published: January 2012

Five design guidelines were created to aid in the development of lane change crash avoidance systems (LCAS), using on-road data. In preparation for guideline development, field data were used to characterize a sample of lane changes and baseline (straight-ahead) driving events. Analysis of lane change frequency and duration, as well as turn signal use and eye glance movements revealed unique patterns among drivers and conditions. The “vehicle + signal” predictive logistic regression model is recommended, taking advantage of distance, time-to-collision (TTC), and turn signal data. Design guidelines as the basis for LCAS development were: 1) Warning levels should include presence detection and imminent warnings; 2) Display modality should be visual displays for presence detection and auditory/tactile displays for imminent warnings; 3) Display location (visual) should include forward and mirror locations; 4) Predictive warning algorithms should include TTC, distance, brake and turn signal use, eye behavior, lane position, side object information, and acceleration; 5) In terms of system integration, LCAS should be designed in the context of other in-vehicle systems to maximize effectiveness and safety. Prior to implementation, testing is strongly recommended regarding warning levels, display location, warning format, predictive algorithms, and alarm rates.
Driver Deceleration and Response Time When Approaching an Intersection: Implications for Intersection Violation Warning
Authors: Perez Miguel A. , Doerzaph Zachary R. , Neale Vicki L.
Published: January 2012

It is estimated that as many as 2.7 million crashes per year occur at intersections or are intersection related. These crashes result in over 8,500 fatalities every year and have prompted substantial research of technologies that provide vehicle-based, infrastructure-based, or infrastructure-cooperative Intersection Violation Warnings (IVWs) to drivers. Such a system would use a pre-specified algorithm to identify drivers that have a high likelihood of violating a traffic control device and subsequently warn the driver to stop. However, prior to developing these algorithms, scientists must understand how drivers respond to traffic signals. The current study characterized this driver response in terms of driver deceleration rates and response time. Drivers approached a signalized intersection at 35 mph (56.3 km/h), while their state (baseline, distracted, and willful) was manipulated and the signal phase changed at various distances. Results indicate that the chosen level of deceleration varied with the state of the driver (e.g. distracted) and the distance from the intersection at which the light changes. Response times, however, did not vary based on these factors. Implications of these results are discussed in terms of their applicability toward adapting the performance of existing Forward Collision Warning algorithms for use in IVW applications.