Human Factors Minute

...and now for another Human Factors Minute! Did you know the The Department of Defense Human Factors Engineering Technical Advisory Group is composed of 19 sub Technical Advisory Groups? One of those is the Design: Tools & Techniques SubTAG. The Design: Tools and Techniques SubTAG is focused on the tools and methods that ensure Human Engineering can enhance human system interfaces and prevent hum...

...and now for another Human Factors Minute! Signal Detection Theory is a model for understanding decision accuracy in ambiguous circumstances developed in the 1950s as a response to WWII radar research and is used in domains ranging from psychology, medical diagnostics, and statistical decisions. Detection theory explains an observer's ability to determine the presence or absence of a stimulus, b...

...and now for another Human Factors Minute! A/B testing is a randomized experimentation process in which two or more versions of a single variable, be that a web page or page feature, are shown to users to figure out which performs better. The “A” refers to the “control”—the original format and the “B” is a variation of that. It is also known as split testing because you split the sample of users...

…and now for another Human Factors Minute! The American Society of Industrial Engineers, ASME, is a not-for-profit organization that promotes art, science, multidisciplinary engineering, and allied sciences with members in over 135 countries. This professional organization creates space for collaboration and skill development while promoting the essential role of engineers in society. Their goal i...

Did you know the The Department of Defense Human Factors Engineering Technical Advisory Group is composed of 19 sub Technical Advisory Groups? One of those is the HFE/HSI SubTAG. This SubTAG's area of interest includes DoD and service HSI policy, HSI initiatives (Army MANPRINT, Air Force IMPACTS, Navy HSI), interservice inconsistencies in the acquisition process, feedback of lessons learned from t...

Affordances, coined by psychologist James Gibson in 1966, are detailed as what an environment offers to an individual. Further detailed later by computer interaction researcher Don Norman as, “A relationship between the properties of an object and the capabilities of the agent that determine just how the object could possibly be used” or, “action possibilities.” Affordances imply what interactions...

...And now for another Human Factors Minute. Galvanic skin response, or GSR, is the measurement of change in the skin's electrical conductivity. This change comes as a result of increased sweat gland activity. When someone experiences emotional arousal, such as sadness, joy, or fear, there is also a change in sweat gland activity. The GSR measurement can be reflectivity of the intensity of an emot...

The Multiple Oscillator Model is a connectionist model that describes how we perceive time. An oscillator can be described as a pacemaker with a repetitive rhythm - like a swinging pendulum. The perception of an oscillator can provide the linear metric of time without one having to read a clock. This particular model describes time as being perceived through the feedback of multiple oscillators, e...

Did you know the The Department of Defense Human Factors Engineering Technical Advisory Group is composed of 19 sub Technical Advisory Groups? One of those is the Controls and Displays SubTAG. This SubTAG aims to ensure that the development of advanced display and control systems for use by human operators is done consistent with the principles of human factors, with the intent of providing a mean...

The Environmental Design Research Association was formed in 1968 by designers who believed they had the social responsibility to use their expertise as a tool to alleviate environmental problems. The EDRA is the product of the Design Methods Group joining forces with the myriad of independent efforts of like minded organizations with the understanding that their work would be stronger together. As...

The Behavioral Theory of Timing comes to us from Peter Killeen and Gregor Fetterman in 1988. The general idea is that the reinforcement of behaviors generates knowledge of the average amount of time between reinforcement. This knowledge is what sets our internal clock, which then tells us when to perform the behavior. The transitions between behaviors are considered a Poisson Process. A Poisson Pr...

...and now for another Human Factors Minute! The Virtual Fit Multivariate Anthropometric Tool was developed by HFES in collaboration with Penn State University to make multivariate accommodation estimates for North American users. The tool works by calculating the percent of the population that would be able to be accommodated by a specific design, and it also allows specification based on gender...

Did you know the The Department of Defense Human Factors Engineering Technical Advisory Group is composed of 19 sub Technical Advisory Groups?  One of those is the Personnel SubTAG.  The Personnel SubTAG addresses methods and technologies for selecting personnel for military occupations requiring complex human machine interactions as well as the screening of military personnel and the pr...

Founded in 1964, the International System Safety Society is a non-profit organization that promotes, supports, and informs the legion of professionals who address safety and risk concerns throughout various industries. The organization connects system safety professionals from around the world, through local chapters. In a world in which acquiring new and innovative products is just a click away,...

Heart rate monitoring is often used to gather real-time data from a user’s physiological response while they are performing tasks on a product or system. This is an important biometric & neuro-measurement tool because it senses unconscious changes in a user’s stress, workload, and drowsiness. Since mental processing like emotional reactions and decision-making happen unconsciously, it offers m...

The diffusion model is a psychological model of how we process a single-stage decision when there is a simple choice between two options. This is beneficial both in human decision making as it allows for a conclusion to potentially be reached earlier than in complex decision making. One of the key distinctions of diffusion models is that they are dynamic - able to describe the evolution of a perso...

Did you know the The Department of Defense Human Factors Engineering Technical Advisory Group is composed of 19 sub Technical Advisory Groups? One of those is the Human Factors Standardization (HFS) SubTAG. This SubTAG aims to identify programs and initiatives that are needed within the Department of Defense, specifically within Human Factors Standardization Area of Consideration (HFAC), other gov...

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration protects millions of workers through a labor code of federal regulations. OSHA 1910 ensures the adoption and extension of legal standards, creating general workplace safety requirements that apply to all industries. OSHA 1910 establishes compliance duties, air contaminant provisions, rules for walking and working surfaces, hazardous materials, pers...

...and now for another Human Factors Minute! Scalar Expectancy Theory, or SET, is an important model of animal timing behavior credited to John Gibbon in the late 1900s. The idea of SET is that animals have an internal clock and particular memory and decision-making processes, which explains why their behavior can be temporally controlled using fixed-interval reinforcement. The scalar part of SET...

...and now for another Human Factors Minute! The Industrial Environmental Association-or the IEA. is a non-profit that serves manufacturing companies in Southern California. The Association advocates on behalf of industry to promote responsible environmental legislation and to facilitate environmental compliance for companies through training and educational opportunities. As a result, Its members...

...and now for another Human Factors Minute! Did you know the The Department of Defense Human Factors Engineering Technical Advisory Group is composed of 19 sub Technical Advisory Groups? One of those is the Modeling and Simulation SubTAG The Modeling and Simulation SubTAG's mission’s is to provide a method for improving awareness of human factors modeling and simulation in government personnel. "...

...and now for another Human Factors Minute! The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) is an international scientific society founded in 1929 dedicated to generating, disseminating and promoting the knowledge of acoustics and its practical applications. The Society is primarily a voluntary organization of about 7500 members and attracts the interest, commitment, and service of many professionals. Th...

...and now for another Human Factors Minute! Neuroergonomics is the study of effectively apply state-of-the-art methods and theories from neuroscience to understand how the brain works in everyday life. Traditional ergonomic studies rely predominantly on psychological explanations to address human factors issues such as: work performance, operational safety, and workplace-related risks . Neuroergo...

...and now for another Human Factors Minute! An electroencephlogram, or EEG, is a test that detects abnormalities in your brain waves, or in the electrical activity of your brain. The device works by placing electrodes consisting of small metal discs with thin wires are pasted onto the participant's scalp. The electrodes detect tiny electrical charges that result from the activity in brain cells....

...and now for another Human Factors Minute! Did you know the The Department of Defense Human Factors Engineering Technical Advisory Group is composed of 19 sub Technical Advisory Groups? One of those is the Human Performance Measurement SubTAG The Workload, Stress and Human Performance SubTAG serves as an ad hoc committee in assessing, guiding, and improving the technical investigation among all...