Cognitive Ergonomics and Neuroergonomics

Question 1

Cognitive ergonomics is related to…

Answer 1

how we perceive information and make decisions

Question 2

Industrial engineers focus primarily on…

Answer 2

physical ergonomics issues, such as heights, reaches, and motions

Question 3

Cognitive ergonomics focuses on the design interface between humans and work in accordance with the user’s cognitive constraints. It includes the consideration of…

Answer 3

• perceptual input processes (signal detection, and pattern recognition)
• central cognitive processing (decision making, problem solving and memory)
• perceptual-motor processes (typing)

Question 4

In signal detection theory, define each:
Hit:
False alarm:
Miss:
Correct rejection:

Answer 4

Hit: saying there is a signal when there is a signal

False alarm: saying there is a signal when there is no signal

Miss: saying there is no signal when there is a signal

Correct rejection: saying there is no signal when there is no signal

Question 5

In terms of selective attention, there are four factors that affect the selection of channels to attend to or ignore:

Answer 5

1. Salience “noticeable”
2. Effort
3. Expectancy
4. Value

Question 6

Auditory stimuli are usually ________.

Answer 6

Salience

Question 7

Give an example of focused attention:

Answer 7

reading a book while others are talking

Question 8

Give an example of divided attention:

Answer 8

Driving a car while talking to passengers

Question 9

Give an example of sustained attention :

Answer 9

(monitoring/vigilance) security guards, inspector on assembly line

Question 10

Perception: bottom-up vs. top-down processing, define each:

Answer 10

Top-down processing: perceptions begin with the most general and move toward the more specific. These perceptions are heavily influenced by our expectations and prior knowledge

Bottom-up processing: Bottom-up processing begins with the retrieval of sensory information from our external environment to build perceptions based on the current input of sensory information

Question 11

Perception proceeds by 3 often simultaneous and concurrent processes:

Answer 11

1. Unitization
2. Bottom-up feature analysis
3. Top-down processing

Question 12

It is important to maximize top-down processing when bottom-up processing may be poor, do this by:

Answer 12

• Avoiding confusion
• Using smaller vocabulary
• Create context
• Exploit redundancy
• Valid test of usability

Question 13

Part of short term (working memory), the central executive component is composed of the visuospatial sketchpad and the phonological loop, what do these two pieces work with?

Answer 13

Phonological loop: part of working memory that deals with spoken and written material

Visuospatial sketchpad: (inner eye) deals with visual and spatial information (what do things look like)

Question 14

The human factors implications of working memory limits should be reduced through:

Answer 14

• Minimizing working memory load
• Provide visual echoes
• Provide placeholders for sequential tasks
• Exploit chunking
• Minimize confusability
• Avoid unnecessary zeros
• Consider working memory limits in instructions

Question 15

Organization of information in long-term memory:

Answer 15

• schemas and scripts
• mental models
• cognitive maps

Question 16

In the 13 principles of display design the 5 perceptual principles include:

Answer 16

1. make displays legible (or audible)
2. avoid absolute judgment limits
3. top-down processing
4. redundancy gain
5. discriminability

Question 17

In the 13 principles of display design the 2 mental model principles include:

Answer 17

6. principle of pictorial realism

7. principle of the moving part

Question 18

In the 13 principles of display design the 3 principles based on attention include:

Answer 18

8. minimizing information access cost
9. proximity compatibility principle
10. Principle of multiple resources

Question 19

In the 13 principles of display design the 3 memory principles include:

Answer 19

11. replace memory with visual information: knowledge in the real world
12. Principle of predictive aiding
13. Principle of consistency

Question 20

Neuro-ergonomics is the application of neuroscience to ergonomics, the two major aims are…

Answer 20

• to use existing knowledge of human performance and brain function to design systems for safer and more efficient operation
• to advance this understanding of the relationship between brain function and performance in real-world tasks

Question 21

Neuro-ergonomics combines two disciplines:

Answer 21

• Neuroscience

- human factors

Question 22

Neuro-ergonomics methods include:

Answer 22

• eye-tracking
• heart rate
• video-monitoring
• tracking of fingers, respiration, facial expression, head movement, etc.