Topic 4: Ergonomics - Human Factors: Additional Studies Flashcards
(Topic 4: Additional Studies) Brown & Poulton: Where did participants drive?
Participants drove in either a residential area (few important inputs) or in a car park of a crowded shopping centre (large number of important inputs).
(Topic 4: Additional Studies) Brown & Poulton: What was playing whilst participants were driving?
A tape containing lists of numbers.
Participants had to identify what numbers changed from one sequence to the next.
(Topic 4: Additional Studies) Brown & Poulton: Where did participants make more errors.
In the shopping centre car park than the residential area.
(Topic 4: Additional Studies) Brown & Poulton: What was concluded from this study?
Participants needed to give more attention to the stimuli associated with their primary task of driving so had less mental capacity left over for the stimuli associated with the less important number task.
This is an example of secondary task performance.
(Topic 4: Additional Studies) Miller: What was the purpose of Miller’s research.
To understand how our memory works might help to reduce the dangers of cognitive overload.
(Topic 4: Additional Studies) Miller: What did Miller suggest?
There are limits to our short term memory (STM).
(Topic 4: Additional Studies) Miller: What did he propose and what is this referred to as?
The magic number 7 plus or minus 2.
This is referred to as the digit span technique.
(Topic 4: Additional Studies) Hawthorne Studies: Where and when was this research carried out?
Hawthorne plant of the Western Electric Company near Chicago in the 1920’s.
(Topic 4: Additional Studies) Hawthorne Studies: What was Mayo investigating?
The effect of the physical environment (most famously the light levels) on productivity levels.
(Topic 4: Additional Studies) Hawthorne Studies: Describe the method.
Mayo varied the light levels for the experimental group and kept the same level for the control group and found that both improved in terms of productivity. The level of light didn’t matter, it could be bright or dull and still the experimental group improved!
(Topic 4: Additional Studies) Hawthorne Studies: Describe one interpretation of the results?
It was the novelty of the situation and the fact that the workers knew they were being observed that caused the increase in production. This was to be become known as ‘The Hawthorne Effect’.
(Topic 4: Additional Studies) Stone: What did Stone aim to study?
Whether ability to study is affected by the setting (open plan/private); colour of the room (blue, white or red); and the type of task (reading or maths).
(Topic 4: Additional Studies) Stone: Describe the sample for this study.
144 students were assigned to 1 of 12 conditions from the combination of colour, setting & task.
(Topic 4: Additional Studies) Stone: What was each participant asked to do?
They were asked to complete a questionnaire that measured mood, satisfaction & motivation.
(Topic 4: Additional Studies) Stone: What did results show?
1) Most positive mood in blue open plan room, least in red open plan.
2) In private room red brought the most positive mood.
3) Most satisfaction with performance in white private room & blue open plan room.
4) Little difference in privacy between open plan & private room.
5) Participant’s performed worse in reading task irrespective of setting, if red and better in white.
