Human Factors

Law enforcement officers across the country are trained in various tactics
and techniques intended to increase the overall safety within a police citizen-contact. One common, albeit controversial tactic, is referred to as
“curb sitting”. The curb-sitting tactic is generally associated with officers
requiring criminal suspects to sit on a curb with their legs outstretched in
front of them. The tactic is believed to provide officers additional reaction
time to defend themselves from an attack but is also considered unnecessarily demeaning. The efficacy of the curb-sitting tactic has not previously been determined. The current study is the first to evaluate three
common variations of the curb-sitting tactic to determine which if any
seated position allowed officers more time to respond to an attack when
compared to a subject standing five feet away. Our results show that
a seated subject with their legs extended is associated with a significant
increase in time to cross five feet when compared to a standing subject.
Based on these results, the curb-sitting tactic appears to be an evidence-based method of increasing an officer’s time to respond to an attack.
Implications for law enforcement training and tactics, as well as recommendations for future research, are discussed.

The objective of this paper is to report back on an organizational framework, which consisted of human, organization and technology (HOT) dimensions in holistically addressing aspects associated with phishing. Most anti-phishing literature studied either focused on technical controls or education in isolation however; education is core to all aspects in the above-mentioned framework. It is evident, from literature, that little work has been conducted on anti-phishing preventative measures in the context of organizations but rather from a personal user-level. In the framework, the emphasis is placed on the human factors in addressing phishing attacks.

Over the past two decades, the 'new view' has become a popular term in safety theory and practice. It has however also been criticised, provoking division and controversy. The aim of this article is to clarify the current situation. It describes the origins, ambiguities and successes of the 'new view' as well as the critiques formulated. The article begins by outlining the origins of this concept, in the 1980s and 1990s, from the cognitive (system) engineering (CSE) school initiated by Rasmussen, Hollnagel and Woods. This differed from Reason's approach to human error in this period. The article explains how Dekker, in the early 2000s, translates ideas from the CSE school to coin the term 'new view', while also developing, shortly after, an argument against Reason's legacy that was more radical and critical than his predecessors'. Secondly, the article describes the ambiguities associated with the term 'new view' because of the different programs that have derived from CSE (Resilience Engineering-RE then Safety II, Safety Differently, Theory of Graceful Extensibility). The text then identifies three programs by different thinkers (methodological, formal and critical) and Dekker's three eclectic versions of the 'new view'. Thirdly, the article discusses the success of the CSE and RE school, showing how it has strongly resonated with many practitioners outside the academic world. Fourthly, the objections raised within the field of human factors and system safety but also from different traditions (e.g., system safety engineering with Leveson, sociology of safety with Hopkins) are introduced, and discussed.

Abstract: As the world enters a new millennium, the U.S. military simultaneously enters a new era in warfare -- an era in which warfare is affected by a changing strategic environment and rapid technological change. The United States and its multinational partners are experiencing a transition from the Industrial Age to the Information Age. Simultaneously, it is fully engaged in a global war on terrorism set in a new period of globalization. These changes, as well as the experiences gained during recent and ongoing military operations, have resulted in the current drive to transform the force with network-centric warfare (NCW) as the centerpiece of this effort. This document describes how the tenets and principles of NCW are providing the foundation for developing new warfighting concepts, organizations, and processes that will allow U.S. forces to maintain a competitive advantage over potential adversaries, now and in the future. In sum, the report provides an overview of the ongoing implementation of NCW in the Department of Defense (DoD). A brief description of NCW, including its origins, its central role in force transformation, its tenets and principles, and an implementation strategy, are provided in Chapter 1. An examination of NCW as an emerging theory of war, its relationship to the four domains of Information Age warfare, the growing evidence of its benefits, and the warfighting advantages it can provide are examined in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 focuses on network-centric operations (NCO), including the relationship of NCO to the overarching Joint Operations Concepts (JOpsC), the NCO experience in Afghanistan and Iraq, the development of the NCO Conceptual Framework, and the conduct of NCO case studies. An overview of Joint and Service plans and initiatives to develop and implement network-centric capabilities and the growing investment in these capabilities by our allies and multinational partners are provided in Chapter 4

There are very few connections between physics and cognitive psychology. But in this paper, we assume that recent models inspired by concepts issued from physics and problemsolving cognitive processes like the Model Human Processor with Real Time Constraints (MHP/RT) model (Kitajima and Toyota, 2012) [1] allow to better describe and predict human behaviors especially in complex and dynamical environments where interactions between several bands and space-time constraints exist. After presenting the importance of the concept of resonance in physics and in cognitive psychology, the deterministic chaos in human action and behavior will be described, by focusing on an innovative model directly inspired by models issued from physics and problem-solving cognitive processes, Model Human Processor With Real Time Constraints (MHP/RT). If nowadays, the distance between physics and psychology is very prominent, the main goal of this paper is to defend the necessity to (re)create strong relatio...

Ontologies can represent large, multidimensional spaces: classi- cal music, research in computer science in the UK, health care for breast cancer are examples of rich domains. There have been no easy ways to represent meaningful slices through these multi- dimensional spaces to privilege the parts of the domain that are of interest to a given user. mSpace, an interaction model

ABSTRACT Human factors and ergonomics applies scientific information about human cognition and behavior to support the design of products and systems that enhance human well-being and performance. Human factors and ergonomics professionals investigate human–system interaction at the individual, group, and organizational levels. The aim is to design products that augment human physical, cognitive, and motivational capabilities and improve the social, technical, and organizational aspects of a system. Human factors and ergonomics has been used to improve safety and productivity particularly in complex sociotechnical systems.

The aim of the research was to monitor and assess landslide hazards by remote sensing data processing and GIS spatial analysis. The automatic classification of remote sensing images provides many useful land use information to combine in a GIS environment with other spatial factors influencing the occurrence of landslide. The upper part of Susa Valley, in the Italian Western Alps, was chosen as test area because of a large variety of remote sensing data available by ISPRS WG VIII/2 with the aim to exchange information and experience in the field of geomatic techniques. It is well known that the occurrence of landslides is controlled by a lot of morphological, geological, and human factors. We have chosen, regarding the available data, the following factors: acclivity, aspect, lithology, land use and precipitations. We have built up a mathematical predictive model enabling actual/potential unstable slopes. It is a linear model where the hazard score depends on instability factors and...

Overhead cranes are critical equipment in heavy industries, ports and construction. In many cases, they may become bottlenecks for the whole production process. At the phase of plant design, or when evaluating modifications to the processes, it is critical to analyze their behavior, specially the interferences that occur among each other. Considering factors like breakdowns, process time variability, buffer capacities and interferences with other vehicles; linear calculation is not applicable and simulation is required. This paper explains the development of a reusable template for simulating a group of overhead cranes integrating it in a major ARENA model.

The detrimental influence of distraction on memory and attention is well established, yet it is not as clear whether irrelevant information impacts categorization abilities and whether this impact changes in aging. We examined categorization with morphed prototype stimuli in both younger and older adults, using an adaptive staircase approach to assess participants' performance in conditions with and without visual distractors. Results showed that distraction did not affect younger adults, but produced a negative impact on older adults' categorization such that there was an interaction of age and distraction. These results suggest a relationship between the increased susceptibility to visual distraction in normal aging and impairment in categorization.

This paper was finished and distributed May 7, 1991 to several people in the Eugene, Oregon area, including John Moseley, the vice president of research for the University of Oregon.  He once greeted me enthusiastically on the street after my Peace Economics book had come out.  This is the 54 year cycle documented to come from the temperature records of key sections of the earth.

This paper describes the use of adaptation patterns in the task of formulating standards for adaptive educational hypermedia (AEH) systems that is currently under investigation by the EU ADAPT project. Within this project, design dimensions for high granularity patterns have been established. In this paper we focus on detailing lower granularity adaptive patterns based upon learning styles. Several patterns from existing AEH system case studies are identified and classified according to an extended learning style "onion" model. This model forms the basis of a learning style taxonomy, introduced here, whose components determine adaptation patterns for AEH. These patterns are of importance both for authoring, as well as for interfacing between adaptive hypermedia systems. From an authoring point of view, these patterns may be used to establish a fine-grain approach to instructional strategies that can be implemented in AEH systems, as a response to a particular learning style. The implementation of this adaptation pattern taxonomy is discussed, both generally and in detail.

Bespace is a synchronous web3D lecture hall and performance system that seeks to tap the educational and entertainment potential of virtual space. Its underlying interactive methodology is focused on the efficient delivery of information within the space. The entire virtual environment is treated as a one interface. Principles of human computer interaction are applied to the activities, avatars, and architecture. The outcome is an environment that utilizes the power of a digitally created reality and does not sacrifice usability in pursuit of realistic appearances. Bespace’s interactive methodology seeks to implement the promises made by the early pioneers of virtual space. ACM Classification: H5.2 [Information interfaces and

The objective of the present research was to advance understanding of factors that can protect against range anxiety, specifically range stress in everyday usage of battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Range anxiety is a major barrier to the broad adoption of sustainable electric mobility systems. To develop strategies aimed at overcoming range anxiety, a clear understanding of this phenomenon and influencing factors is needed. We examined range anxiety in the form of everyday range stress (ERS) in a field study setting. Seventy-two customers leased a BEV for 3 months. The field study was specifically designed to enable examination of factors that can contribute to lower ERS. In particular, study design and sample recruitment were targeted at generating vehicle usage profiles that would lead to relatively frequent experience of situations requiring active management of range resources and thereby potentially leading to experienced range stress. Less frequent encounter with critical ran...

Objective: This article advocates multidimensional assessment of task stress in human factors and reviews the use of the Dundee Stress State Questionnaire (DSSQ) for evaluation of systems and operators. Background: Contemporary stress research has progressed from an exclusive focus on environmental stressors to transactional perspectives on the stress process. Performance impacts of stress reflect the opera-tor's dynamic attempts to understand and cope with task demands. Multidimensional stress assessments are necessary to gauge the different forms of system-operator interaction. Method: This review discusses the theoretical and practical use of the DSSQ in evaluating multidimensional patterns of stress response. It presents psychometric evidence for the multidimensional perspective and illustrative profiles of subjective state response to task stressors and environments. Evidence is also presented on stress state correlations with related variables, including personality, stress process measures , psychophysiological response, and objective task performance. Results: Evidence supports the validity of the DSSQ as a task stress measure. Studies of various simulated environments show that different tasks elicit different profiles of stress state response. Operator characteristics such as resilience predict individual differences in state response to stressors. Structural equation modeling may be used to understand performance impacts of stress states. Conclusion: Multidimensional assessment affords insight into the stress process in a variety of human factors contexts. Integrating subjective and psychophysiologi-cal assessment is a priority for future research. Application: Stress state measurement contributes to evaluating system design, countermeasures to stress and fatigue, and performance vulnerabilities. It may also support personnel selection and diagnostic monitoring of operators.

Abstract As university-level distance learning programs become more and more popular, and software engineering courses incorporate eXtreme Programming (XP) into their curricula, certain challenges arise when teaching XP to students who are not physically co ...

This study seeks to understand the relationship between human factors, technology and so-ciety, and presents an evaluation of knowledge management in the offshore working envi-ronment. It is focused on Petrobras, a brazilian offshore oil industry, and discusses the ways that company develops stress management program, from a qualitative methodology. Based on the thought of Habermas, the results suggest the need to present critical per-spectives on working conditions and their relationships with mental health of offshore workers in Brazil.

Objective: This research aims to identify the impact of text messaging on simulated driving performance. Background: In the past decade, a number of on-road, epidemiological, and simulator-based studies reported the negative impact of talking on a cell phone on driving behavior. However, the impact of text messaging on simulated driving performance is still not fully understood. Method: Forty participants engaged in both a single task (driving) and a dual task (driving and text messaging) in a high-fidelity driving simulator. Results: Analysis of driving performance revealed that participants in the dual-task condition responded more slowly to the onset of braking lights and showed impairments in forward and lateral control compared with a driving-only condition. Moreover, text-messaging drivers were involved in more crashes than drivers not engaged in text messaging. Conclusion: Text messaging while driving has a negative impact on simulated driving performance. This negative impac...