The Relevance of Attention Control, Not Working Memory, in Human Factors.

OBJECTIVE: Discuss the human factors relevance of attention control (AC), a domain-general ability to regulate information processing functions in the service of goal-directed behavior. BACKGROUND: Working memory (WM) measures appear as predictors in various applied psychology studies. However, measures of WM reflect a mixture of memory storage and controlled attention making it difficult to interpret the meaning of significant WM-task relations for human factors. In light of new research, complex task performance may be better predicted or explained with new measures of attention control rather than WM. METHOD: We briefly review the topic of individual differences in abilities in Human Factors. Next, we focus on WM, how it is measured, and what can be inferred from significant WM-task relations. RESULTS: The theoretical underpinnings of attention control as a high-level factor that affects complex thought and behavior make it useful in human factors, which often study performance in complex and dynamic task environments. To facilitate research on attention control in applied settings, we discuss a validated measure of attention control that predicts more variance in complex task performance than WM. In contrast to existing measures of WM or AC, our measures of attention control only require 3 minutes each (10 minutes total) and may be less culture-bound making them suitable for use in applied settings. CONCLUSION: Explaining or predicting task performance relations with attention control rather than WM may have dramatically different implications for designing more specific, equitable task interfaces, or training. APPLICATION: A highly efficient ability predictor can help researchers and practitioners better understand task requirements for human factors interventions or performance prediction.

Training flexible spatial-cognitive estimation strategies using augmented reality.

We investigated the potential for augmented reality (AR) as a training aid for spatial estimation skills. Though there are many tools to support spatial judgments, from measuring cups to rulers, not much is known about training spatial skills for retention and transfer. Display of AR was manipulated to train the spatial skill of portion estimation. In Experiment 1, an AR-aided strategy of creating smaller portions out of a larger example amount was compared to a no-AR control condition. This manipulation was based on previous non-AR experiments where amorphous foods were better estimated when divided into smaller portions. There was a significant benefit of estimating using a solid AR shape. In Experiment 2, cognitive anchoring was manipulated. Using meaningful AR anchors resulted in the best performance and most learning. We conclude that spatial estimation skills can be combined with mental strategies and trained via AR.

Various methods of providing augmented reality reference images were compared in the training of spatial estimation skills. Findings using AR reference images differed from previous research on portion estimation and providing solid, meaningful images resulted in the best performance and learning, as measured via retention and transfer.

A Fundamental Cognitive Taxonomy for Cognition Aids.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to organize the literature on cognitive aids to allow comparison of findings across studies and link the applied work of aid development to psychological constructs and theories of cognition. BACKGROUND: Numerous taxonomies have been developed, all of which label cognitive aids via their surface characteristics. This complicates integration of the literature, as a type of aid, such as a checklist, can provide many different forms of support (cf. prospective memory for steps and decision support for alternative diagnoses). METHOD: In this synthesis of the literature, we address the disparate findings and organize them at their most basic level: Which cognitive processes does the aid need to support? Which processes do they support? Such processes include attention, perception, decision making, memory, and declarative knowledge. RESULTS: Cognitive aids can be classified into the processes they support. Some studies focused on how an aid supports the cognitive processes demanded by the task (aid function). Other studies focused on supporting the processes needed to utilize the aid (aid usability). CONCLUSION: Classifying cognitive aids according to the processes they support allows comparison across studies in the literature and a formalized way of planning the design of new cognitive aids. Once the literature is organized, theory-based guidelines and applied examples can be used by cognitive aid researchers and designers. APPLICATION: Aids can be designed according to the cognitive processes they need to support. Designers can be clear about their focus, either examining how to support specific cognitive processes or improving the usability of the aid.

Evaluating Medical Devices Remotely: Current Methods and Potential Innovations.

OBJECTIVE: We present examples of laboratory and remote studies, with a focus on studies appropriate for medical device design and evaluation. From this review and description of extant options for remote testing, we provide methods and tools to achieve research goals remotely. BACKGROUND: The FDA mandates human factors evaluation of medical devices. Studies show similarities and differences in results collected in laboratories compared to data collected remotely in non-laboratory settings. Remote studies show promise, though many of these are behavioral studies related to cognitive or experimental psychology. Remote usability studies are rare but increasing, as technologies allow for synchronous and asynchronous data collection. METHOD: We reviewed methods of remote evaluation of medical devices, from testing labels and instruction to usability testing and simulated use. Each method was coded for the attributes (e.g., supported media) that need consideration in usability studies. RESULTS: We present examples of how published usability studies of medical devices could be moved to remote data collection. We also present novel systems for creating such tests, such as the use of 3D printed or virtual prototypes. Finally, we advise on targeted participant recruitment. CONCLUSION: Remote testing will bring opportunities and challenges to the field of medical device testing. Current methods are adequate for most purposes, excepting the validation of Class III devices. APPLICATION: The tools we provide enable the remote evaluation of medical devices. Evaluations have specific research goals, and our framework of attributes helps to select or combine tools for valid testing of medical devices.

The effect of individual differences in working memory in older adults on performance with different degrees of automated technology.

A leading hypothesis to explain older adults' overdependence on automation is age-related declines in working memory. However, it has not been empirically examined. The purpose of the current experiment was to examine how working memory affected performance with different degrees of automation in older adults. In contrast to the well-supported idea that higher degrees of automation, when the automation is correct, benefits performance but higher degrees of automation, when the automation fails, increasingly harms performance, older adults benefited from higher degrees of automation when the automation was correct but were not differentially harmed by automation failures. Surprisingly, working memory did not interact with degree of automation but did interact with automation correctness or failure. When automation was correct, older adults with higher working memory ability had better performance than those with lower abilities. But when automation was incorrect, all older adults, regardless of working memory ability, performed poorly. Practitioner Summary: The design of automation intended for older adults should focus on ways of making the correctness of the automation apparent to the older user and suggest ways of helping them recover when it is malfunctioning.

A multi-level analysis of the effects of age and gender stereotypes on trust in anthropomorphic technology by younger and older adults.

Previous research has shown that gender stereotypes, elicited by the appearance of the anthropomorphic technology, can alter perceptions of system reliability. The current study examined whether stereotypes about the perceived age and gender of anthropomorphic technology interacted with reliability to affect trust in such technology. Participants included a cross-section of younger and older adults. Through a factorial survey, participants responded to health-related vignettes containing anthropomorphic technology with a specific age, gender, and level of past reliability by rating their trust in the system. Trust in the technology was affected by the age and gender of the user as well as its appearance and reliability. Perceptions of anthropomorphic technology can be affected by pre-existing stereotypes about the capability of a specific age or gender. PRACTITIONER SUMMARY: The perceived age and gender of automation can alter perceptions of the anthropomorphic technology such as trust. Thus, designers of automation should design anthropomorphic interfaces with an awareness that the perceived age and gender will interact with the user's age and gender

Aging farmers are at high risk for injuries and fatalities: how human-factors research and application can help.

Agriculture is a dangerous profession with an aging population, combining age-related changes in physical and cognitive abilities with complex tasks performed under hazardous conditions. There are three general approaches to reducing injuries: designing for safety, providing positive reinforcement in prevention programs, and making safety a family affair.

Using Variable Priority Training to Examine Video Game-Related Gains in Cognition.

OBJECTIVES: Identify mechanisms associated with video-game-related gains in cognitive functioning. METHOD: Seventy-nine older adults (Mean age = 72.72, SD = 7.16) participated in a pretest-posttest intervention study. A video game that required four cognitive abilities was developed. The game had two modes: (1) variable priority training (VPT) and (2) single priority training (SPT). After a pretest session, participants completed a battery of cognitive tasks and 'were randomly assigned to either the VPT (n = 42) or the SPT mode (n = 37) for an average of 15.94 (SD = 2.15) one-hour game play sessions. Post-testing was administrated within one week after completion of training. RESULTS: Time (pretest/posttest) by game mode (VPT/SPT) interactions were examined using Multivariate Repeated Measure ANOVAs. No significant multivariate training effects were observed. DISCUSSION: Results suggest that VPT may not be the underlying mechanism responsible for video-game-related gains in cognition. Our results also cast doubts on whether playing video games could lead to cognitive enhancements in older adults.

Using Direct and Indirect Input Devices: Attention Demands and Age-Related Differences.

Researchers have suggested that attention is a key moderating variable predicting performance with an input device [e.g., Greenstein & Arnaut, 1988] without directly assessing the attention demands of devices We hypothesized that the attentional demands of input devices would be intricately linked to whether the device matched the input requirements of the on-screen task. Further, matching task and device should be more important for attentionally reduced groups, such as older adults. Younger and older adults used either a direct (touch screen) or indirect (rotary encoder) input device to perform matched or mismatched input tasks under a spectrum of attention allocation conditions. Input devices required attention - more so for older adults, especially in a mismatch situation. In addition, task performance was influenced by the mach between task demands and input device characteristics. Though both groups benefited from a match between input device and task input requirements, older adults benefited more and this benefit increased as less attention was available. We offer an a priori method to choose an input device for a task by considering the overlap between device attributes and input requirements. These data have implications for design decisions concerning input device selection across age groups and task contexts.

Looking for Age Differences in Self-Driving Vehicles: Examining the Effects of Automation Reliability, Driving Risk, and Physical Impairment on Trust.

PURPOSE: Self-driving cars are an extremely high level of autonomous technology and represent a promising technology that may help older adults safely maintain independence. However, human behavior with automation is complex and not straightforward (Parasuraman and Riley, 1997; Parasuraman, 2000; Rovira et al., 2007; Parasuraman and Wickens, 2008; Parasuraman and Manzey, 2010; Parasuraman et al., 2012). In addition, because no fully self-driving vehicles are yet available to the public, most research has been limited to subjective survey-based assessments that depend on the respondents' limited knowledge based on second-hand reports and do not reflect the complex situational and dispositional factors known to affect trust and technology adoption. METHODS: To address these issues, the current study examined the specific factors that affect younger and older adults' trust in self-driving vehicles. RESULTS: The results showed that trust in self-driving vehicles depended on multiple interacting variables, such as the age of the respondent, risk during travel, impairment level of the hypothesized driver, and whether the self-driving car was reliable. CONCLUSION: The primary contribution of this work is that, contrary to existing opinion surveys which suggest broad distrust in self-driving cars, the ratings of trust in self-driving cars varied with situational characteristics (reliability, driver impairment, risk level). Specifically, individuals reported less trust in the self-driving car when there was a failure with the car technology; and more trust in the technology in a low risk driving situation with an unimpaired driver when the automation was unreliable.

Older adults' self-reported barriers to adherence to dietary guidelines and strategies to overcome them.

Once an older adult develops type 2 diabetes, they often need to change their diet as part of the treatment. We report differences in dietary barriers and strategies to overcome them in 17 older adults without type 2. Data were gathered through 24-hour diet recalls, collected barriers and strategies in changing diet, and the health locus of control scales. Differences in barriers and strategies were partially explained by health locus of control subscales. People who believed that others (e.g. doctors) controlled their health were less likely to identify barriers or strategies to overcome them. The results contribute to training materials and decision aids.

Age-related glucometer design and selection: tools and principles for optimal solutions.

Special attention must be given to glucometer design, selection, and training for older adults with diabetes. The field of human factors provides insight into the special needs of older adults along with principles of design and instruction to apply to current and future glucometer systems. Necessary tools for designers and physicians include person analysis, user testing, and adherence to best practice guidelines. It is important to note that as glucometer systems change, new usability problems may arise as prior issues are resolved. However, some problems may be avoided prior to system production by using the theoretical background and guidelines provided by human factors specialists.

Effects of knowledge and internal locus of control in groups of health care workers judging likelihood of pathogen transfer.

OBJECTIVE: A study was conducted to measure the effects of attitudes and beliefs on the risk judgments of health care workers. BACKGROUND: Lack of hand hygiene compliance is a worldwide issue in health care, contributing to infections, fatalities, and increased health care costs. Human factors methods are a promising solution to the problem of compliance, although thus far, the concentration has been on process and engineering methods, such as the design of no-touch sinks. Factors internal to the health care worker, such as their attitudes and beliefs about hand hygiene, have received less attention. METHOD: For this study, three groups of health care workers completed measures of attitudes, control beliefs, and hand hygiene knowledge. They then provided risk judgments of touching various surfaces via a factorial survey. RESULTS: Attitudes, knowledge, control beliefs, and surface type all predicted the risk judgments of the sample of health care workers, with differences between professional groups. CONCLUSION: Health care workers perceive less risk when touching surfaces,which may explain historically low rates of hand hygiene compliance after surface contact. APPLICATION: Although more research is needed to directly connect risk judgments to failures of hand hygiene, the current results can inform interventions targeting the internal attitudes and beliefs of health care workers.

Self-reported reasons for hand hygiene in 3 groups of health care workers.

BACKGROUND: The hands of health care workers continue to be the main vector for nosocomial infection in hospitals. The purpose of the current research was to capture the health beliefs and self-reported behaviors of US health care workers to better understand why workers avoid hand hygiene and what prompts them to wash. METHODS: An online survey of health care workers assessed their reasons for washing their hands, reasons for not washing, and what cues prompted the decision to wash or not wash in a variety of locations. RESULTS: The findings were that hand hygiene could be cued by an external situation but tended to be motivated internally. Hand hygiene was avoided because of situational barriers. CONCLUSION: The reasons for performing hand hygiene can be situated in the internally motivated Theory of Planned Behavior; however, the reasons for not performing hand hygiene tend to be situational and affected by the environment. The results may be used to design programs, products, and systems that promote appropriate hand hygiene practices. Principles for design of these programs and products are provided.

Individual differences in the benefits of feedback for learning.

OBJECTIVE: Research on learning from feedback has produced ambiguous guidelines for feedback design--some have advocated minimal feedback, whereas others have recommended more extensive feedback that highly supported performance. The objective of the current study was to investigate how individual differences in cognitive resources may predict feedback requirements and resolve previous conflicted findings. METHOD: Cognitive resources were controlled for by comparing samples from populations with known differences, older and younger adults.To control for task demands, a simple rule-based learning task was created in which participants learned to identify fake Windows pop-ups. Pop-ups were divided into two categories--those that required fluid ability to identify and those that could be identified using crystallized intelligence. RESULTS: In general, results showed participants given higher feedback learned more. However, when analyzed by type of task demand, younger adults performed comparably with both levels of feedback for both cues whereas older adults benefited from increased feedbackfor fluid ability cues but from decreased feedback for crystallized ability cues. CONCLUSION: One explanation for the current findings is feedback requirements are connected to the cognitive abilities of the learner-those with higher abilities for the type of demands imposed by the task are likely to benefit from reduced feedback. APPLICATION: We suggest the following considerations for feedback design: Incorporate learner characteristics and task demands when designing learning support via feedback.

Individual differences in judgments of hand hygiene risk by health care workers.

BACKGROUND: The hand hygiene practices of health care workers (HCWs) have long been the main vector for nosocomial infection in hospitals. The purpose of this study was to examine influences on risk judgment from the individual differences in knowledge levels and health beliefs among US HCWs. METHODS: Knowledge levels were assessed by questions taken from published questionnaires. The health locus of control scale was used to characterize internal health beliefs. HCWs assessed the risks of pathogen transfer in situations that varied according to the surface touched and the person doing the touching. RESULTS: HCWs reported lower risk assessments for touching surfaces compared with touching skin. Risk assessment was influenced by individual differences, including in knowledge level and internal health locus of control. CONCLUSION: Our data describe the individual differences of HCWs related to hand hygiene in ways that can be used to create targeted interventions and products to improve hand hygiene.

Feedback Support for Training: Accounting for Learner and Task.

Years of research on feedback has not produced universal prescriptions for feedback during training. Results are split in two directions; those recommending more feedback during training and those recommending less. This has resulted in no unified theory and little understanding of other factors that might affect feedback mechanisms. The current experiment manipulated the cognitive load of the task and measured the working memory capacities of the learners to see whether forcing the learner to self-evaluate affects learning of a cognitive task and how this might be moderated by learner ability and task load. Results generally showed that reducing task load through supportive feedback resulted in more learning.

Touch a screen or turn a knob: choosing the best device for the job.

Input devices enable users to interact with systems. In two experiments, we assessed whether and how task demands and user age influenced task performance for a direct input device (touch screen) and an indirect input device (rotary encoder). In Experiment 1, 40 younger (18-28 years) and 40 middle-aged to older adults (51-65 years) performed tasks using controls such as sliders, up/down buttons, list boxes, and text boxes while using a system. The optimal input device to facilitate performance was dependent on the task being performed and the age of the user. In Experiment 2, touch screen use was assessed for 20 younger (19-23 years) and 20 older adults (51-70 years). Task demands were manipulated through button size, movement distance, direction, and type of movement. Performance was moderated by the age of the user and by task demands. Actual or potential applications of this research include guidance for the optimal selection of input devices for different user populations and task characteristics.