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Research

Human Factors

Human factors is the study of human perceptual and cognitive capabilities and limitations and the role these play in the effective use of consumer products, machines, computers, and large-scale systems in the context of real-world activities. Human factors research at the CSL is currently focused on the effects of different types and levels of computer automation on human attention and performance, particularly in the context of aviation, traffic control and military systems. A major research thrust over the past decade has been the investigation of pilot performance with cockpit automation and the validation of a new approach to automation implementation called adaptive automation.

Human factors research at the CSL includes the following topic areas:

  • Free Flight and its effects on the performance and workload of air traffic controllers

  • Automation "complacency" in multi-task environments

  • Operator trust in automation

  • Effects of cockpit display of traffic information (CDTI) on pilot visual attention and eye movements

  • Adaptive automation and its effects on operator workload and stress

  • Effects of levels of automated decision support in a simulated space flight microworld

  • Evaluation of a model of levels and stages of automation

  • Fuzzy signal detection theory: Computational formulas and application to air traffic control

  • Human interaction with autonomous robots

The methods used by the human factors research group studies at the CSL include psychometrically-validated questionnaires, performance tests on laboratory multi-task platforms, and computational modeling of human performance.  Additional techniques involve psychophysioloical measures of attention and mental workload, primarily heart rate variability, event-related brain potentials, and eye movements, and simulator studies with pilots and air traffic controllers as expert participants.

 

Current Research Projects in the area of Human Factors are:

Human Centered, Multiple Initiative Control of Complex Automa-Teams (MICA)
Principal Investigator: Raja Parasuraman
Source of funding: DARPA
Dates: 12/1/01 - 11/31/05
Award $400,000

Mitigating Stress, Workload, and Fatigue in the Electronic Battlefield
Principal Investigator: Raja Parasuraman
Source of funding: Army MURI (University of Central Florida subcontract
Dates: 5/1/01 - 5/31/06
Award: $515,000

Types and Levels of Automation in Future Air Traffic Management
Principal Investigator: Ericka Rovira  (Sponsor: Raja Parasuraman)
Source of funding: NASA Langley Research Center
Dates: 7/1/01 - 6/31/04
Award: $70,000

Physiological Measurement of Mental Workload During Cognitive Work
Principal Investigator: Marla Zinni  (Sponsor: Raja Parasuraman)
Source of funding: NASA Langley Research Center
Dates: 7/1/03 - 6/31/04
Award: $24,000