Cognitive ergonomics
Encyclopedia
According to the International Ergonomics Association, by definition, "Cognitive ergonomics (CE) is concerned with mental processes, such as perception, memory, reasoning, and motor response, as they affect interactions among humans and other elements of a system. The relevant topics include mental workload, decision-making, skilled performance, human-computer interaction, human reliability, work stress and training as these may relate to human-system design.". Cognitive ergonomics studies cognition in work and operational settings, in order to optimize human well-being and system performance. It is a subset of the larger field of human factors
and ergonomics
.
that places particular emphasis on the analysis of cognitive processes – e.g., diagnosis, decision making
and planning – required of operators in modern industries and similar milleus. Cognitive ergonomics aims at enhancing performance of cognitive tasks by means of several interventions, including:
and artificial intelligence
. According to John Long, a professor of cognitive engineering at UCLIC, CE contrasts the tradition of physical ergonomics because "cognitive ergonomics is...the application of psychology
to work...to achieve the optimization between people and their work."
Viewed as an applied science, the methods involved with creating cognitive ergonomic design have changed with the rapid development in technological advances over the last 27 years. In the 80's there was a worldwide transition in the methodological approach to design. According to Gerrit C. Van der veer (2008), experts began to develop systematic design methods from the point of view of the user (Van der veer 2616). Enid Mumford
was one of the pioneers of interactive systems engineering
, and advocated the notion of user-centered design, wherein the user is considered and "included in all phases of the design" (Van der veer 2616). There are several different models which describe the criteria for designing user-friendly technology. A number of models focus on a systematic process for design, using task analysis
to evaluate the cognitive processes involved with a given task and develop adequate interface capabilities. Task analysis in past research has focused on the evaluation of cognitive task demands, concerning motor control and cognition during visual tasks such as operating machinery, or the evaluation of attention
and focus via the analysis of eye saccades of pilots when flying. Neuroergonomics
, a subfield of cognitive ergonomics, aims to enhance human-computer interaction by using neural correlates to better understand situational task demands. Neuroergonomic research at the university of Iowa is currently involved with assessing safe-driving protocol, enhancing elderly mobility, and analyzing cognitive abilities involved with the navigation of abstract virtual environments.
ISBN 0-7506-7051-7.
Human factors
Human factors science or human factors technologies is a multidisciplinary field incorporating contributions from psychology, engineering, industrial design, statistics, operations research and anthropometry...
and ergonomics
Ergonomics
Ergonomics is the study of designing equipment and devices that fit the human body, its movements, and its cognitive abilities.The International Ergonomics Association defines ergonomics as follows:...
.
Goals
Cognitive ergonomics or cognitive engineering is an emerging branch of ergonomicsErgonomics
Ergonomics is the study of designing equipment and devices that fit the human body, its movements, and its cognitive abilities.The International Ergonomics Association defines ergonomics as follows:...
that places particular emphasis on the analysis of cognitive processes – e.g., diagnosis, decision making
Decision making
Decision making can be regarded as the mental processes resulting in the selection of a course of action among several alternative scenarios. Every decision making process produces a final choice. The output can be an action or an opinion of choice.- Overview :Human performance in decision terms...
and planning – required of operators in modern industries and similar milleus. Cognitive ergonomics aims at enhancing performance of cognitive tasks by means of several interventions, including:
- user-centered design of human-machine interaction and human-computer interaction (HCIHCIHCI may refer to:- Computing :* Home Computer Initiative, a United Kingdom government programme designed to increase the use of computers in the home...
); - design of information technology systems that support cognitive tasks (e.g., cognitive artifacts);
- development of training programs;
- work redesign to manage cognitive workload and increase human reliabilityHuman reliabilityHuman reliability is related to the field of human factors engineering and ergonomics, and refers to the reliability of humans in fields such as manufacturing, transportation, the military, or medicine...
.
History
The field of cognitive ergonomics emerged predominantly in the 70's with the advent of the personal computer and new developments in the fields of cognitive psychologyCognitive psychology
Cognitive psychology is a subdiscipline of psychology exploring internal mental processes.It is the study of how people perceive, remember, think, speak, and solve problems.Cognitive psychology differs from previous psychological approaches in two key ways....
and artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
. According to John Long, a professor of cognitive engineering at UCLIC, CE contrasts the tradition of physical ergonomics because "cognitive ergonomics is...the application of psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
to work...to achieve the optimization between people and their work."
Viewed as an applied science, the methods involved with creating cognitive ergonomic design have changed with the rapid development in technological advances over the last 27 years. In the 80's there was a worldwide transition in the methodological approach to design. According to Gerrit C. Van der veer (2008), experts began to develop systematic design methods from the point of view of the user (Van der veer 2616). Enid Mumford
Enid Mumford
Enid Mumford was a British social scientist, computer scientist and Professor Emerita of Manchester University and a Visiting Fellow at Manchester Business School, largely known for her work on human factors and socio-technical systems.- Biography :Following her BA in Social Science from Liverpool...
was one of the pioneers of interactive systems engineering
Interactive Systems Engineering
Interactive systems engineering is considered as an interdisciplinary field with computer engineering, systems engineering, interaction design, software development, aesthetic, ethnography, psychology and usability factors involved...
, and advocated the notion of user-centered design, wherein the user is considered and "included in all phases of the design" (Van der veer 2616). There are several different models which describe the criteria for designing user-friendly technology. A number of models focus on a systematic process for design, using task analysis
Task analysis
Task analysis is the analysis of how a task is accomplished, including a detailed description of both manual and mental activities, task and element durations, task frequency, task allocation, task complexity, environmental conditions, necessary clothing and equipment, and any other unique factors...
to evaluate the cognitive processes involved with a given task and develop adequate interface capabilities. Task analysis in past research has focused on the evaluation of cognitive task demands, concerning motor control and cognition during visual tasks such as operating machinery, or the evaluation of attention
Attention
Attention is the cognitive process of paying attention to one aspect of the environment while ignoring others. Attention is one of the most intensely studied topics within psychology and cognitive neuroscience....
and focus via the analysis of eye saccades of pilots when flying. Neuroergonomics
Neuroergonomics
Neuroergonomics is the application of neuroscience to ergonomics. Traditional ergonomic studies have relied largely on psychological explanations of issues of human factors, such as safety, response time, and repetitive stress injuries...
, a subfield of cognitive ergonomics, aims to enhance human-computer interaction by using neural correlates to better understand situational task demands. Neuroergonomic research at the university of Iowa is currently involved with assessing safe-driving protocol, enhancing elderly mobility, and analyzing cognitive abilities involved with the navigation of abstract virtual environments.
Methodology
Successful, ergonomic intervention in the area of cognitive tasks requires a thorough understanding not only of the demands of the work situation, but also of user strategies in performing cognitive tasks and of limitations in human cognition. In some cases, the artifacts or tools used to carry out a task may impose their own constraints and limitations (e.g., navigating through a large number of GUI screens. Tools may also co-determine the very nature of the task. In this sense, the analysis of cognitive tasks should examine both the interaction of users with their work setting and the user interaction with artifacts or tools; the latter is very important as modern artifacts (e.g., control panels, software, expert systems) become increasingly sophisticated. Emphasis lies on how to design human-machine interfaces and cognitive artifacts so that human performance is sustained in work environments where information may be unreliable, events may be difficult to predict, multiple simultaneous goals may be in conflict, and performance may be time constrained.cognitive task analysis
Cognitive [task analysis] (CTA) is a general term for a set of methods used to identify the mental demands and cognitive skills needed to complete a task.Relation to other disciplines
Cognitive ergonomics draws from or is related to:- Cognitive psychologyCognitive psychologyCognitive psychology is a subdiscipline of psychology exploring internal mental processes.It is the study of how people perceive, remember, think, speak, and solve problems.Cognitive psychology differs from previous psychological approaches in two key ways....
and cognitive scienceCognitive scienceCognitive science is the interdisciplinary scientific study of mind and its processes. It examines what cognition is, what it does and how it works. It includes research on how information is processed , represented, and transformed in behaviour, nervous system or machine... - Systems engineeringSystems engineeringSystems engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering that focuses on how complex engineering projects should be designed and managed over the life cycle of the project. Issues such as logistics, the coordination of different teams, and automatic control of machinery become more...
- EthnographyEthnographyEthnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
and cultural anthropology (distributed cognitionDistributed cognitionDistributed cognition is a psychological theory developed in the mid 1980s by Edwin Hutchins. Using insights from sociology, cognitive science, and the psychology of Vygotsky it emphasizes the social aspects of cognition. It is a framework that involves the coordination between individuals,...
) - EthnomethodologyEthnomethodologyEthnomethodology is an ethnographic approach to sociological inquiry introduced by the American sociologist Harold Garfinkel . Ethnomethodology's research interest is the study of the everyday methods people use for the production of social order...
- Activity theoryActivity theoryActivity theory is a psychological meta-theory, paradigm, or theoretical framework, with its roots in Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky's cultural-historical psychology. Its founders were Alexei N...
- Cognitive work analysis
- Ecological designEcological designEcological design was defined by Sim Van der Ryn and Stuart Cowan as "any form of design that minimizes environmentally destructive impacts by integrating itself with living processes." Ecological design is an integrative, ecologically responsible design discipline...
- Cognitive engineering
- Mental spaceMental spaceThe Mental space is a theoretic construct proposed by Gilles Fauconnier and Armen Khederlarian corresponding to possible worlds in Philosophy. The main difference between a mental space and a possible world is that a mental space does not contain a faithful representation of reality, but an...
- nuclear plantation
- Engineering psychologyEngineering psychologyEngineering psychology is the science of human behaviour and capability, affecting the design and operation of systems and technology. The field developed during the 20th century as complex technologies such as aviation and radio became common....
Organizations
- EACE - European Association of Cognitive Ergonomics
- Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making Technical Group (CEDM-TG)
Peer-reviewed publications
- Cognition, Technology & Work
- Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science
- Activities (French)
- Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making
- Ergonomics
- PsychNology Journal
Suggested readings
- Vicente, K. J. (1999). Cognitive Work Analysis: Toward safe, productive, and healthy computer based work. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
- Norman, D. A. (1993). Things that Make Us Smart. New York: Addison Wesley Company.
- Hutchins, E. (1995). Cognition in the Wild. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
- Hollnagel, E. (2003) (Ed.), Handbook of cognitive task design. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
- Kirlik, A. (2006) (Ed.). Adaptive perspectives on human-technology interaction: Methods and models for human-computer interaction and cognitive engineering. New York: Oxford University Press.
- Durso, F.T., Nickerson, R.T., Dumais, S.T., Lewandowsky, S., & Perfect, T.J. (2007) (Eds.). Handbook of applied cognition. New York, NY: Wiley.
- Giannini,AJ & Giannini JN (1999) Cognitive workload and the organization of mental space. In Jacobs,K (Ed.) Ergonomics for Therapists: Second Edition. Boston: Butterworth, Heinemann.
ISBN 0-7506-7051-7.