Norman Mackworth
Encyclopedia
Norman H. "Mac" Mackworth is a British
psychologist
and cognitive scientist known for his pioneering work in the study of boredom
, attention
, and vigilance
; the Mackworth Clock
test has been used since the 1940s in the study of vigilance.
During the Second World War, Mackworth was recruited by the RAF to study the efficiency of radar
operators; his findings resulted in the length of operator duty shifts being drastically reduced.
In 1951, Mackworth became head of the Unit for Research in Applied Psychology at Cambridge University, where he remained until emigrating to Canada in 1958.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
and cognitive scientist known for his pioneering work in the study of boredom
Boredom
Boredom is an emotional state experienced when an individual is without any activity or is not interested in their surroundings. The first recorded use of the word boredom is in the novel Bleak House by Charles Dickens, written in 1852, in which it appears six times, although the expression to be a...
, 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 vigilance
Vigilance (psychology)
In modern psychology, vigilance, also termed sustained attention, is defined as the ability to maintain attention and alertness over prolonged periods of time. The study of vigilance has expanded since the 1940s mainly due to the increased interaction of people with machines for applications...
; the Mackworth Clock
Mackworth Clock
The Mackworth Clock is an experimental device used in the field of experimental psychology to study the effects of long term vigilance on the detection of signals. It was originally created by Norman Mackworth as an experimental simulation of long term monitoring by radar operators in the British...
test has been used since the 1940s in the study of vigilance.
During the Second World War, Mackworth was recruited by the RAF to study the efficiency of radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
operators; his findings resulted in the length of operator duty shifts being drastically reduced.
In 1951, Mackworth became head of the Unit for Research in Applied Psychology at Cambridge University, where he remained until emigrating to Canada in 1958.
External links
- Visual Acuity When Eyes Are Pursuing Moving Targets at ScienceScience (journal)Science is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is one of the world's top scientific journals....
, by Norman H. Mackworth and Ira T. Kaplan (1962)