Specificdefinition
Itspurposeistomatchengineeringtechnologydesignwithhumanphysicalandmentalcharacteristics,therebyimprovingsystemefficiency,ensuringhuman-machinesafety,andenablinghumanstobeeffectiveandefficientinthesystem.Workcomfortably.
Thehuman-machine-environmentsystemisamultidisciplinaryresearchproblem.Psychologists,physiologists,anthropologists,doctors,engineers,etc.areengagedinthisarea.Expertsindifferentcountriesorfromdifferentdisciplinesoftenusedifferentnames.PsychologycirclesinChina,theUnitedStates,andtheSovietUnionareoftenreferredtoas"engineeringpsychology".TheUnitedStatesalsousesnamessuchas"ergonomics"and"humanfactorsengineering";WesternEuropeancountriesgenerallycallit"ergonomics".TheNationalBureauofStandardsofChinanamedit"ergonomics"in1982.Expertsfromdifferentdisciplineshavetheirownfocusontheresearchcontent:engineeringpsychologistsemphasizethestudyofhumanbehaviorandphysicalandmentalfunctionsinthesystem,andprovidedataaboutpeopleforsystemdesign;whileergonomicsorhumanfactorsengineeringexpertsItfocusesontheapplicationofrelevantpeople'sdatatosystemdesign.
Expertsfromdifferentdisciplinesalsohavetheirownfocusontheresearchcontent:engineeringpsychologistsemphasizethestudyofhumanbehaviorandphysicalandmentalfunctionsinthesystem,andproviderelevanthumandataforsystemdesign;andergonomicsOrergonomicsresearchersfocusonstudyingtheapplicationofhumandatatosystemdesign.
Abriefhistoryofdevelopment
Adaptinghumanstotherequirementsofmachineswasthebasiccharacteristicofhuman-machinerelationshipresearchbeforethe1940s.Whenengineersdesignmachines,theyoftenonlyfocusontheimprovementofmechanicalpropertiesandrarelyconsidertherequirementsofusers;theworkofpsychologistsisalsolimitedtoselectingandtrainingoperatorsforready-mademachines.
DuringtheSecondWorldWar,duetothegreatlyimprovedperformanceandcomplexityofweapons,itwasdifficultforevenselectedandtrainedoperatorstoadapt.Asaresult,manyaircraftcrashesoraccidentsoccurred..Thisforcespeopletore-examinethedesignoftheequipment,andpromptspeopletorealizethatthemachineandtheoperatorareawhole,andweaponscanonlyfunctionsafelyandeffectivelywhentheymatchthephysicalandmentalcharacteristicsoftheuser.Proceedingfromthisunderstanding,theconceptofman-machinesystemwasputforward.Inthisway,peoplebegantoshiftfromthemainresearchonadaptingmachinestohumanstothestageofadaptingmachinestohumans,andthedisciplineofengineeringpsychologywasformed."AppliedExperimentalPsychology"publishedbyChapnisin1949isaclassicengineeringpsychologyworkofthisperiod.
Inthe1940sandearly1950s,engineeringpsychologistsmainlystudiedtheproblemofhuman-computermatchinginthedesignofpointerinstrumentsandswitchbuttons.Therefore,somepeoplecallthisperiodthedevelopmentofengineeringpsychology.Theeraof"switchesanddials".
Afterthe1950s,duetotheinfluenceofcyberneticsandinformationtheory,engineeringpsychologybegantouseconceptssuchasinformationreception,transmission,processing,feedback,channelcapacity,andsystemcontroltoanalyzetheinteractionprocessbetweenhumansandmachines.Theconceptofman-machinesystemhasbeenfurtherdeveloped.Atthesametime,duetothewidespreaduseofcomputersandtheincreaseinautomationoftheproductionprocess,thewayofman-machineintegrationandthepositionandroleofmaninthesystemhaveundergoneprofoundchanges.
Forexample,inthesystem,humansarechangedfromoperatorstomonitors,withreducedphysicalloadandincreasedmentalload;thewayofinformationexchangebetweenhumansandmachineshaschangedfrommechanicaltodialogue,andsoon.Cognitivefactorsarethecoreissueofmodernhuman-machinesystems,andcognitiveexperimentalpsychologyhasbecomethetheoreticalbasisofmodernengineeringpsychology.Suchchangeshavebroughtforwardnewresearchdirectionsandtopicsforengineeringpsychology.
EngineeringpsychologyresearchstartedrelativelylateinChina.Inthe1950s,theworkwasmainlycarriedoutonrationalizationofoperationsandtrainingoftechnicians.Inthe1960s,researchwascarriedoutinconjunctionwiththerequirementsofaerospace,aviation,railwayandpowerstationconstruction.Sincethe1980s,engineeringpsychologyhasdevelopedrapidlyinourcountry.
Theoreticalbasis
Someengineerswhodesignmachinery,automobiles,electricalappliancesandothermechanicaldevicesoccasionallyhaveawhim,theywanttomakethosecontrolbuttonsandwatchvalvesmoresuitablefornaturalhumansPerceptionandathleticability.Forexample,eveninearlycars,theconnectionbetweenthesteeringwheelandthefrontwheelisalreadylikethis.Ifyouwanttoturnleft,thedriverturnsthesteeringwheeltotheleft.Thismayseemtobethemostobviousthing,buttheearliestcarsweresteeredbytherudderstock.Toturnleft,thedriverhadtoturntherudderstocktotheright,andviceversa.Similarly,somedesignerstrytomanipulatetheturntablesonradios,powertools,andfactorymachinesinanaturalwayonthebasisofintuition.Althoughthesearethethingsthatengineersworryabout-ithasbeenthecaseuntilWorldWarII-buttherearesomedialsandcontrolbuttonsonalargenumberofequipmentthataredifficulttoexplainandnoteasytofine-tune.Somerequireunnaturalorunnecessarilycomplexhumanactions,whichoftencauseerrorsorevenaccidents.Oneexampleisthe"BritishMosquito",afighter-bombermanufacturedduringWorldWarII,whenpsychologistswerenotyetinvolvedinthismatter.Thethrottleisontheleftofthepilotandthelandingcontrolstickisontheright.Asaresult,whentakingoff,thepilothadtofreehishandfromtheairdoorandholdthesteeringwheelwithhislefthand.Inthisway,hewouldretreatonhisown,thusreducingthepower,whichhappenstorequirethemostpoweratthistime.Duringthewar,alargenumberofnewandcomplexmilitaryequipmentwereundercontinuousdevelopment.Militaryserviceorganizationsandtheircontractingpartiesbegantohirepsychologiststohelpmakeproductsmoreinlinewithhumanperceptionsandresponses.Thiswasthebeginningoftheso-calledhumanengineering,andlateritwasalsocalledengineeringpsychology.Psychologistshaveredesignedsomeequipmenttoimprovethelegibilityofitsdashboard,makefineadjustmentofthecontrolbuttonseasyandeasy,andmakenecessarymovementstobenaturallycoordinated,andsoon.
JackDunlapisanavalofficerinchargeofshootingtrainingandresearch.HewasaprofessorofpsychologyatForhamUniversity.Hisfirst-handexperiencewithshootingequipmentandhisunderstandingofthepsychologicaldifficultyofusingtheseequipmentledhimtoestablishthefirstfamilysexengineeringcompanyafterthewar,theDunlapCompany.Dunlapisashortfatmanwithplentyofenergy.Hehasbothprofessionalknowledgeandabroadvisionofappliedpsychology.Heshoutedatavisitorinsuchafriendlymanner,"Whatpurescience,Ican'tstandtheseacademichorseshit.Ifsciencecan'tbringpeopleabetterlife,itisworthless."Hesaid.Thedevelopmentofthiscompanycanbedescribedasthriving.Dunlapstartedwithaninvestmentof21,000U.S.dollarsin1948.Threeyearslater,itsturnoverhasreachednearly700,000U.S.dollars.ItscustomersaretheU.S.DepartmentofDefense,anaircraftmanufacturer,anofficemachinerycompany,aheavyelectricalequipmentmanufacturer,andaFlashmanufacturer,andothercustomers.
OneofthemosttypicalexamplesofDunlap'shumanityengineeringisthatithelpedapharmaceuticalfactorysolvetheproblemofcorrectmeteringofpills(toomanycountswillreduceincome.Toofewwillviolatefederallaw,andthisTwoproblemsoftenoccur).Thecountingworkercan'tactuallycount,hecanonlyuseanaluminumplateengravedwith100grooves,forexample,toinsertitintotheboxcontainingthepills.Whenhepullsoutthealuminumplate,thepillswillfallintoalmosteverygroove.Afteraglance,hewillknowthatheonlyneedstograb4-5pillsintothealuminumplateforautomaticbottling.Atleast,thisishowthisapproachworks.However,thispillcountingmethodoftencausesproblems.AnemployeeofDunlapCompanystudiedthiscountingprocessandthoughtthatthecolorofthisaluminumplatedidnotcontrastsharplywithmanykindsofpills.Hepaintedalittleorangeonthebottomofeachgroove,andasaresult,anygroovethatdidnotfallintothepillwouldlightuplikeawarninglight.Inthisway,theaccuracyrisesimmediatelyandtheproblemissolved.
Researchcontent
Engineeringpsychologymainlystudiesthephysiologicalandpsychologicalcharacteristicsofthehumanbodyrelatedtotechnicaldesign,andprovideshumandataforthedesignoftheman-machine-environmentsystem.Forexample,inordertomakethedesignandarrangementoftheworkspace,workbench,cockpit,controllerandvariousotherindividualappliancessuitableforthephysicalcharacteristicsoftheuser,itisnecessarytodeterminethestaticstructureofthehumanbody,thedynamicfunctionsizeandthehumanbiomechanicalparameters;forthedesignForhigh-qualityhuman-machineinformationexchangedevices,itisnecessarytostudythecharacteristicsandcapacitylimitsofhumans,andtostudyhumaninformationprocessingmodels;inordertoimprovethereliabilityofthesystem,itisnecessarytostudyhumanswhentheyareoverloadedorunder-loaded,especiallyinalarms.Responseabilityandbehaviorcharacteristicsinemergencies;individualdifferencesinhumanabilitiesandthesubjectiveandobjectiveconditionsthataffectabilitylevelsarealsoimportanttopicsinengineeringpsychologyresearch.
Humansandmachineshavetheirownstrengthsandweaknessesinfunction.Analyzingtherequirementsandfunctionsofeachlinkinthesystemtodeterminethemostsuitableworkforhumansormachinesisanimportantpartofman-machinesystemdesign.content.Generallyspeaking,theworkofhighintensity,highspeed,highprecision,monotonous,andpooroperatingconditionsshouldbearrangedwithmachines;worksuchasdrawingupplans,programming,copingwithunexpectedevents,andrepairingfaultsissuitableforpeopletodo.Withthedevelopmentofcomputersandautomaticcontroltechnology,theallocationofman-machinefunctionswillalsochange.Butnomatterhowthetechnologydevelops,thesystemcannotbewithouthumanparticipation.Peoplewillalwaysdominatethedevelopmentoftechnology;thedevelopmentoftechnologywillenablepeople'sfunctionstobebroughtintofullplay.
Theman-machineinterfaceisalsocalledtheman-machineinterface,thedisplayandthecontrollerarethetwointerfacesbetweentheman-machine.Themachinetransmitsinformationtothepersonthroughthedisplay,andthepersontransmitsthedecisionandinstructioninformationtothemachinethroughthecontroller.Theefficiencyofhuman-machineinformationexchangelargelydependsonthematchingdegreeofthedisplayandcontrollerwiththecharacteristicsofhumansensoryorgansandmotionresponseorgans.Inordertomatchthetwoaspectswell,itisnecessarytostudytherelationshipbetweenthephysicalcharacteristicsofthedisplayandthecontrollerandthephysicalandmentalcharacteristicsofpeople'sperception,memory,thinking,andmovementresponse.
Forexample,tostudytherelationshipbetweentheshape,size,color,brightness,spatialdensity,changespeedofvisualdisplaysymbolsandhumanvisualfunction;tostudysoundfrequency,loudness,duration,changespeedandauditoryfunctionRelationship;studytheinfluenceofthecontroller'scoding,forcedistance,resistance,distance,movementdirectionandotherfactorsonhumanoperationperformance,etc.Inmoderncomplexman-machinesystems,operatorsareoftenfacedwithdozensorevenhundredsofdisplaysandcontrollerswithdifferentfunctions.Ifthedesignorarrangementisimproper,misreadingandmisoperationarepronetocausemajoraccidents.
Workspacedesignisalsothebasiccontentofengineeringpsychologyresearch.Itmainlyincludesthesizeoftheworkspace,thelocationofthemonitorandthecontroller,thesizeoftheworkbenchandtheseat,thearrangementoftoolsandprocessingparts,etc.Thedesignoftheworkspaceshouldbeadaptedtotheuser'shumanbodycharacteristicstoensurethatthestaffcanadoptthecorrectworkingposturetoreducefatigueandimproveworkefficiency.
Physicalenvironmentalfactorssuchaslighting,noise,temperature,vibration,humidity,airpressure,acceleration,etc.willallhaveanimpactonpeople'sworkperformanceandbodyandmind.Peopleinspecialenvironmentssuchashighaltitude,underground,underwater,etc.,mayexperiencetheimpactofabnormalfactorssuchasoverweight,weightlessness,hightemperature,lowtemperature,highpressure,lowpressure,hypoxia,etc.Therefore,studyingtheimpactofspecialenvironmentalconditionsonhumanbehaviorisimportantItisofgreatsignificancetodesignspacecabinsandman-machinesystemsthatworkundergroundandunderwater.
Theresearchofengineeringpsychologyadoptsmethodssuchasinvestigationandobservation,fieldexperiment,situationalsimulation,laboratoryexperimentandmathematicalsimulation.Thesemethodshavetheirownadvantagesandlimitationsintermsofsituationalfidelity,flexibilityofuse,generalityandpracticabilityofresults.Forexample,themathematicalsimulationmethodhastheadvantagesoflowcost,convenientchange,simpleandeasytoimplement,buttheconclusionsobtainedcannotoftenbedirectlyusedtosolvecomplexpracticalproblems;thefieldtestisauthentic,butthefactorsarecomplexandtheconditionalcontrolislimited,soitisnotItiseasytoaccuratelyanalyzethecausalrelationshipbetweenvariables.
Researchmethods
1.Variables:arethebasicconceptsinpsychologyresearch.Thesizeofvariablescanbeobservedandmeasured.Thepurposeofscientificresearchistofindouttherelationshipbetweenvariousvariables.Relationship.2.Thevariablesinengineeringpsychologyresearchmainlyinvolvebehavioralvariables,whichhavetwomaindimensions:quantitativedimensionsandqualitativedimensions.Mostbehaviorsrelatedtoengineeringpsychologycanusecertainquantitativeunits.
3.Inengineeringpsychologyresearch,inadditiontoindependentvariablesanddependentvariables,sometimescontrolvariablesareencountered.
4.Correlation:referstotheexistenceofasystemicdependencebetweentwovariables,butthisrelationshipcanonlyshowthatthereisadependencebetweenthetwovariables,andcannotprovidereasonsandresults.explain.
(1)Psychologistsusuallydividecorrelationsintothreetypes:positivecorrelation,thedirectionofchangebetweentwovariablesisthesame;
(2)negativecorrelation,oneofthetwovariablesThedirectionofchangebetweenthetwovariablesisopposite;
(3)Zerocorrelation,thereisnosystematiccorrelationbetweenthetwovariables,andtheydonotaffecteachother.
5.Reliability:referstothereliabilityofthetoolusedintheresearch,thatis,whetheritcanstablyreflecttheabilityofacertainpsychologicalcharacteristic.Therearethreecommonlyuseddegreesinpsychologicalresearch:test-retestreliability,duplicatereliability,andsplit-halfreliability.
6.Validity:referstothevalidityandaccuracyofatestorresearch,thatis,theextenttowhichthemeasurementorresearchachievesitspurpose.Therearethreekindsofvalidity:contentvalidity,predictivevalidity,andconstructvalidity.
SafetyMode
Humanityengineeringhasalwaysbeenafairlywell-knownbranchofappliedpsychology.Subwaycontrolcenter,frombedsideradiotohomecomputer.Psychologistsengagedinhumanengineeringworkhavestudieddozensofquestions,includingwhetheritiseasiertoreadarotatingdiscwithascalethroughafixedmark,orwhetheritiseasiertoreadapointeraroundadiscwithafixedscale(Therotatingdiscisabetterdesign),howtomakethehandleofthecontrolbuttoneasiertofind(oneway:markingwithdifferentcolors;anotherway:makingitintodifferentshapesaccordingtoitspurpose,sothatyoudon’tneedtolookatitKnowwhichone--forexample,maketheheadofthelandingstickintoaroundshape,likeawheel,andmakethecontrolstickoftheauxiliarydeviceintoasheet-likewedge).Untilrecently,themostdisaster-threateningequipmentintheUnitedStates,thenuclearpowerplant,wasdesignedwithoutthebenefitsofhumanengineering.AftertheaccidentattheThreeMileIslandnuclearpowerplantin1979,theNuclearEnergyRegulatoryCommissionfailedtomakeupforit.TheyrealizedthatthecompanythatoriginallydesignedandbuiltnuclearpowerplantsintheUnitedStateslackedpsychologistswhoconductedhumanengineeringresearch.ThismayalsobethereasonfortheseriousdefectsinthemanualoperationpartoftheThreeMileIslandmachinesystem.Theoperatorcouldhavebeenremindedthatthesignofastuckvalveintheautomaticparkingsystemwasnotconspicuous;almost30%ofthesystemsignswerehungtoohighfortheoperatorstosee;Someofthecolorsonsomecontrolpanelsindicatenormalconditions,andonothercontrolpanels,theyindicatemalfunctions.Asaresultofthesefindings,theNuclearEnergyManagementCommitteehiredabout30psychologists,andbasedontherecommendationsofthesepsychologists,itre-formulatednewregulationsandguidelinesfornuclearpowerplantsnationwide.
FieldOutlook
1.Operationalresearch.Withtheimprovementoftechnology,theresearchonoperationisalsochanging.EarlyresearchonworkinghoursofF.W.Taylor,themovementanalysisofF.B.GilbraithandL.E.M.Gilbraithandlaterontheoperationofconveyorbeltproductionareallclassicworksinengineeringpsychology.Forexample,afterthetransitionfrommechanicalengineeringtoautomatedproduction,peoplearefarawayfromtheobjectsbeingmanipulated,andmonitoringhasbecomethemainoperationmethodofpeople.Inthefuture,thisaspectwillbecomemoreimportantandbecomeacomprehensiveresearchtopic.Itincludesthedesignofnewinstruments,specialtrainingandselectionofpersonnel,andworksystemarrangements.2.Man-machinesystem.Underproductionconditions,informationtransmissionandmutualadaptationbetweenhumansandmachinesaretheprerequisitesforensuringthereliabilityandhighefficiencyofalargesystem.Engineeringpsychologyhasmadealotofcontributionsinthisregard.Itisalsoofgreatsignificancetoapplytheresultsofcognitivepsychologyandthemethodsofobjectivelyanalyzinghumanpsychologicalprocessestosolveautomatedcontrolsystemsandlarge-scalenationaldefenseprojects.Thecurrenttrendistoexpandtheman-machinesystemintoamorecomprehensivesystemsuchasman-machine-environment-society.Withthepopularizationandapplicationofelectroniccomputers,theinteractionbetweenhumansandcomputerswillbethefocusofengineeringpsychologyresearchinthefuture.
3.Improvethequalityofworkandlife.Whethertheworkingenvironmentissuitableforensuringpeople'ssafety,healthandcomfort,andensuringhighproductionefficiency,isoneofthecentralissuesofengineeringpsychology.Researchinthisareaisthecontentofthequalityofworkandlife.Ithasreceivedmoreandmorewidespreadconcern.Becausewiththegeneralimprovementoflivingstandards,peoplenotonlyrequiretheworkingenvironmenttomeetthephysiologicalneeds,butalsopaymoreandmoreattentiontothepsychologicalneedsofworkers.Forexample,attachimportancetotheenrichmentandexpansionofworkcontent,reducesimpleandrepetitivework,improvethemeaningofworkitselftopeople,andincreasethesatisfactionofworkers.
4.Improvementoforganizationandmanagement.Modernmanagersshouldbegoodatdetermininggoalsfortheorganization,coordinatingtheinternalrelationsoftheorganization(suchasenhancingthesenseofbelongingandcohesion),improvingtheexternalrelationsoftheorganization(suchasstrengtheningcommunicationandcoordination),andpayattentiontoadoptingthetechnologydevelopedbytheorganization,sothatoneenterprise,oneenterpriseTheunithastheabilitytoorganizeself-improvement.However,thesetasksaredifficulttobecarriedoutbytheorganizationitself.Socializedconsultingagencieswillincreasinglyparticipateintheworkofimprovingorganizationmanagement,thatis,theorganizationsystemwillgraduallymovefromclosedtoopen.Thiswillbecomeanimportanttrendinthedevelopmentofengineeringpsychology.TheUnitedStateshasreferredtotraditionalengineeringpsychologyasengineeringorganizationpsychology.5.Humanresourcedevelopment.Theautomationoftheproductionprocesswillchangethewaypeopleplayaroleinproduction,butitcannotruleouttheparticipationofpeopleinproduction.Andwiththeimprovementofproductiontechnology,theroleofpeoplewillbecomemoreprominent,andthequalityrequirementsforpeoplewillalsobehigher.Inthefuture,engineeringpsychologywillplayagreaterroleinimprovingpeople'smotivationlevel,improvingtrainingmethods,scientificevaluationandselectionandappointmentofpeople,aswellasprofessionaldesignandpersonnelarrangements.Engineeringpsychologywillalsoprovideabasisforscientificallyformulatingpersonnelmanagementsystems.