Human Factors Psychology Commons^™

Questionnaire Design: How To Ask The Right Questions Of The Right People At The Right Time To Get The Information You Need, William F. Moroney, Joyce Anne Cameron

Books and Book Chapters by University of Dayton Faculty

This book explores how a well-designed questionnaire is customer-focused, simplifying the process for the respondent and thereby increasing both validity and response rates. It is recommended for use by psychologists, sociologists, political scientists, marketers, and other professionals.

Questionnaires, like any well-designed interface, should be intuitive. This manual provides a fool-proof approach to questionnaire design for practitioners, marketers, and researchers with little or no formal training. It provides practical instruction regarding what to do and how to do it and supports these instructions with real-world examples and findings from scientific studies. An augmenting website contains additional guidance, examples, a case study, …

Comparison Of Selected Survey Instruments For Software Team Communication Research, Raghava G. Gowda, Donald J. Polzella

Psychology Faculty Publications

One of the factors that influence task productivity is communication pertaining to task, resources, and organizational issues. The objective of this research is to explore the availability of validated survey instruments in the area of organizational and team communication and assess their applicability in software development team research. Based on past studies, we have selected six comprehensive instruments. This paper provides a brief summary of the instruments and the various dimensions that they cover. The instruments are classified using a Group Variable Classification System (GVCS - input-process - output - feedback) model for team research. As most of the instruments …

Effects Of Background Music On Spatial And Linguistic Processing, Leslie A. Angel, Donald J. Polzella, Greg C. Elvers

Psychology Faculty Publications

Poster session presented at the meeting of the Psychonomic Society. College students were trained according to one of two standardized task protocols: spatial (mental rotation) or linguistic (letter classification).Testing consisted of multiple randomized trials with and without background music (classical piano) at two levels of task difficulty. Raw data for both tasks were response time and accuracy. Background music increased the speed of spatial processing at both difficulty levels, while accuracy of processing remained unaffected. In contrast, background music increased the accuracy of linguistic processing, while speed of processing remained unaffected. These findings, integrated with those of a previous experiment …

Effects Of Familiar Background Music On Working Memory And Motor Tracking, Donald J. Polzella, Scott Schoeling

Psychology Faculty Publications

Poster session presented at the meeting of the Psychonomic Society. Two groups of college students participated as listeners or non-listeners, based on whether or not they preferred background music while working or studying. Both groups were trained according to standardized memory search and unstable motor tracking task protocols. Testing consisted of multiple trials at varying levels of difficulty with and without familiar background music. Background music enhanced motor tracking, particularly when the task was challenging. In contrast, background music disrupted aspects of working memory. There were no differences between listeners and non-listeners. The results suggest that, regardless of an individual’s …

Using Technology To Address Learning Style Issues, Donald J. Polzella, Greg C. Elvers, Ken Graetz

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Multidimensional Scaling Analysis Of Simulated Air Combat Maneuvering Performance Data, Donald J. Polzella, Gary B. Reid

Psychology Faculty Publications

This paper describes the decomposition of air combat maneuvering by means of multidimensional scaling (MDS). MDS analyses were applied to performance data obtained from expert and novice pilots during simulated air-to-air combat. The results of these analyses revealed that the performance of expert pilots is characterized by advantageous maneuverability and intelligent energy management. It is argued that MDS, unlike simpler metrics, permits the investigator to achieve greater insights into the underlying structure associated with performance of a complex task.

Human Factors, Ergonomics, And Human Factors Engineering: An Analysis Of Definitions, Deborah M. Licht, Donald J. Polzella, Kenneth R. Boff

Psychology Faculty Publications

This report was prepared in response to a request by the Human Factors Committee of the National Research Council to aid its deliberations regarding a standardized definition of human factors. Though many variations of definitions abound, a formally endorsed unified definition of the field does not exist. CSERIAC's approach to this query was to compile and analyze definitions of human factors (and related terms) from a range of key resource materials and present them in a manner to expedite the Committee's consideration of a unified definition. Subsequent to a review of the human factors literature, we collected definitions, sorted and …

Multidimensional Scaling Analysis Of Simulated Air Combat Maneuvering Performance Data Ii: A Follow-On Study, Donald J. Polzella, Gary B. Reid

Psychology Faculty Publications

Multidimensional scaling (MDS) was applied to performance data obtained from expert and novice pilots during simulated air-to-air combat. The analyses revealed the principal performance dimensions to be TACTICAL POSITION (offensive versus defensive), TACTICS ("energy" versus "angle"), and TYPE OF MANEUVERING (low energy versus high energy). High-skilled combat performance was found to be dependent on the interaction between position advantage, intelligent management of kinetic and potential energies, and maneuverability.

Aircrew Training Devices: Utility And Utilization Of Advanced Instructional Features (Phase Iv–Summary Report), Donald J. Polzella, David C. Hubbard, James E. Brown, H. Craig Mclean

Psychology Faculty Publications

Modern aircrew training devices (ATDs) are equipped with sophisticated hardware and software capabilities, known as advanced instructional features (AIFs), that permit a simulator instructor to prepare briefings, manage training, vary task difficulty/fidelity, monitor performance, and provide feedback for flight simulation training missions. The utility and use of the AIF capabilities of Air Force ATDs were explored by means of a survey of 534 simulator instructors from Air Training Command, Military Airlift Command, Strategic Air Command, and Tactical Air Command training sites. The primary purpose of the survey was to provide a database that could be used in defining the requirements …

Aircrew Training Devices: Utility And Utilization Of Advanced Instructional Features (Phase Iii-Electronic Warfare Trainers), Donald J. Polzella, David C. Hubbard

Psychology Faculty Publications

This document consists of an interim report and a final report which describe the second and third phases of a project designed to determine the utility and utilization of sophisticated hardware and software capabilities known as advanced instructional features (AIFs). Used with an aircrew training device (ATD), AIFs permit a simulator instructor to control, monitor, and fabricate simulator training missions. Phase II of the project asked 273 instructor pilots, flight engineers, and radar/navigators from Air Training Command (ATC), Military Airlift Command (MAC), and Strategic Air Command (SAC) to rate each of 16 AIFs on five seven-point rating scales. Phase III …

Aircrew Training Devices: Utility And Utilization Of Advanced Instructional Features (Phase Ii-Air Training Command, Military Airlift Command, And Strategic Air Command), Donald J. Polzella

Psychology Faculty Publications

This document consists of an interim report and a final report which describe the second and third phases of a project designed to determine the utility and utilization of sophisticated hardware and software capabilities known as advanced instructional features (AIFs). Used with an aircrew training device (ATD), AIFs permit a simulator instructor to control, monitor, and fabricate simulator training missions. Phase II of the project asked 273 instructor pilots, flight engineers, and radar/navigators from Air Training Command (ATC), Military Airlift Command (MAC), and Strategic Air Command (SAC) to rate each of 16 AIFs on five seven-point rating scales. Phase III …

The Assessment Of Software Usability [Abstract], David W. Biers, Samuel M. Bower, Frank J. Dapolito, Donald J. Polzella

Psychology Faculty Publications

The University of Dayton has been exploring the feasibility of establishing a software usability testing laboratory. Usability refers to the ease-of-use of a system, and usability testing is performed to ensure that systems meet the criteria established to determine ease of use. Usability assessment involves both the measurement of user performance and user satisfaction.

Aircrew Training Devices: Utility And Utilization Of Advanced Instructional Features (Phase I-Tactical Air Command), Donald J. Polzella

Psychology Faculty Publications

An Aircrew Training Device (ATD) is not merely a flight simulator. It is also equipped with sophisticated hardware and software capabilities, known as advanced instructional features (AIFs), that permit a flight crew instructor to control, monitor, and record flight simulation training sessions. A survey conducted at five of the principal Tactical Air Command ATD sites revealed that few instructors receive extensive training in AIF use and that most features are not used very often. Several factors appear to have contributed to the low rate of AIF use. These factors include hardware and/or software unreliability, time-consuming implementation, functional limitations, and design …