Human Factors Psychology Commons^™

Improving Urban Search And Rescue Team Coordination Through Adaptive Context Awareness, Daniel Reyes Duran

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Modern multi-agent Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) operations heavily rely on mobile geospatial Common Operating Pictures (COPs) to maintain team coordination and Situational Awareness (SA). However, the proliferation of high-frequency sensor telemetry at the tactical edge has introduced a data saturation paradox challenge: while information theoretically drives informed decision-making, unmanaged data surges induce increased operator cognitive overload and alert fatigue on mobile End-User Devices (EUDs), while downstream data-broadcasting models inherently strain edge processing and viewport environments.

To resolve these constraints, this dissertation presents a context-aware Value of Information (VoI) data-management framework integrated directly with a custom, event-driven Android Team Awareness …

Enhancing Undergraduate Learning In Physics: The Effects Of Ai-Assisted And Ai-Guided Instruction On Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, And Satisfaction, Stephen Woods

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as large language models are increasingly used for self-directed learning, yet there is limited experimental evidence on whether they improve learning outcomes and whether theory-informed guidance adds value beyond AI use alone. Prior literature suggests that effective learning depends not only on access to information, but also on how instruction supports attention, working memory, long-term memory, and cognitive load, while also fostering motivational processes such as self-efficacy. Individual differences such as Need for Cognition may also shape how learners engage with cognitively demanding instructional tools such as AI.

The present study examined how different …

Investigating Driver Perceptions Of Semi-Autonomous Vehicle Sensing And Response Characteristics, Molly Mersinger

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

As semi-autonomous vehicle (SAV) technologies become increasingly integrated into modern transportation, understanding how the public perceives their capabilities is essential for ensuring safe and effective human-automation interaction. This study examined drivers’ perceptions of SAV detection and discernment abilities across 28 driving conditions and how those perceptions related to expected vehicle behaviors in 17 corresponding scenarios. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses identified three perceptual dimensions: Traffic Infrastructure and Vehicle Recognition, Dynamic Roadway Hazards and Vulnerable Road Users, and Human Interaction and Contextual Cues. Moderate overlap between the first two dimensions suggested that participants viewed certain structured and dynamic roadway features as …

Teamwork And Artificial Intelligence (Ai) : Examining The Effects Of Teammate Identity, Deception, And Ai Literacy On Team Dynamics And Performance In Human-Human Vs. Human-Ai Teams, Jenna Korentsides

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to be integrated into collaborative work environments, understanding how humans interact with AI teammates is increasingly important. This study examined how people’s beliefs about who they are working with (whether a teammate is human or AI) can influence teamwork outcomes. Specifically, we explored how perceived teammate identity affects task performance and team experience, with a focus on trust and communication as potential mediators, and AI literacy (familiarity and comfort with AI) as a moderator. Participants completed a series of timed, collaborative problem-solving tasks using a bomb defusal simulation. Each participant worked with both a human …

Rookies To Aces: Investigating The Intuitiveness Of Pilot Interaction For Operating Evtol Aircraft, Shivani J. Patel

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft introduce unique movement dimensions beyond traditional fixed-wing and rotor-wing aircraft, requiring novel control interfaces for pilot operation. This study examines the compatibility of gesture-based control movements across participants with varying flight experience levels. This study included a total of 60 participants across four groups; novices (no real or virtual flight experience, n=30), flight simulator gamers (n=10), fixed-wing pilots (n=10), and rotor-wing pilots (n=10). Participants viewed eighteen simulated first-person eVTOL aircraft movements (e.g. pitch, roll, yaw, heave, translations) assessing their intuitive gesture inputs for the different aircraft motions. Additionally, they were asked to sketch …

Tap, Swipe, And Connect: Exploring Perceptions Of Inclusivity Through Smartphone Design And Accessibility, Carmen Van Ommen

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

There has been an increasing importance placed on customization of products and desire for the product to allow the consumer to express themselves or fit into desired social groups with their product choices. Designing products to be inclusive can encompass these desires, as well as ensure that a wide range of user groups can use the products well. In general, there is little research in the field of perceptions of inclusivity with consumer technology products. Previous research has validated a scale to measure Perceptions of Technology Product Inclusivity (PTPI) with different user groups and technology product groups, however no research …

Mini-Maps, Crucial Or Controversial: Assessing The Influence Of Perceived Spatial Orientation And Cognitive Mapping Performance On Video Game User Experience, Angela Le

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Decades of game studies, also known as video games research, have revealed frequent video gameplay is positively correlated with enhanced cognition. An area of study that is limited, however, is the relationship between spatial cognition, specifically the domains of spatial orientation and cognitive mapping and their effects on video game user experience for games employing visual navigational aids. Video game user experience is influenced by many factors such as graphics and audio, gameplay mechanics, user interface design, etc. The present study aims to explore whether spatial abilities influence and are significantly correlated with user experience for games using heads-up displays …

The Effect Of Need For Cognition & Need For Affect On Human Reliance And Artificial Intelligence Interactions, Aliyah Mcgowan

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Abstract

With the increased use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) automations in fields like medical diagnoses and mental health queries, there are concerns regarding an individual’s trust and reliance on the technology. Reliance on AI output may lead an individual to accept inaccurate or incorrect information without further analysis. Trust may influence reliance and trust formation may be a product of affective processing. This study investigated the relationship between Need for Affect (NFA), Need for Cognition (NFC), and trust and reliance on AI interactions. Participants were assessed on the NFA scale for willingness to approach or avoid emotional stimuli, the NFC …

Let’S Make It A Game: Utilizing An Escape Room To Study Variables And Interventions That Impact The Development Of Psychological Safety, Kimberly N. Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

To thrive in today’s competitive markets, organizations must harness the insights of all members. This requires employees to feel comfortable collaborating and sharing diverse knowledge—a process enabled by psychological safety. Although extensively studied over the past two decades, how and when psychological safety develops remains unclear. This research addresses these gaps by exploring temporal changes in psychological safety and examining the role of team inputs, processes, and interventions in shaping psychological safety perceptions at individual and team levels. This study utilized a quasi-experimental design with repeated and independent measures in a sample of 74 medical and physician assistant students. Within-subject …

An Analysis Of Helicopter Emergency Medical Services And Human Error Contributors To Accidents, Paige Lawton

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) is a growing industry that provides a vital service to transport critically ill or injured patients to healthcare facilities. This growth has come with an increase in rates of HEMS crashes and fatalities. Certain types of events commonly precede HEMS accidents such as continued flight into deteriorating weather conditions, night, and self-induced pressure, to name a few. Given that these causes and contributing factors can be seen time and again within HEMS accidents, the need arises for additional analysis of the human factors that play a role in accidents. This study addresses this need through …

The Influence Of Task Process And Task Structure On Transactive Memory Systems And Team Outcomes: A Meta-Regression Analysis, Crystal Fausett

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

In the rapidly evolving landscape of modern work environments, teams remain a foundation for achieving organizational goals. The efficacy of teams often hinges on the presence of Transactive Memory Systems (TMS), a shared cognitive mechanism that facilitates the distribution and retrieval of specialized knowledge within teams. However, gaps remain in understanding the dynamics of how TMS influences team outcomes, especially in the context of varying task structures, task processes, and TMS operationalization. This dissertation introduces a theoretical model where TMS directly influences team outcomes, with task structure, task process, and TMS operationalization acting as moderators. Meta-analytic results indicate positive effects …

The Aviation Illusion-Situational Judgment Test: Development And Evaluation, John Kleber

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Situational judgment tests (SJTs) are scenario-based assessments that evaluate an individual's capacity to make key judgments relating to specific contexts. While SJTs are traditionally used for personal selection (e.g., managers, customer service personnel, and police officers), SJTs also demonstrate potential for use in training evaluation. One area of interest in aviation is aeronautical decision-making (ADM) during inflight encounters with aviation illusions. However, a gap in research exists regarding how to measure pilots’ capacity to make judgments about illusions during flight.

This dissertation aimed to develop and validate an SJT that evaluates aeronautical decision-making (ADM) during inflight encounters with aviation illusions. …

Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Operator Workload And Situation Awareness Utilizing First Person View Techniques, Ross Lucas Stephenson Jr

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The small, unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) sector within the aviation industry is experiencing unprecedented growth. However, the regulatory guidance for the safe integration of sUAS into the National Airspace System (NAS) has not kept pace with this technological growth within the market. Current regulatory limitations of line-of-sight operations may have an impact on the establishment of an equivalent level of safety for sUAS operations as maintained by manned aircraft. The focal point of the discussion of line-of-sight operations has been the ability of the sUAS pilot to see and avoid all obstacles and other aircraft in a safe and timely …

Effectiveness And User Experience Of Augmented And Mixed Reality For Procedural Task Training, Emily Rickel

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Use of augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) technologies for training is increasing, due in part to opportunities for increased immersion, safer training, and reduced costs. However, AR/MR training effectiveness and user experience, particularly for head-mounted displays (HMDs), is not well understood. The purpose of this study is to investigate user perceptions and retention of AR/MR training delivered through a HMD for a procedural task. This two-part study utilized a within-subjects experimental design with 30 participants to determine how instruction method (paper vs. AR vs. MR) and time of procedure recall (immediate vs. post-test vs. retention) influenced completion time, …

Ems To Trauma Care Transitions: An Investigation Of Patient And Handoff Outcomes, Richard Simonson

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The helicopter as a method of emergency medical service transportation of trauma patients has a long history of effective use-cases dating back to its inception during the Vietnam war. Compared to ground-based emergency medical transit, helicopters have been able to reach severely injured patients in environments with challenging terrain features that ground-based medical services cannot traverse. Additionally, the helicopter offers quicker and more direct-route transit options that result in both quicker response and shorter transportation times compared to their ground-based alternative. Further, research has indicated that helicopter ambulance teams utilize paramedics with more experience than ground ambulance paramedics. Prior research …

Comparing Training Effects Of Virtual Reality Flight Simulation To Conventional Pc-Based Flight Simulation, Tianxin Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The purpose of the current project was to investigate the effect of utilizing Virtual Reality (VR) technologies for flight training by comparing the training results when using conventional desktop flight simulation versus VR flight simulation. Additionally, this project examined the user experience of VR flight simulation and how users’ motivation and satisfaction with VR simulations. This research employed a quasi-transfer of training experiment including 48 participants. Analyses indicated that VR group participants performed better in the post-training maneuver performance on an FTD than in the conventional desktop simulation group. Findings also supported that VR flight simulation could provide a better …

Effects Of Gamification On Knowledge Acquisition: Aviation Weather Online Training, Jacqueline Mcsorley

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Due to the high popularity of gaming, researchers have begun to implement aspects of these games into real life (known as gamification). Motivation and engagement may be influenced by certain game mechanics and user types, which then could also impact learning. A gap still exists as to whether leaderboards and narratives impact motivation or engagement when implemented in a non-game context (i.e., an online training program). Studies indicate that aviation weather training for general aviation pilots is underdeveloped, particularly for NEXRAD. In considering the competitive/ goal-oriented nature of pilots, gamification elements such as Achievements and Stories could best motivate pilots-in-training …

The Cost Of Playing The Game: Modeling In-Game Purchase Intention And Investigating Purchase Behavior Of Mobile Gamers, William J. Shelstad

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Free-to-play games typically have a monetization model that relies on players to purchase in-game items or virtual goods to generate revenue (Nguyen, 2015). There have been several empirical efforts to investigate purchase intention of virtual goods in video games with some focusing on quantitative models of purchase intention. Most of these studies tend to be with virtual worlds and lack the use of validated instruments to measure constructs (Hamari & Keronen, 2017). This research sought to gain a greater understanding of purchase intention of in-game content or virtual goods in mobile games through two studies.

Study 1 modeled purchase intention …

The Impact Of Individual And Team-Level Variables On Burnout In Healthcare Providers, Logan M. Gisick

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Burnout among medical providers is a growing issue with effects that start at the provider level and span outward to affect the entire hospital system. The consensus of the literature is that there are multiple categories of factors which lead to the development of burnout including personal characteristics, social characteristics, and job/work characteristics. Because of the highly collaborative and interpersonal nature of healthcare work, the interactions among team members have the potential to significantly influence provider burnout and recent studies are beginning to examine this interaction more carefully. However, there is little research that examines the relationship between multiple personal …

Pilot Perception Of Cockpit Organizational Framework’S Impact On Flight Safety And Subordinate Pilot Behavior, Robert D. Allen

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Past accidents have indicated that first officers (FO) are less likely to identify and correct captain errors than captains are to correct FO errors. Crew resource management (CRM) training was introduced in the late 1970s to improve captain teamwork skills to utilize the FO more effectively and to increase FO willingness to interject to preserve safety. Despite the effectiveness of CRM training programs, there continue to be incidences where subordinate pilots make weak or ineffective attempts to preserve safety.

This research investigated commercial and airline transport pilots’ perception of the impact cockpit organizational framework (COF) has on both flight safety …

It's Not Just A Game: Exploring The Effects Of An Escape Room Team Building Intervention, Andrew C. Griggs

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Escape rooms have been used as a training intervention in multiple contexts, but their efficacy as a team building intervention is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of a team building escape room on perceptions of team processes and perceived team effectiveness, the sustainability of these effects, as well as relationships between team processes and task completion in this context. This research utilized archival data of 33 healthcare teams (n = 145 participants) completing a team building escape room and prospectively collected follow-up data from the same participants (n = 49 …

The Effects Of At-Home Remote Work Environments On Human Cognitive Performance And Work Task Performance Based On Current Societal Conditions, Angela Arias

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Home-based remote work systems present a unique set of cognitive performance and work task performance challenges to employees without remote work experience. The COVID-19 pandemic forced companies into transforming their work system structures, and their employee roles, without the preparation or education of the dynamics that surround home-based remote work systems. This thesis benefits the Human Factors community by investigating the effects of at-home remote-based work environments on cognitive performance, and work task performance, of employees who currently work remotely from home. A multimethod approach was employed to carry out this research. A survey was administered to home-based remote employees, …

Developing A Predictive Model Of Depression And Suicidal Tendencies In Pilots, Tanya Kim Bulleigh

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The mental health of commercial airline pilots is as important as their physical health because of their immense responsibility for the safety of their passengers and crews. Pilot suicides that end in fatal aircraft crashes result in many injuries and deaths. Although depression and suicidal tendencies are common across all genders, ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds, the mental health of aviation pilots has been challenging to evaluate and quantify through routine flight medical exams.

The purpose of this study was to determine predictive factors of depression and suicidal tendencies among commercial airline pilots. Previous research has determined predictive factors of depression …

An Investigation Of Factors That Influence Passengers’ Intentions To Use Biometric Technologies At Airports, Kabir Olaseni Kasim

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Biometric technologies use the characteristics and measurements from humans to establish or verify their identity. Within an airport setting, biometric technologies can be used to hasten passenger processes such as airport check-in, baggage drop-off or pick-up, and aircraft boarding, thus enhancing the overall passenger experience.

This research investigated the factors that influence passengers’ intentions to choose the use of biometrics over other methods of identification. The current study utilized a quantitative research method via an online survey of 689 persons from Amazon ® Mechanical Turk ® (MTurk) and employed structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques for data analysis. The study utilized …

How Does Robotic Surgery Influence Communication, Leadership, And Team Outcomes? A Multimethod Examination., Jordan E. Rogers

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The practice of delivering surgical care has evolved to be less invasive to the patients undergoing surgery. Minimally-invasive surgery can be practiced through traditional laparoscopic methods as well as with robotic technology that displaces the surgeon from the operating table. Robotic surgery has been cited to be safer and more effective than traditional laparoscopic surgery; however, little research has endeavored to investigate the role of surgical modality upon aspects of teamwork. This dissertation contributes to the human factors and teamwork literature by evaluating how surgical modality may influence communication, shared leadership, and team outcomes. Multiple methods were employed to study …

Know Your User: Building A Predictive Model Of Consumer Preference For Driverless Cars, Mattie Nicole Milner

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

INTRODUCTION: This dissertation identifies factors significantly predicting participants' preference for riding in an autonomous vehicle rather than flying on a commercial aircraft. A plethora of research has investigated these two transportation industries independently; however, scarcely any research has considered the impact these two industries will have on each other. Travelers’ preference for riding in an autonomous vehicle rather than a commercial aircraft was investigated through four different scenarios.

METHOD: A regression equation was created to predict participants’ preferred travel method and validated through a two-stage process. Stage 1 involved the creation of the regression equation, and a total of 1,008 …

Pilot Acceptance Of Personal, Wearable Fatigue Monitoring Technology: An Application Of The Extended Technology Acceptance Model, Rachelle Lynne Strong

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The research problem of pilot fatigue has been referenced as a causal factor for aircraft accidents in many United States National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) accident reports; however, the United States Code of Federal Regulations 14 CFR Part 117, Flight and Duty Limitations and Rest Requirements for Flight Crew Members, does not provide a tangible means of measuring fatigue for aircraft crew members. This problem is relevant to the airline industry and the travelling public because pilot fatigue is preventable as a causal factor in aviation accidents, and pilots need an accurate way to measure it. Adoption of a …

Fixation Patterns Of Driving Scenes As A Function Of Task Load And Task Goal, Anastasia N. Diamond

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Distracted driving has been a heavily researched area, and the negative impacts it has on driving performance is well known. Eye movement patterns of distracted drivers have also been studied, though insight into what the driver specifically looks at is not as well known. Researchers have studied eye movement metrics like average fixation durations, eyes-off-road glance times, time to first fixation, among other eye movement variables, over an entire drive, but not as much attention has been given to what the driver is looking at in a specific moment in time. The current study uses the Tobii Pro X2-60 eye …