Human Factors in Engineering Exam 1
UPDATED Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Determine human performance based on causal relationship from several independent variables
(information overload study) - CORRECT ANSWER - Multiple dependent variable
research designs
What are the 3 goals of human factors engineering? - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Enhance
performance (increase productivity)
2. Increase safety (reduction in errors)
3. Increase user satisfaction
- Involves the user at all stages of design; a design must support a user's needs and not force a
user to adapt
- Take empirical measurements (surveys, questionnaires, usability testing, etc.)
- Use of prototypes to iteratively test usability and performance
- Directly engage users in the design process along the way - CORRECT ANSWER -
Usability engineering or user-centered-design
1. Who are the users? (demographics, age, gender, education, size, familiarity with the product,
task-relevant skills, personas, etc.)
2. What is the product or system's main function? (precision measurement, large earth moving,
automated or manual, etc.)
3. Under what environmental conditions will it function? (human, high pressure, excessive
thermal cycling, etc.)
4. What are the users' preferences and/or requirements? (color, size variable, price range,
visibility, durability, etc.) - CORRECT ANSWER - Front end analysis questions
,What will the product do? General transformations of information and system state that help the
user achieve goals, but this does not specify actual tactics or carrying out specific tasks -
CORRECT ANSWER - Function
Experimental research methodology - CORRECT ANSWER - force a change in a control
or independent variable to determine the change in a dependent variable. Control is important
here.
specific jobs, duties, tasks, and actions that the user will be doing in using the product -
CORRECT ANSWER - Task analysis
Describe relationships even though they cannot be manipulated or controlled - CORRECT
ANSWER - Descriptive methods research methodology
- Test for only one condition or one level
- One independent variable
- One control group and one treatment group - CORRECT ANSWER - Two-group
research designs
- Test for more than one condition or more than one level of one condition
- Use of multiple groups of subjects
- May or may not have a control group - CORRECT ANSWER - Multiple group research
designs
- What is the difference between group 1 and group 2?
- Each combination of independent variable is administered to a different group - CORRECT
ANSWER - Between subjects research designs
interest in main effects and interactive effects - CORRECT ANSWER - Factorial research
designs
, - All subjects participate in all experimental conditions
- Can compare individual subjects to themselves across all conditions - CORRECT
ANSWER - Within subjects research designs
Nominal measurement scale - CORRECT ANSWER - A set of measurements used for
classification or identification purposes
The assignment of numbers by rules to represent properties of objects or events - CORRECT
ANSWER - Measurement
Scale of values representing differences or distances between amounts of the property being
measured - CORRECT ANSWER - Interval measurement scale
A set of measurements in which the amount of a property of objects or events can be ranked -
CORRECT ANSWER - Ordinal Measurement Scale
Number system has an origin represented by zero - CORRECT ANSWER - Ratio
measurement scale
Characterize a population in terms of attributes (age, gender, nationality, etc.) - CORRECT
ANSWER - Descriptive studies
Assess the effect of something (system or product) - CORRECT ANSWER - Evaluation
research
Test the effects of some variable on behavior, or on the overall operation (input-output modeling,
independent variable and its response variable) - CORRECT ANSWER - Experimental
research
Characteristics and behaviors of interest (physical characteristics, performance data, subjective,
physiological characteristics) - CORRECT ANSWER - Criterion
UPDATED Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Determine human performance based on causal relationship from several independent variables
(information overload study) - CORRECT ANSWER - Multiple dependent variable
research designs
What are the 3 goals of human factors engineering? - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Enhance
performance (increase productivity)
2. Increase safety (reduction in errors)
3. Increase user satisfaction
- Involves the user at all stages of design; a design must support a user's needs and not force a
user to adapt
- Take empirical measurements (surveys, questionnaires, usability testing, etc.)
- Use of prototypes to iteratively test usability and performance
- Directly engage users in the design process along the way - CORRECT ANSWER -
Usability engineering or user-centered-design
1. Who are the users? (demographics, age, gender, education, size, familiarity with the product,
task-relevant skills, personas, etc.)
2. What is the product or system's main function? (precision measurement, large earth moving,
automated or manual, etc.)
3. Under what environmental conditions will it function? (human, high pressure, excessive
thermal cycling, etc.)
4. What are the users' preferences and/or requirements? (color, size variable, price range,
visibility, durability, etc.) - CORRECT ANSWER - Front end analysis questions
,What will the product do? General transformations of information and system state that help the
user achieve goals, but this does not specify actual tactics or carrying out specific tasks -
CORRECT ANSWER - Function
Experimental research methodology - CORRECT ANSWER - force a change in a control
or independent variable to determine the change in a dependent variable. Control is important
here.
specific jobs, duties, tasks, and actions that the user will be doing in using the product -
CORRECT ANSWER - Task analysis
Describe relationships even though they cannot be manipulated or controlled - CORRECT
ANSWER - Descriptive methods research methodology
- Test for only one condition or one level
- One independent variable
- One control group and one treatment group - CORRECT ANSWER - Two-group
research designs
- Test for more than one condition or more than one level of one condition
- Use of multiple groups of subjects
- May or may not have a control group - CORRECT ANSWER - Multiple group research
designs
- What is the difference between group 1 and group 2?
- Each combination of independent variable is administered to a different group - CORRECT
ANSWER - Between subjects research designs
interest in main effects and interactive effects - CORRECT ANSWER - Factorial research
designs
, - All subjects participate in all experimental conditions
- Can compare individual subjects to themselves across all conditions - CORRECT
ANSWER - Within subjects research designs
Nominal measurement scale - CORRECT ANSWER - A set of measurements used for
classification or identification purposes
The assignment of numbers by rules to represent properties of objects or events - CORRECT
ANSWER - Measurement
Scale of values representing differences or distances between amounts of the property being
measured - CORRECT ANSWER - Interval measurement scale
A set of measurements in which the amount of a property of objects or events can be ranked -
CORRECT ANSWER - Ordinal Measurement Scale
Number system has an origin represented by zero - CORRECT ANSWER - Ratio
measurement scale
Characterize a population in terms of attributes (age, gender, nationality, etc.) - CORRECT
ANSWER - Descriptive studies
Assess the effect of something (system or product) - CORRECT ANSWER - Evaluation
research
Test the effects of some variable on behavior, or on the overall operation (input-output modeling,
independent variable and its response variable) - CORRECT ANSWER - Experimental
research
Characteristics and behaviors of interest (physical characteristics, performance data, subjective,
physiological characteristics) - CORRECT ANSWER - Criterion
