Human Factors Engineering - Midterm Review Questions and Answers Solved Correctly Rated A+
Goal of human factors - Answers Enhance performance (increase speed, productivity, reduce errors)
Improve safety (reduce injuries and fatalities)
Increase user satisfaction (better quality of life, system acceptance)
Task Redesign - Answers Focuses on changing what operators do rather than changing the physical
equipment they use. Modifying what actions people take (such as reducing manual lifting with the help
of machines).
Basic Research - Answers Aims to develop general principles and theories across various tasks and
settings
Applied research - Answers deals with real-world scenarios such as studying the effects of texting and
driving. Example cell phone use and driving relates more to this type of research
(True or False) The experimental method consists of deliberately producing a change in one or more
dependent variables and measuring the effect of change on one or more independent variables -
Answers False
In an experimental method, independent variables are - Answers manipulated or changed, and the
effect of this manipulation is measured on the dependent variables, not the other way around.
Dependent variables are the outcomes or effects observed as a result of manipulating independent
variables.
This study assigns different groups of people to different conditions (cell phone use and traffic
conditions), so it is __________ where each group experiences only one combination of variables -
Answers between-subjects design. all different groups (4 different groups)
When participants experience some conditions and are part of different groups for others, it is ________
design - Answers mixed-subjects design (some variables are within subjects, and some are between-
subjects) (2 different groups)
(True or False) Retrospective think-aloud protocols involve participants describing what they were doing
after the fact, possibly while watching themselves on video - Answers True
(True or False) Heuristic evaluation enables designers to identify usability issues without needing users,
as expert evaluators use established heuristics to assess the system - Answers True
Heuristics developed by Nielson include principles like - Answers consistency, error recovery, help and
documentation, and system-world match
(True or False) Accommodation refers to how the eye lens changes shape to focus on near or distant
objects - Answers True
,Rods are responsible for - Answers low light vision
Cones are active in - Answers bright light and handle color vision
(True or False) The only way to increase the visibility of an object is to increase the light intensity -
Answers False. Visibility can also be improved by adjusting contrast and other factors, not just light
Bottom up processing - Answers relies on real data from environment
Top down processing - Answers uses prior knowledge
Frequency relates to the - Answers pitch of the sound
Loudness is related to - Answers amplitude
Sound levels above _______ are considered hazardous - Answers 85-90 dB
Motion sickness occurs when - Answers you feel something you don't see
Simulator sickness - Answers occurs when you see something you don't feel
What is the main goal of Human Factors Engineering - Answers To enhance human performance, safety,
satisfaction
Which of the following is NOT part of Human Factors design considerations?
A. Task design
B. Equipment design
C. Environmental design
D. Economic cost reduction - Answers D.
Human factors primarily concern task, equipment, and environmental design, aiming to optimize human
interactions with systems
Which of the following is an example of applied research?
A. Studying the effect of new training methods on factory workers' productivity
B. Investigating how visual attention shifts in various lighting conditions - Answers A.
Applied research is more specific and often aimed at solving real-world problems, such as improving
productivity with new methods. Option B is more theoretical, fitting basic research
, True or False: In an experiment, the independent variable is what is manipulated, and the dependent
variable is what is measured. - Answers True
The independent variable is controlled or changed by the experimenter, while the dependent variable is
the outcome that is measured
In a within-subjects experimental design, participants:
A. Experience only one condition
B. Experience all conditions of the independent variable - Answers B.
In a within-subjects design, the same participants experience all levels of the independent variable,
which allows for comparisons within the same group of participants
Which type of evaluation involves comparing user performance with heuristic principles rather than
with actual users?
A. Usability testing
B. Heuristic evaluation - Answers B. Heuristic evaluation is conducted by experts who review a system
against a set of usability principles without involving real users
Which of the following is NOT one of Jakob Nielsen's heuristics?
A. Match between system and the real world
B. Recognition rather than recall
C. Increased system complexity - Answers C. Nielsen's heuristics are meant to simplify and improve
usability, not increase complexity. "Increased system complexity" contradicts the goal of improving
usability
What is the purpose of a debriefing session in heuristic evaluation?
A. To prioritize problems and discuss solutions with the design team
B. To provide feedback directly to users - Answers A. After the evaluation, the evaluators meet to rate
the severity of problems and suggest solutions to the design team, not the users
Rods are responsible for vision at ________ while cones are responsible for vision at ________.
A. Low light levels; high light levels
B. High light levels; low light levels - Answers A. Rods function in low light conditions (night vision), while
cones are active in bright light and responsible for color vision
In signal detection theory, a "false alarm" occurs when:
Goal of human factors - Answers Enhance performance (increase speed, productivity, reduce errors)
Improve safety (reduce injuries and fatalities)
Increase user satisfaction (better quality of life, system acceptance)
Task Redesign - Answers Focuses on changing what operators do rather than changing the physical
equipment they use. Modifying what actions people take (such as reducing manual lifting with the help
of machines).
Basic Research - Answers Aims to develop general principles and theories across various tasks and
settings
Applied research - Answers deals with real-world scenarios such as studying the effects of texting and
driving. Example cell phone use and driving relates more to this type of research
(True or False) The experimental method consists of deliberately producing a change in one or more
dependent variables and measuring the effect of change on one or more independent variables -
Answers False
In an experimental method, independent variables are - Answers manipulated or changed, and the
effect of this manipulation is measured on the dependent variables, not the other way around.
Dependent variables are the outcomes or effects observed as a result of manipulating independent
variables.
This study assigns different groups of people to different conditions (cell phone use and traffic
conditions), so it is __________ where each group experiences only one combination of variables -
Answers between-subjects design. all different groups (4 different groups)
When participants experience some conditions and are part of different groups for others, it is ________
design - Answers mixed-subjects design (some variables are within subjects, and some are between-
subjects) (2 different groups)
(True or False) Retrospective think-aloud protocols involve participants describing what they were doing
after the fact, possibly while watching themselves on video - Answers True
(True or False) Heuristic evaluation enables designers to identify usability issues without needing users,
as expert evaluators use established heuristics to assess the system - Answers True
Heuristics developed by Nielson include principles like - Answers consistency, error recovery, help and
documentation, and system-world match
(True or False) Accommodation refers to how the eye lens changes shape to focus on near or distant
objects - Answers True
,Rods are responsible for - Answers low light vision
Cones are active in - Answers bright light and handle color vision
(True or False) The only way to increase the visibility of an object is to increase the light intensity -
Answers False. Visibility can also be improved by adjusting contrast and other factors, not just light
Bottom up processing - Answers relies on real data from environment
Top down processing - Answers uses prior knowledge
Frequency relates to the - Answers pitch of the sound
Loudness is related to - Answers amplitude
Sound levels above _______ are considered hazardous - Answers 85-90 dB
Motion sickness occurs when - Answers you feel something you don't see
Simulator sickness - Answers occurs when you see something you don't feel
What is the main goal of Human Factors Engineering - Answers To enhance human performance, safety,
satisfaction
Which of the following is NOT part of Human Factors design considerations?
A. Task design
B. Equipment design
C. Environmental design
D. Economic cost reduction - Answers D.
Human factors primarily concern task, equipment, and environmental design, aiming to optimize human
interactions with systems
Which of the following is an example of applied research?
A. Studying the effect of new training methods on factory workers' productivity
B. Investigating how visual attention shifts in various lighting conditions - Answers A.
Applied research is more specific and often aimed at solving real-world problems, such as improving
productivity with new methods. Option B is more theoretical, fitting basic research
, True or False: In an experiment, the independent variable is what is manipulated, and the dependent
variable is what is measured. - Answers True
The independent variable is controlled or changed by the experimenter, while the dependent variable is
the outcome that is measured
In a within-subjects experimental design, participants:
A. Experience only one condition
B. Experience all conditions of the independent variable - Answers B.
In a within-subjects design, the same participants experience all levels of the independent variable,
which allows for comparisons within the same group of participants
Which type of evaluation involves comparing user performance with heuristic principles rather than
with actual users?
A. Usability testing
B. Heuristic evaluation - Answers B. Heuristic evaluation is conducted by experts who review a system
against a set of usability principles without involving real users
Which of the following is NOT one of Jakob Nielsen's heuristics?
A. Match between system and the real world
B. Recognition rather than recall
C. Increased system complexity - Answers C. Nielsen's heuristics are meant to simplify and improve
usability, not increase complexity. "Increased system complexity" contradicts the goal of improving
usability
What is the purpose of a debriefing session in heuristic evaluation?
A. To prioritize problems and discuss solutions with the design team
B. To provide feedback directly to users - Answers A. After the evaluation, the evaluators meet to rate
the severity of problems and suggest solutions to the design team, not the users
Rods are responsible for vision at ________ while cones are responsible for vision at ________.
A. Low light levels; high light levels
B. High light levels; low light levels - Answers A. Rods function in low light conditions (night vision), while
cones are active in bright light and responsible for color vision
In signal detection theory, a "false alarm" occurs when:
