ET 305 Human Factors of Engineering Exan Questions and Answers Solved Correctly Graded A+
Define human factors (or ergonomics) - Answers scientific discipline concerned with the understanding
of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory,
principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system
performance
What are the three goals of human factors? - Answers Improve performance
Increase safety
Increase user satisfaction
What are the five typical approaches of human factors? - Answers Equipment design, Task design
Environmental design, Training, Selection
List some human factors discipline examples - Answers Anatomy, Physiology,
Physics and Biomechanics
What is the difference between human factors and ergonomics? - Answers Historically, ergonomics has
focused on the human factors related to physical work. Ergonomics has also been the preferred label in
Europe.
What is the difference between basic and applied research? Give an example of each. - Answers Basic
research: The development of theory, principles, and findings that generalize over a wide range of
people, tasks, and settings.
Example: A series of studies that tests the theory that as people practice hundreds of times it becomes
automatic and no longer takes thought cognitive thought-processing.
Applied research: The development of theory, principles, and findings that are relatively specific with
respect to particular populations, tasks, products, systems, and/or environments.
Example: Measuring the extent to which the use of a cell phone while driving takes driver attention
away from primary driving tasks.
What are the three types of human factors research methods? - Answers Descriptive studies,
Experimental research, Evaluation research
What are the typical descriptive study methods? List three examples. - Answers Observation, Surveys
and questionnaires, Incident and accident reports
The experimental research examines the relationship between causal _____ variables and
resulting changes in _____ variables. - Answers Independent
, Dependent
What are the five steps in conducting an experiment? - Answers Define problem and hypotheses
Specify the experimental plan
Conduct the study
Analyze the data
Draw conclusions
What are the different experimental designs? List three examples. - Answers The two-group design:
Compares two conditions/levels for the independent variable
Multiple group design: Examines many levels of the variable
Factorial design: Evaluates two or more independent variables by combining the different levels of each
independent variable
What is the most common research design? Give an example. - Answers Factorial Designs: most basic
type is a 2x2 box used to show each independent variable and the interactions between them
What are confounding variables? - Answers Variables other than the independent ones that influence
the dependent variables.
What are two statistical analyses? Give an example of each. - Answers Descriptive statistics: Most
common descriptive statistic is the mean.
Inferential statistics: The likelihood that any differences between experimental groups are "real" and not
just random fluctuations due to chance.
t-test
When drawing conclusions, _____ usually means statistically significantly better. - Answers Usually p <
0.05 means statistically significantly better.
Name the 4 Ps for ethical issues about the human factors research. - Answers PROTECTION of
participants from mental or physical harm
The right of participants to PRIVACY with respect to their behavior
The assurance that PARTICIPATION in research is completely voluntary
The right of participants to be informed beforehand about the nature of the experimental PROCEDURES
List some typical human factors design activities. - Answers Design or help design new products or
systems, especially the interface.
Define human factors (or ergonomics) - Answers scientific discipline concerned with the understanding
of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory,
principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system
performance
What are the three goals of human factors? - Answers Improve performance
Increase safety
Increase user satisfaction
What are the five typical approaches of human factors? - Answers Equipment design, Task design
Environmental design, Training, Selection
List some human factors discipline examples - Answers Anatomy, Physiology,
Physics and Biomechanics
What is the difference between human factors and ergonomics? - Answers Historically, ergonomics has
focused on the human factors related to physical work. Ergonomics has also been the preferred label in
Europe.
What is the difference between basic and applied research? Give an example of each. - Answers Basic
research: The development of theory, principles, and findings that generalize over a wide range of
people, tasks, and settings.
Example: A series of studies that tests the theory that as people practice hundreds of times it becomes
automatic and no longer takes thought cognitive thought-processing.
Applied research: The development of theory, principles, and findings that are relatively specific with
respect to particular populations, tasks, products, systems, and/or environments.
Example: Measuring the extent to which the use of a cell phone while driving takes driver attention
away from primary driving tasks.
What are the three types of human factors research methods? - Answers Descriptive studies,
Experimental research, Evaluation research
What are the typical descriptive study methods? List three examples. - Answers Observation, Surveys
and questionnaires, Incident and accident reports
The experimental research examines the relationship between causal _____ variables and
resulting changes in _____ variables. - Answers Independent
, Dependent
What are the five steps in conducting an experiment? - Answers Define problem and hypotheses
Specify the experimental plan
Conduct the study
Analyze the data
Draw conclusions
What are the different experimental designs? List three examples. - Answers The two-group design:
Compares two conditions/levels for the independent variable
Multiple group design: Examines many levels of the variable
Factorial design: Evaluates two or more independent variables by combining the different levels of each
independent variable
What is the most common research design? Give an example. - Answers Factorial Designs: most basic
type is a 2x2 box used to show each independent variable and the interactions between them
What are confounding variables? - Answers Variables other than the independent ones that influence
the dependent variables.
What are two statistical analyses? Give an example of each. - Answers Descriptive statistics: Most
common descriptive statistic is the mean.
Inferential statistics: The likelihood that any differences between experimental groups are "real" and not
just random fluctuations due to chance.
t-test
When drawing conclusions, _____ usually means statistically significantly better. - Answers Usually p <
0.05 means statistically significantly better.
Name the 4 Ps for ethical issues about the human factors research. - Answers PROTECTION of
participants from mental or physical harm
The right of participants to PRIVACY with respect to their behavior
The assurance that PARTICIPATION in research is completely voluntary
The right of participants to be informed beforehand about the nature of the experimental PROCEDURES
List some typical human factors design activities. - Answers Design or help design new products or
systems, especially the interface.
