A Case Study of Human Factors Guidelines in Computer Graphics

Does conventional human factors wisdom meet the needs of a state-of-the-art computer graphics display system? This case study suggests that human factors lags behind computer technology.     

Brightness contrast effects on recall of projected highway sign-type stimulus material.

Varied stimulus-surround brightness contrast of projected highway sign-type stimuli by manipulating photographic exposure time. Slides of 6 contrast levels of black on white were presented at 2 stimulus-exposure time conditions on 2 separate recall tasks. Data from 120 high school students suggest that recall of projected materials is not seriously degraded as contrast decreases from 97 to 67%. Below the 67% contrast level, a significant degradation in recall was observed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relevance of irrelevant relevance.

Comments on I. Silverman (see record 1972-02778-001) and encourages him to devote his methodological efforts to areas in which realistic contributions can be made to the improvement of society and of social psychology (in that order). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Task and training requirements analysis methodology (TTRAM): an analytic methodology for identifying potential training uses of simulator networks in teamwork-intensive task environments

A methodology designed to identify potential application areas for use of networked simulations is presented. The technique, known as task and training requirements analysis methodology (TTRAM), has been independently applied to the analysis of numerous US military aircraft simulator networking requirements, and appears to effectively discriminate tasks that are prone to skill decay, that are critical to mission success, that require high levels of internal and external teamwork, and that require additional training support.     

Listener responsiveness and the coordination of conversation.

To examine how feedback influences conversation, 76 speaker Ss (selected from a group of university moviegoers and students) watched a movie and then summarized it to 1 or 2 listeners. The listeners provided varying amounts of feedback to the speaker. When 2 listeners were present, one could influence the speaker through feedback and the other could only eavesdrop on the conversation. When speakers received more feedback, both listeners understood the movie better. Feedback individuated communication—the listener who provided the feedback understood the movie better than the eavesdropper who listened to the same conversation. In part, feedback produced these effects by coordinating what the speaker said with what the listener needed to know. Listener feedback signaled listeners' prior knowledge of the movie, and speakers talked most efficiently about those sections of the movie about which listeners had prior knowledge. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The sacroiliac joint. Nothing is sacred

One hundred years ago, the sacroiliac joint was considered to be the most common cause of sciatica; over time, however, it became increasingly apparent that the major back enterprise lay in disc extractions. Still, despite the lack of specific clinical tests, the same clinical symptoms suggesting lumbar disc and lumbar facet joint pathology may also justify consideration of the sacroiliac joint as the pain generator. Treatment approaches, including manual therapies, bracing, and exercises, may benefit both the facet and sacroiliac joints as well as intradiscal pathologies. The possibility of utilizing specific local intra-articular steroid injections into the sacroiliac joint may add another useful tool to the armamentarium of back pain relief strategies.     

Efficacy of home cervical traction therapy

Cervical traction is administered by various techniques ranging from supine mechanical motorized cervical traction to seated cervical traction using an over-the-door pulley support with attached weights. Duration of cervical traction can range from a few minutes to 20 to 30 min, once or twice weekly to several times per day. Anecdotal evidence suggests efficacy and safety, but there is no documentation of efficacy of cervical traction beyond short-term pain reduction. Because of a clinical impression that a simplified, inexpensive, over-the-door home cervical traction method of treatment requiring 5 min of cervical traction twice daily was efficacious for both cervical pain and radiculopathic syndromes, we undertook a retrospective study of 58 outpatients treated between 1994 and 1996. Age range was 29 to 84 (mean, 56) yr. Twenty-three males and 35 females were classified as Grade 1 to Grade 3 according to the Quebec Task Force of Whiplash-Associated Disorders Cohort Study. Outcomes were as follows: Grade 1 (mild)--4 of 4 (100%) patients improved; Grade 2 (moderate)--34 of 44 (77%) patients improved (P < 0.01), 5 were unchanged, and 5 felt their symptoms were aggravated by cervical traction; Grade 3 (patients with radiculopathy)--9 of 10 (90%) patients improved (P < 0.01). In a retrospective study, a brief (3-5 min), over-the-door home cervical traction modality provided symptomatic relief in 81% of the patients with mild to moderately severe (Grade 3) cervical spondylosis syndromes. Prospective, randomized assessment of cervical traction for this and other methods is needed.