Grants
The group of Cognitive Ergonomics has been awarded several research grants from the Swiss National Science Fondation. The following research projects are still on-going:
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Social stress, social support and performance in human-machine teams
Project description
The project aims to examine problems associated with social stressors in hybrid teams (i.e. comprising humans and highly automated technical systems) and whether social support can alleviate any negative effects. Whereas no such work has been carried out in hybrid teams, there is ample empirical work on different kinds of social stressors (e.g. bullying, interpersonal conflict) in teams comprising only humans. This work has shown a strong propensity towards field research for most stressors and is also characterised by a shortage of studies taking measurements of performance. To complement this research, a laboratory-based approach is adopted by using a computer-based simulation of a complex technical work environment, which allows measuring multiple performance indicators. The following three work-related social stressors are examined: assignment of illegitimate tasks (i.e. tasks that violate norms with regard to what can be reasonably expected from a job holder) ostracism (i.e. people being excluded and ignored at work) and negative performance feedback in performance appraisal. The three social stressors will be examined in hybrid teams, combined with the provision of social support as an antagonist to the social stressor. The focus on hybrid teams represents a novel approach and allows us to determine whether the outcomes of social stress are fundamentally different depending on whether the social stressor is induced by a human or a machine.
Three experiments will examine the effects of these social stressors on performance and on other pertinent outcome measures (e.g. subjective strain, affect). Experiment I investigates the impact of illegitimate task assignment by a human or by a machine agent. Experiment II is concerned with ostracism at work, comparing the effects of being socially excluded by a human colleague or by a machine agent. Experiment III examines the effects of receiving negative performance feedback (from a human or machine agent). Each experiment also aims to determine whether social support is effective in reducing the negative effects of social stress. The methodological approach adopted allows us to measure a broad range of outcome variables, notably objective parameters such as multiple-task performance, information sampling behaviour and psychophysiological data.
The work planned is expected to provide several benefits. First, we will gain a better understanding of the extent to which social stress and how social support affects outcome measures that have not yet been examined in previous research (notably objective performance). Second, we will increase our knowledge of how these social processes differ in hybrid team from those in traditional human teams. Third, the work will make a simulation environment available to the research community that allows us to examine social stressors in a laboratory.
Principal investigator
Prof. Juergen Sauer
Project Staff
Simon Thuillard
Juergen BaumgartnerDuration of project
June 2018 – May 2022
Completed research projects
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Increasing the effectiveness of usability testing: the role of testing method, cultural background and system features beyond usability (SNSF-Grant)
Project description
Extending the work of a preceding SNSF-project, the project focuses on the question of how the utility of usability tests can be improved further. While there is little doubt that usability testing is an effective product evaluation method, there are a number of factors, which may have an undesirable impact on test outcomes and hence may reduce the effectiveness of usability tests. Therefore, these factors are to be empirically examined and the degree of their influence is to be determined. The factors are related to three main areas. The first area is concerned with methodological issues of usability testing. This includes the question of whether lab-based testing and single-session testing is of equivalent value as the more realistic testing conditions of field-based testing and multiple-session testing. The second area addresses the influence of cultural background on the outcomes of usability tests. For example, it is unclear how difference between cultures in voicing criticism affects data in usability testing that are based on subjective user feedback. The third area is concerned with the influence of product characteristics such as brand and visual as well as non-visual aesthetic features. In addition to the scientific implications of the work, the results of the project are also expected to provide designers and practitioners with recommendations about important issues to be considered during usability testing.
Principal investigator
Prof. Juergen Sauer
Project staff
M.Sc. Sven Schmutz
Dr Andreas Sonderegger
Duration of project
July 2012 - June 2015
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Effectiveness of explicit and implicit adaptive automation under different work stressors (SNSF-Grant)
Project description
Building on the work of a preceding SNSF-project, this project is concerned with the human-centred design of highly automated technology. Such automated technical systems may be found in industry (e.g. chemical plants) but also in non-work systems (e.g. parking assist system in car, central heating system). With a view to matching workload levels to the needs of the human operator, new forms of automation design are evaluated in a series of lab-based experiments, using a computer-based simulation of a highly automated process control system that was modelled on a spacecraft's life support system. The work involves examining different ways of assigning tasks between the human operator and the technical system, which focuses on the question whether the ultimate decision authority should be given to the operator or to the machine. For example, the decision when a task is given to or taken away from the operator may be based on current performance levels of the operator rather than the operator's preference. The advantages and disadvantages of the different forms of automation design are empirically evaluated under routine conditions but also under higher levels of operator stress (e.g., exposure to noise, sleep deprivation).
Principal investigator
Prof. Juergen Sauer
Project staff
Dr Alain Chavaillaz
Duration of project
October 2011 - September 2014
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Human-centred design and evaluation (SNSF-Grant)
Project description
The project is concerned with the evaluation of multi-modal technologies that have been developed in the IM2-NCCR (e.g., Communication board). This is achieved by conducting usability tests with prospective product users. The usability tests are carried out under highly controlled conditions in the laboratory but also in the field to take into account the wider usage context of the product user. The effects of usability testing are measured at multiple levels: user performance, user satisfaction, psychophysiology, and emotion. Furthermore, the project addresses several methodological questions, such as the appropriateness of employing reduced fidelity prototypes to model multi-modal technologies (e.g., paper prototypes, mock-ups). The use of reduced fidelity simulations is widespread in product development but little is known about the suitability of these methods in this context. The influence of product aesthetics on user reactions and behaviour is also examined. Finally, the outcomes of a usability test may also be influenced by user characteristics (e.g., self-efficacy), of which the impact on test outcomes is also determined.
Principal investigator
Prof. Juergen Sauer
Project staff
Dr Andreas Sonderegger
Duration of project
January 2010 - December 2013
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Designing automation for visual inspection tasks (SNSF-Grant)
Project description
The project is concerned with the design of automation to support operators in visual inspection tasks (e.g., quality control in manufacturing, medical diagnoses, and airport security). While these issues have attracted increasing interest in psychological research, the potential benefits of automation in visual inspection have not been fully reaped. The project aims to examine whether modern concepts of automation design (e.g., adaptable automation) can also be introduced to a domain requiring high levels of vivilance such as luggage screening. Furthermore, it aims to examine the implications of introducing higher levels of automation for rest breaks and training design. A purpose-built simulation will be developed to model the work environment of luggage screening officers. This simulation environment will be able to model different automation modes (e.g. no automatic support, system informs about presence of target, system indicates location of target) and will be suitable for use in lab-based work as well as in field research. A series of experiments are envisaged to examine the effects of providing different forms of automatic support to the operator, in combination with pertinent work design issues surrounding visual inspection tasks (e.g. rest break, training). While a central outcome variable of the reserch refers to operator performance (notably accuracy and speed in target detection), the measurement of eye movements will provide data about the operators' visual search behavior as an important complementary measure. Further measures include automation reliance, trust in automation, and subjective workload. The findings are expected to contribute to the design of suppert systems in the context of airport security and other visual inspection tasks.
Principal investigator
Prof. Juergen Sauer
Project staff
Dr Alain Chavaillaz
Duration of project
March 2014 - Februrary 2017
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Older projects
The following research projects have already been completed:
- The utility of usability tests: An examination of factors that influence test outcomes (SNSF-Grant)
- Adaptive automation and operator state in complex work environments (SNSF-Grant)