Lecture 1. Engineering psychology as a field of psychological knowledge

Object, subject and tasks of engineering psychology.

Engineering (technical) psychology (from the French ingenieur

- engineer, specialist in the field of technology) is a practically oriented branch
of psychological science, the subject of which is the study of objective laws of human interaction with technical devices for the purpose of their design and use in effective, reliable and safe operating modes.
Prerequisites for the emergence of engineering psychology:

1. Development of technical progress, mechanization and automation of production.

2. The emergence of many new professions related to technology and computers.

3. Widespread use of machines, computer technology, information models for individual and collective use.

4. The constant complication of the activities of a person performing the functions of an operator due to the continuous improvement of technology and automation of production processes.

5. Increase in injuries and functional morbidity of people interacting with technical systems at work and at home;

6. Insufficient efficiency of technology, its high accident rate due to unsatisfactory consideration of human functional capabilities and psychological patterns in the design of these systems.

A special technical problem arose - the problem of taking into account the psychological capabilities of a person when working with technology. An intensive study of the limits of human capabilities, the speed of information processing, research into the patterns of fatigue when working on certain technical means began, and all this with the intention of designing new technology adapted to human capabilities. This was made possible by combining engineering and psychological research. It was at the intersection of technology and psychology, as well as as a logical continuation of the development of engineering and experimental psychology , that a new field of knowledge arose - engineering psychology .

Engineering psychology

-
a branch of psychological science
that studies the objective laws of the processes of information interaction between man and technology with the aim of using them in the practice of designing, creating and operating “man-machine” (HMC) systems.
Engineering psychology studies human factors in technology .
How psychological science

engineering psychology studies the mental processes and properties of a person, finding out what requirements for technical devices arise from the characteristics of human activity, i.e., it solves the problem of adapting technology and working conditions to a person.

Like technical science

engineering psychology studies control panels, machine cabins, processes and algorithms for their functioning to determine the requirements for the psychological and physiological characteristics of the human operator.

Object of engineering psychology

– interaction in the “Human-Machine” (HMC) system. A person in this system is called an operator. A machine is understood as any technical device (calculator, airplane, computer, etc.) through which he (they) carries out labor activities. Engineering psychology covers all types of technology. Engineering and psychological research is necessary wherever we are talking about the creation of certain devices designed for the perception, representation, thinking of a person, for his actions.

Subject of engineering psychology

– psychological patterns of interaction between man and technology and ways to optimize this interaction, including the processes of receiving, processing, storing information by a person, decision-making and mental regulation of control actions.
Since a person remains the leading link in the organization of work activity, the main attention is paid to the activities of the human operator and the difficulties that he has to face in the process of performing complex tasks .
The problem of human-machine interaction also determines the main goal
of engineering psychology - increasing the efficiency and safety of systems.
Tasks of engineering psychology:

General theoretical tasks:

1. Maximum adaptation of technology to people (according to design and technological parameters).

2. Maximum adaptation of a person to technology (according to the parameters of professional suitability and professional preparedness).

3. Rational distribution of functions between humans and automatic devices in human-technology systems.

Often a person makes mistakes not because he has not mastered the profession, but because his psychophysiological capabilities are limited: the speed of transmitted information exceeds the capabilities of the senses, the shape of the signals turns out to be difficult for a person to comprehend. If, when creating a new technology, the laws of perception, attention, memory and thinking, the mental properties of a person and the dynamics of his mental states are not taken into account, then this means that human error is already “embedded” in the technology being created.

Particular practical tasks:

1. Diagnostic:

— Analysis of human functions in human control systems, study of the structure and classification of operator activities.

— Study of perceptual and mnemonic processes of information transformation by a human operator. The transformation of information by a person includes four stages: receiving information, processing the received information, making a decision, and implementing control actions.

— Studying the influence of psychological factors on the effectiveness of human-machine systems.

2. Operational:

— Development of principles for constructing operator workplaces.

— Study of the operator’s functional states

— Development of principles and methods for the professional training of operators in MFM (professional selection, training, team building, training).

— Engineering-psychological design and evaluation of “man-machine” systems.

Work in engineering psychology is carried out in the following areas: 1. Study of the structure of operator activity - its psychophysiological and psychological aspects; 2. Engineering and psychological design; 3. Psychological support for the scientific organization of labor - ; 4. Professional selection - selection, training and placement of personnel.

Main aspects: scientific concepts, principles and requirements

The engineering-psychology approach is created by adhering to concepts that ensure safety, productivity and efficiency. The set of concepts includes the following principles:

a specified set of requirements for the operator;
constantly improving teaching methods;
rehabilitation of workers exposed to overload;
accessibility and reliability of professional information;
open activity, focus on the employee as a subject of the production process;
predictability of activities.

The tools of a psychologist working to study the interaction between technology and humans include methods of vocational selection, training, mental state analysis and optimization of people’s mental health.

Historical stages in the development of engineering psychology.

Stage 1. The emergence of engineering psychology and the active accumulation of practical material (20-60s of the 20th century).

In the 20s of the 20th century, in connection with the rapid development of technology, engineering psychology appeared.
Back in the years. In psychology (especially in aviation), research was carried out that prepared the ground for the “official birth” of engineering psychology
. The initiators of the creation of the engineering-psychological direction were American and English psychologists A. Chapanis, McFerdan, W. Garner, D. Bronbet and others.

In Russia, the official emergence of engineering psychology is usually associated with the organization in October 1959. at the Leningrad State University laboratory of industrial psychology , headed by B. Lomov. B. Lomov’s monograph “Man and Technology”, published in 1963 by the Leningrad University Publishing House, became widely known. It was a programmatic scientific work that served as an impetus for extensive research on fundamental theoretical and applied issues of engineering psychology .

At the initial stages, the “machine-to-man relationship” was dominant, where man himself is described in terms of technology - as an element, an appendage of the machine. At the first stage of development of engineering psychology

The attention of researchers was focused on solving fundamental issues related to the study of psychological patterns of human reception and processing of incoming information, decision-making, implementation of control actions, optimal distribution of functions in “man-machine” systems, development of psychological requirements for elements of technology, the human workplace and etc. At first, the main attention was paid to the structure of the human body and the dynamics of working movements. Based on biomechanical and anthropometric data, recommendations were developed that relate only to the shape and size of a person’s workplace and the tool they use. Then the object of study becomes the physiological properties of a working person. Recommendations arising from the data of labor physiology refer not only to the design of the workplace, but also to the working day, the organization of work movements, and the fight against fatigue. Attempts have been made to evaluate various types of work in terms of the demands they place on the human body.

This stage in the development of engineering psychology is called the stage of active accumulation of empirical material, which subsequently formed the basis for relevant practical and methodological recommendations, engineering psychological standards, practical aids, reference books, textbooks, and monographs.

As an independent science, engineering psychology initially developed as a branch of traditional labor psychology, the main object of which was the study of the direct interaction of a person with objects and tools (tools, machine tools, conveyors, means of transport, etc.). The tasks of engineering psychology were mainly reduced to a critical analysis of errors in the design of equipment or training of operators, and the identification of factors affecting the effectiveness of man-machine systems. Useful recommendations were developed for the rational design of control panels, instrument scales, indicating devices, etc.

In the 50s the patterns of human reception and processing of information were defined in general terms, and in the 60s - the general principles of organizing human interaction with a computer. The recommendations developed have found practical application in the automation of management processes in production, aviation, astronautics, etc.

2. stage.
Theoretical formulation of engineering psychology (60-90s of the 20th century).
In the context of the ever-increasing role of the human factor in modern production, engineering psychology is given increasing importance.

At the turn of the 60-70s, engineering psychology entered a new stage of its development. The “anthropometry of man to machine” comes to the forefront, where man is increasingly seen as a subject of labor, and technology is a means of his own labor). At this stage in engineering psychology there is a noticeable and fundamental turn from the so-called average calculation (essentially impersonal) person to a specific person at the control panel with his individual identity. Engineering psychology moves on to the study of a wide range of problems relating to man as a person and an individual, as well as as a subject of work, communication and cognition.

In engineering psychology

the process of accumulation of scientific knowledge, the formation of original author's concepts begins, and its methodological foundations begin to be comprehended more deeply and broadly.

methodological principles of engineering psychology

Basic theoretical concepts of engineering psychology

1. Basic concept of engineering psychology

.
The main idea of the basic concept is the commonality of the laws of control processes in living and non-living systems (as in cybernetics). Technical objects are designed based on the study of living objects (bees, birds, etc.). 2. Information Model Concepts
.
The main idea of this concept: a person moves further and further away from the control object and carries out his work “remotely”... This means that the operator increasingly works not with the object itself, but with its information model. The “intermediate link of the system” is not just a person, but a whole complex, including a human operator, display means (means for displaying information) and controls. The main function of this complex is the transmission and processing of information. 3. Bandwidth Concepts
. This concept is based on determining the quality of work by the amount of information processed. Quantitative assessment allows operator work to be calculated and more accurately designed.

4. Concepts for Quantifying Workflow and Reliability

. Various authors propose specific ways to quantify operator labor. For example, quantitative assessments of some psychophysiological characteristics of the operator’s activity, which makes it possible to judge the intensity of the work process, its logical complexity and stereotypicality.

Stage 3. Systematic research in engineering psychology (90s of the 20th century - present).

The penetration of the ideas of the systems approach into engineering psychology is reflected in the transition from studying a person as a simple link, an element of “man-machine” systems to considering him as a complex control system.
All types of systems are considered as a class of purposeful systems, which is due to the inclusion in their functioning of a person who sets goals, determines tasks and means of solution. Thus, the starting point for the analysis of human resources from the standpoint of a systems approach becomes expedient human activity.
The central point in this approach is the design of human activity in human-technology systems. The development of modern engineering psychology is aimed at a comprehensive solution to the problems of increasing labor productivity, improving conditions and humanizing the work of a person operating modern complex equipment.

Main applied areas of engineering psychology

: system engineering and operational.

The main task of the systems engineering direction

— comprehensive design of the operator’s activities and the technical means he uses. When developing an HMS, the designer, together with a psychologist, must, along with designing the technical part of the HMS, develop a project of human activity: determine its structure, dynamics, optimal methods of implementation, present requirements for the level of professional suitability, calculate the real standards of the operator’s activity and compare them with acceptable ones.

The main task of the operational direction

— analysis of the behavior and performance of operators in various operating modes, development of methods, criteria and means of monitoring the psychological state of operators during work, issues of group psychology, issues of professional training of operators, etc.

Prospects for the development of
engineering or technical psychology: •
further development of the theory of human professional activity in modern “man-technology” systems, primarily computerized ones;

• improving methods of professional orientation, selection and professional training of people for “man - technology” systems.

3.
Research methods in engineering psychology
Engineering psychology is characterized by a systematic approach to the consideration of the processes and phenomena being studied, which requires the use of various methods for the most complete study of the activities of a human operator in human-machine systems. Therefore, engineering psychology uses methods of psychological science, as well as related fields (cybernetics, human physiology, mathematics, linguistics, etc.).

Among the psychological methods used in engineering psychology

, distinguish:

1. Psychodiagnostic methods

(tests, questionnaires, sociometry, conversations-interviews...) are intended to study the process of professional activity of a human operator, during the functioning of a human operator, assessing human activity, analyzing his errors and environmental factors.

The main psychological methods are observation

and
experiment
.
The purpose of observation as a method of engineering psychology is to identify professionally significant features of various mental processes by studying and comparing external manifestations of human activity, facial expressions, speech and work results. Observation is supplemented by a number of methods for objective recording of the phenomena being studied. These include: photographing or photographing the operator’s working posture and facial expression, readings of instruments and indicators observed by him, directions of gaze and working movements. This must be done unnoticed by the subject. A tape recorder can be used to record speech. Observation can also be clarified using measurements
. This can be measurements of the geometric dimensions of the workplace, measurements of the time and sequence of work and rest throughout the entire working day, measurements of the time of individual actions and movements (timing). In addition, in observation practice, measurements of latent periods of various sensorimotor and sensory-speech reactions included in the work activity being studied are used. During the observation process, physiological parameters are also widely measured: pulse and respiration rates, blood pressure, electrical activity of the heart, brain, muscles, etc.

Great importance in observation belongs to the analysis of erroneous actions of the operator.

Analysis of errors allows us to outline real ways to eliminate them. For example, a Russian psychologist analyzed the mistakes made by mechanized accounting workers when stuffing punched cards. In total, more than 80 thousand erroneously punched cards were studied. The analysis showed that the errors were sensory and not motor in nature. In accordance with this, the training methodology for female workers was changed: the training was aimed at developing the necessary sensory skills.

A specific form of observation is the so-called labor method.

It represents an ordered form of everyday records of the observer himself, mastering the profession being studied. The disadvantage of the method is the difficulty of recording self-observations and facts of the labor process.

Although it has undoubted advantages, the observation method has a significant drawback - it does not introduce changes into the activity being studied, therefore, in the course of it, exactly those situations that most interest the researcher may not appear.

Observation is usually supplemented by conversations

with operators and
questionnaires
. The survey method is usually auxiliary in the psychological study of activity.

The conversation must be carried out both with highly qualified specialists to find out the secrets of their skills, analysis and generalization of best practices, and with less qualified operators to clarify the difficulties they encounter in the process of production activities.

Questioning has fewer capabilities than oral conversation, but it has the ability to formalize the processing of the responses received.

The survey method can be used at the preliminary stage of familiarization with the profession or to study those aspects of professional activity that are difficult to observe and experimentally test.

2. Experimental methods.

Experimentation is of great importance in the arsenal of methods of engineering psychology.
An experiment
in engineering psychology is the study of the psychological characteristics of an operator’s activity caused by a change in conditions, purpose or method of performing this activity. The experiment can be laboratory or natural.

A laboratory experiment is one of the types of operator activity modeling. Its meaning lies in the fact that the subject is given the task, in laboratory conditions, to perform certain actions, the psychological structure of which is most consistent with the actions of real activity. Such modeling allows you to study any real activity with high accuracy of registration and measurements. But due to artificiality, the results may differ from those that occur in real conditions of human activity.

Reasons: firstly, in laboratory conditions it is difficult to imitate some situations of real activity (for example, stressful situations, the necessary motivation and responsibility of the subject for the actions taken, etc.).

Secondly, in a laboratory experiment, the influences on the subject are of a random nature for him (the subject, as a rule, does not know their background). In real life, the subject often reacts not to the true meaning of the stimulus, but to its deviation from what is already known.

Third, it is difficult to recreate in the laboratory all the real factors that influence operator performance. The statistical significance of laboratory data does not always coincide with practical significance.

Laboratory experiment can be of two types: synthetic

and
analytical
.

In a synthetic experiment, they try to more accurately reproduce all the goals and conditions of a given type of work activity. For this purpose, various models of cabins, stands, simulators, and simulators are used.

In an analytical experiment in laboratory conditions, only one element of work activity is reproduced. This type of experiment is used to study the influence of various conditions on individual elements of activity.

are a type of analytical laboratory experiment .

A test is a task or task with the help of which the operator’s level of development of one or another psychological quality is checked. Tests can be blank (written) or instrumental. The latter allow a more complete assessment of the operator’s qualities, but they require large material costs for their production and operation.

Tests are used to solve problems of professional selection and control the operator’s condition. But there are limitations in the use of tests, and they are due to the following:

1. The test is used to assess one or another mental quality of a person, as a rule, without connection with real activity.

2. For the purposes of professional training, it is more important to know not the current, but the potential level of a person’s capabilities and abilities.

One of the most productive methods for studying operator activity is a natural experiment.

which can be carried out in various forms. The simplest form is to solve “introductory problems” (for example: “Something happened, what will you do?”). The best result will be obtained if these deviations are introduced into work activity unnoticed by the subject (for example, turning off the engine, changing the adjustment, simulating a malfunction, etc.).

However, a natural experiment cannot be applied in all cases. First of all, we are talking about situations where the “man-machine” system is in the process of development.

A correctly performed experiment includes the following stages: problem statement

(study of the process under study and identification of characteristics to be determined: time to solve the problem, number of errors, physiological indicators, etc. - dependent variables; factors changeable by the experimenter
), experiment planning (
the number of experiments is determined, the order of the experiment is specified, the randomization method is selected - the effect of systematic factors not studied in this experiment is neutralized),
the experiment itself
(subjects following instructions, creating equal groups - experimental and control, eliminating the influence of the experimenter on the behavior of the subject)
, processing of results
(should be carried out by statistical methods and include an assessment of the parameters of the desired characteristics, comparison of these parameters, construction of empirical dependencies).

3. Methods of psychological support and accompaniment of effective, safe and reliable human activity in “man-technology” systems”

include methods: mental self-regulation and self-recovery of a person, psycho-advisory conversation, individual and group training and psychotherapeutic work with personnel of “man-technique” systems, music therapy, movement therapy, etc.

.
Psychophysiological and personological methods make it possible to study the organization of the psychophysiological functions of a human operator in the process of activity, to evaluate and control his functional state, performance, reliability and efficiency of activity, features of the manifestation of his personality and individuality.
Using these methods, researchers are trying to understand how it is possible to coordinate the processes underlying the operator’s control actions and the necessary conditions for maintaining life and personal development. In order to study the physiological processes of a person during production activities, as well as to identify the limiting capabilities of the body in emergency situations, the following measurements are carried out: electroencephalogram, electromyogram, galvanic skin response, electrocardiogram, electrooculogram, pneumogram, speech response. 5. Mathematical methods

are used for a formalized description and construction of models of operator activity (statistical processing, determination of dependencies and relationships). The psychological and physiological methods discussed above can only be applied in real-life human-machine systems or in the presence of working mock-ups, simulators or test benches. When the system is still in the design stage and in the drawings, the use of these methods is simply not possible. It is in such cases that mathematical methods come into play.

Under the mathematical method

refers to the study of operator activity using mathematical models, which is understood as a certain mathematical object (formula, equation, inequality, etc.) correlated with the real process (operator activity). The study of the operator’s activity in this case consists of studying formulas or solving equations and their systems.

6. Methods for analyzing activity products

(chronometry, cyclography, professional description, labor method, product evaluation...);

7. Modeling methods

(subject-based, mathematical, cybernetic, psychological, statistical modeling...) is the most specific method for engineering psychology, determined by the very nature of the work of a human operator, interacting not so much with a real object, but with its information model. The study of activity and the construction of a psychological, mathematical or statistical model based on this study.

8. Simulation methods

— computer modeling of individual labor processes and labor in general. The method is based on drawing (simulating) the impact of random factors on the operator’s activities and the functioning of human-machine systems directly during the simulation. The meaning of the method is to repeatedly implement the simulated process using a computer. Each implementation is random. The reliability of the final decision is achieved by statistical processing of intermediate results from multiple implementations. Therefore, simulation methods are also called machine or mathematical experiments.

Literature

Woodson W., Conover D. Handbook of engineering psychology for engineers and design artists. - M.: MIR, 1968
Wickens, Christopher D. (1984). Engineering Psychology and Human Performance. Columbus: Merrill.
Fundamentals of engineering psychology. Textbook for tech. Universities / Ed. B.F. Lomova. - M.: Higher School, 1986.
Howell, William Carl (1971). Engineering Psychology: Current Perspectives in Research. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. ISBN 978-0-390-46456-9.
Piskoppel A. A., Vuchetich G. G., Sergienko S. K., Shchedrovitsky L. P. Engineering psychology (disciplinary organization and conceptual structure). - M, 1994.
Wickens, Christopher D.; Hollands, J. G. (2000), Engineering Psychology and Human Performance, Prentice-Hall, ISBN 978-0-321-04711-3
Strelkov Yu. K. Engineering and professional psychology. - M.: Academy, 2005.
Sergeev S. F. Engineering psychology and ergonomics. - M.: Research Institute of School Technologies, 2008.
Francis Durso, Patricia DeLucia (2010), “Engineering Psychology,” The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology, 2, John Wiley and Sons, pp. 573–576, ISBN 978-0-470-17026-7
Stanley N. Roscoe (1997), The Adolescence of Engineering Psychology, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, archived from the original on 28 September 2011, retrieved 2 July 2011
Journal of Engineering Psychology

Lecture No. 2

Anatomical and physiological foundations of physics.

4 pages, 1534 words

Ventricular system of the brain

...brain. Into the venous sinuses. It flows into the roots of the lymphatic system, mainly into the lymphatic system of the nasal cavity. 3. Elements of the peripheral nervous system. Cranial nerves: brief characteristics of V - VII pairs. The human nervous system ... professional activities of teachers and psychologists are able to influence the psyche of a child or adult, precisely based on knowledge about the nervous system, ...

1. Structure of the nervous system 2. Levels of functional activity 3. Basic mechanisms in nervous activity 4. Types of higher nervous activity 5. Parabiosis

Structure of the nervous system

The material basis of the psyche is the brain; therefore, knowledge of human physiology, the brain and higher nervous activity is of great importance in understanding the human psyche.

Tasks of the human nervous system

1) Coordination of body organs and physiological systems of the body. 2) Interaction of the organism as an integral system with the environment.

Structure of the nervous system

1) The primary element of the nervous system is the neuron - the nerve cell. Its functions are: conducting nerve impulses from receptors to the central nervous system (CNS); conduction of nerve impulses from the central nervous system to the organs of movement and conduction of nerve impulses from one part of the central nervous system to another. 2) The nervous system is divided into central (brain, diencephalon and spinal cord) and peripheral (nervous system of parts of the entire body and internal organs of a person.

The part of the central and peripheral nervous system that regulates internal organs and parts of the body is called the autonomic
nervous system.
Another part of the nervous system that ensures the interaction of organs with the environment is called
the Animal Nervous System.
13 pages, 6391 words

The importance of environmental stimulation for the development of functional brain systems.

... sneezing, breathing, heartbeat). The importance of environmental stimulation for the development of functional brain systems. A person has his own early maturing set of functional systems, i.e. its systemogenesis. ... he has a breakdown of nervous activity. For young children, even harmless but unfamiliar objects can turn out to be extremely strong stimuli: a new person, thunder, a strong...

Brain structure

The human brain is made up of 25 billion neurons, which make up the gray matter. The brain is covered with membranes: hard, soft and arachnoid (the so-called “cerebrospinal fluid” circulates through its channels, which is cerebrospinal fluid and is a shock absorber that protects the brain from shock).

Finite brain

stretches from the occipital to the frontal bone. It distinguishes two large hemispheres. It differs from other parts of the brain by the presence of a large number of convolutions and grooves.

The hemispheres are divided into lobes (parietal, frontal, occipital, temporal), cortex and subcortex.

The right hemisphere controls the left half of the body, and the left hemisphere controls the right. They complement each other.

Cortex

This is a 3 mm thick superficial layer covering the hemispheres. It consists of vertically oriented nerve cells with processes.

Functions of the cerebral cortex: temporal lobe - hearing and smell; occipital lobe - vision; parietal - touch and taste; frontal - speech, movement, complex thinking.

Each neuron (gray matter) has up to 10,000 contacts with other neurons.

White matter of the brain

- these are nerve fibers. Inside the hemispheres of the brain there are accumulations of gray matter. Its functions are the transmission of information. The telencephalon controls all processes important for human life and our intellectual abilities.

Diencephalon

consists of
the hypothalamus, methothalamus, thalamus and epithalamus.
The thalamus is a mediator in which all received stimuli are sent to the cerebral hemispheres. It is often called the “visual thalamus.” Thanks to it, the body quickly adapts to a changing external environment.

The hypothalamus is a subcortical center in which the regulation of autonomic functions occurs. It regulates wakefulness and sleep, shapes drinking and eating behavior.

hindbrain

consists of the pons located in front and the cerebellum located behind it. The bridge looks like a white thick roller. Our coordination of movements depends on the functioning of the cerebellum.

Midbrain

— it contains the center of the orienting reflex, which ensures the body turns in the direction of a sharp noise.

Medulla

is a continuation of the spinal cord. This brain is responsible for coordination of movement, balance, regulation of metabolism, blood circulation and breathing.

Relative clarity of color combinations in reflected light.

Clarity Rating	Color combination
Very good	Black letters on a white background;
Fine	Black on yellow, dark blue on white, green on white;
Satisfactorily	Red on white, red on yellow;
Badly	Green on red, red on green, orange on black, orange on white.

Rice. 60. If the last digits do not have essential meaning (i.e. the accuracy contained in their readings is not respected), then they should be replaced with constant zeros. A different approach is recommended for the numbers in front that are not required by the operator for work; in this case the corresponding space must be empty.

The ratio of the height of the digits to their width for drum counters should be 1: 1, and not 3: 2, as is recommended for other instrumentation. This is due to distortions in the shape of the numbers caused by the curved surface of the drum.

Meters should always be oriented so that their readings are read from left to right. The spaces between numbers should not exceed half the height of the number.

If more than four digits are required, it should be noted that multi-digit numbers are easier to read and remember if they are divided into groups separated by slightly larger spaces, periods or commas.

No more than one digit should appear in the counter window at a time.

Due to the small viewing angle from which the numbers in drum-type counters are visible, they should be located perpendicular to the line of observation.

The contrast between the figure and the surrounding background should always be maximized. Black numbers on a white background provide the clearest visibility under normal lighting conditions. White numbers on a black background are appropriate when it is necessary to maintain the conditions of tempo adaptation of the observer's eyes.

Digital devices must also meet engineering and psychological requirements.

Control placement: The most commonly used controls should be located at a height between your elbow and shoulder.

The easiest to find control is located in front slightly below the shoulder (Fig. 61); maximum effort can be applied to the levers, which are grasped at shoulder level by a standing operator, and at elbow level by a sitting operator (Fig. 62).

Rice. 61

Rice. 62

It is preferable to locate the controls at some distance to the side of the operator's central axis.

When the operator is in a fixed position (for example, a pilot attached to the seat with shoulder straps), the controls should be located at a distance of no more than 700 mm from the operator’s shoulder (Fig. 63).

Rice. 63

An example of an unsuccessful key placement is the push-button speed switch on modern American cars:

REGULAR ACCOMMODATION

Errors:

There is no logical connection with the sequential increase in speed;
There is no reliance on the usual connection of directions;
There is no logical connection with the sequence of operations.

ACCOMMODATION ACCORDING TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF ENGINEERING PSYCHOLOGY

Principles applied:

The button corresponding to the initial operation is placed at the top left, since this is usually the first place that the operator sees when examining the panel;
Most of the time, the car, as a rule, goes at medium speed (1), so its key is placed in the familiar “left-to-right” sequence, the second after the start;
Reverse is the next most frequently used shift, so this key, following the same “left-to-right” principle, is located to the right of the average speed;
The increase in speed from the lowest to the highest corresponds to the usual arrangement of controls from bottom to top;
2nd and 3rd speeds follow in the usual order for a person from top to bottom.

Scales, dials and dial indicators of devices must meet ergonomic requirements.

Basic mechanisms of nervous activity

Irradiation

- distribution, expansion of the zone covered by excitation or inhibition in the cerebral cortex.

Induction

- this process stimulates the occurrence of a reverse process in neighboring zones, so a person engaged in one activity or another should not be distracted.

Concentration

excitation or inhibition as the reverse process of irradiation.

The main mechanism of higher nervous activity, ensuring the correct reaction and establishing balance between the body and the environment, is the reflex

, as a response of the body to the influence of the external or internal environment.

Unconditioned reflexes -

nature-based;
Conditioned reflexes -
formed as a response to the characteristics of human life, ensure a person’s adaptability to the environment.

A stable system of conditioned reflexes is called a Dynamic stereotype.

The system of conditioned reflexes, which ensures the correct response to direct stimuli passing through the sense organs, is called the first signal system

In the process of long-term development, a person has developed a second signaling system - a signal or stimulus is a concept that exists in the form of a word.

Functional activity levels

The human nervous system and its individual parts can have three levels of functional activity: The first level is a state of relative functional rest

, is characterized by the absence of pronounced manifestations of any activity, but at the same time metabolic processes occur at the level necessary to maintain life, and are ready to react at the right time.
Arousal
is a process of increased activity as a result of exposure to some factors and stimuli on the body.
According to the source, they can be external or internal. Inhibition
is the process of inhibition, the process of weakening or cessation of functional functions of the nervous system, leading to disruption and extinction of connections in the nervous system.
A special form of inhibition is extreme inhibition,
caused by excessive strength of the stimulus. At the same time, excitation in certain centers is maximally enhanced and turns into its opposite - inhibition, which is a kind of protective organism of the nervous system, protecting it from destruction in extreme situations. For a person, the strength of a stimulus is determined not only by its physical characteristics, but also by the degree of significance for that person.

Lecture No. 3

Activities of the operator

1) Psychological analysis of activity; 2) Main characteristics and activities of the operator; 3) Psychological aspects of operator decision-making;

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...work psychology. The main components of work psychology. The connection between occupational psychology and ergonomics and engineering psychology ... the study of group activity. Modeling... PS TR of automated operators... studying human movements by photographing...

Higher nervous activity 3

... of the brain, temporary connections constantly arise between different centers. The main difference between higher nervous activity in humans is ... (centripetal) nerve fibers that conduct excitations to the central nervous system. 3. Nerve centers where...

Topic 3. Fundamentals of higher nervous activity

... hypothalamus, cerebral hemispheres). 7. The main provisions of the teachings of I.P. Pavlova on higher nervous activity. Comparative characteristics of unconditioned and conditioned reflexes. 8. The first signaling system as a reaction to...

Types of higher nervous activity

There are individual characteristics of people, determined by the uniqueness of the nervous system and its properties. The processes of inhibition and excitation can be strong, weak, mobile, balanced and unbalanced.

The strength of the nervous system is characterized by a high limit of performance of nerve cells, their resistance to irritants, great strength, intensity, and resistance to the action of constant irritants. Weakness of the nervous system - low expression of its strength, increased fatigue, but at the same time high sensitivity.

Mobility and inactivity (inertia), inhibition is manifested in the speed of occurrence and transformation of these processes, the ease of transitions from one to another, the speed of a person’s transition from a state of rest to activity, in the ability to control oneself and collect thoughts.

Balance and imbalance are characterized by the ratio of the strength of excitation and inhibition.

There can be many types of higher nervous activity, but the main ones are distinguished: Strong (sanguine), Calm (phlegmatic), Uncontrolled (choleric) and Weak (melancholic).