CPE Human Factors & Behavioral Science 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: According to Signal Detection Theory, what does a 'miss' represent in a monitoring task?
- Correctly detecting a present signal
- Falsely detecting an absent signal
- Failing to detect a signal that was present (Correct answer)
- Correctly rejecting an absent signal
Correct answer: Failing to detect a signal that was present
A miss occurs when a signal is present but the observer fails to detect it, which can be critical in safety-monitoring tasks.
Question 2: In the context of human error, which category does 'using a wrong but familiar procedure' best fit under Reason's Generic Error Modeling System (GEMS)?
- Mistake (Correct answer)
- Slip
- Lapse
- Violation
Correct answer: Mistake
A mistake involves applying an incorrect rule or plan even when the action is executed as intended, often due to strong habit strength.
Question 3: Which concept describes the phenomenon where operators in highly automated systems lose the ability to manually take over when automation fails?
- Automation bias
- Skill degradation
- Out-of-the-loop syndrome (Correct answer)
- Mode confusion
Correct answer: Out-of-the-loop syndrome
Out-of-the-loop syndrome refers to the reduced situational awareness and manual proficiency that results from passive monitoring of automated systems.
Question 4: Fitts' Law predicts that movement time to a target increases as:
- Target size increases and distance decreases
- Target size decreases and distance increases (Correct answer)
- Both target size and distance increase
- Both target size and distance decrease
Correct answer: Target size decreases and distance increases
Fitts' Law states MT = a + b × log₂(2D/W), so smaller targets and greater distances both increase movement time.
Question 5: In organizational behavior, which theory proposes that workers are motivated primarily by factors such as achievement, recognition, and responsibility rather than pay alone?
- Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory (Correct answer)
- Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
- McGregor's Theory X
- Vroom's Expectancy Theory
Correct answer: Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory
Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory distinguishes motivators (intrinsic factors like achievement) from hygiene factors (extrinsic factors like pay) that prevent dissatisfaction.
Question 6: What is 'inattentional blindness' in human factors?
- Reduced vision under low luminance conditions
- Failure to notice unexpected stimuli when attention is focused elsewhere (Correct answer)
- A form of tunnel vision caused by high G-forces
- Loss of peripheral vision due to fatigue
Correct answer: Failure to notice unexpected stimuli when attention is focused elsewhere
Inattentional blindness occurs when an individual fails to perceive an unexpected but visible stimulus because attention is directed toward another task.
Question 7: Which vigilance decrement characteristic is most directly addressed by introducing event rate changes or alerts in long-duration monitoring tasks?
- Observer criterion shift over time (Correct answer)
- Increased false alarm rate
- Decline in signal detection sensitivity (d')
- Reduced working memory capacity
Correct answer: Observer criterion shift over time
Vigilance decrement is primarily a criterion shift—operators become more conservative—so periodic alerts help reset the response criterion to a more liberal setting.
CPE Human Factors & Behavioral Science 2
According to Signal Detection Theory, what does a 'miss' represent in a monitoring task?