CPE Human Factors & Behavioral Science 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Naturalistic Decision Making (NDM) research by Klein suggests that experienced decision makers in field settings primarily use which strategy?
- Multi-attribute utility analysis
- Recognition-primed decision making (Correct answer)
- Bayesian probability updating
- Analytical comparison of all alternatives
Correct answer: Recognition-primed decision making
Klein's Recognition-Primed Decision (RPD) model shows experts rapidly match situations to familiar patterns and mentally simulate the first plausible action rather than comparing alternatives.
Question 2: In human reliability analysis, the Technique for Human Error Rate Prediction (THERP) uses which primary data source?
- Accident investigation reports
- Human Performance Reliability Database (HPRD) from nuclear industry studies (Correct answer)
- Self-report questionnaires from operators
- Real-time biometric monitoring data
Correct answer: Human Performance Reliability Database (HPRD) from nuclear industry studies
THERP relies primarily on the HPRD compiled from nuclear power plant operations to derive nominal human error probabilities for task elements.
Question 3: A worker consistently performs a task correctly under low load but makes errors when multitasking. This best illustrates which concept?
- Perceptual narrowing under resource depletion
- Structural interference between tasks
- Response selection bottleneck
- All of the above can contribute (Correct answer)
Correct answer: All of the above can contribute
Dual-task performance degradation can stem from resource competition (Wickens' Multiple Resource Theory), structural bottlenecks (at response selection), and perceptual narrowing under stress.
Question 4: The 'Hawthorne Effect' in ergonomics research is a concern because it refers to:
- Workers deliberately performing poorly to avoid increased workloads
- Behavior changes in participants who know they are being observed (Correct answer)
- Equipment malfunctions caused by observer presence
- Statistical regression to the mean in repeated measurements
Correct answer: Behavior changes in participants who know they are being observed
The Hawthorne Effect is the tendency for people to modify their behavior when they know they are being studied, which can confound research results.
Question 5: Which of the following is the BEST example of an 'ecological interface design' principle?
- Displaying raw sensor values in a numeric table
- Mapping system constraints directly onto visual affordances so operators can perceive system state without calculation (Correct answer)
- Using color-coded alarms based on operator preference
- Presenting process data in chronological text logs
Correct answer: Mapping system constraints directly onto visual affordances so operators can perceive system state without calculation
Ecological Interface Design (EID) maps work domain constraints onto display geometry so that control laws become visible as perceptual invariants, reducing cognitive load.
Question 6: Crew Resource Management (CRM) training in aviation primarily targets which class of human factors problems?
- Perceptual errors caused by instrument failures
- Communication, teamwork, and authority gradient failures (Correct answer)
- Biomechanical fatigue from long flights
- Visual acuity limitations during night operations
Correct answer: Communication, teamwork, and authority gradient failures
CRM emerged from accident analyses showing that most aviation accidents involved breakdowns in interpersonal communication, team coordination, and inappropriate deference to authority.
Question 7: In prospective memory research, which type of prospective memory failure is most likely in ergonomics contexts involving suspended tasks?
- Event-based failure due to absent cue
- Time-based failure due to no internal clock
- Habitual intrusion where a completed intention is repeated (Correct answer)
- Encoding failure where the intention is never formed
Correct answer: Habitual intrusion where a completed intention is repeated
Habitual intrusion—resuming an interrupted routine from a habitual step rather than the interrupted point—is a documented cause of accidents after suspended or interrupted tasks.
CPE Human Factors & Behavioral Science 3
Naturalistic Decision Making (NDM) research by Klein suggests that experienced decision makers in field settings primarily use which strategy?