Human Factors: From Science to Application

Human Factors

Human factors is the psychological discipline that applies scientific knowledge of human nature, i.e. perception, cognition and response, to design a better and safer world. It is also used in reverse to determine accident causation. -"We shall understand accidents when we understand human nature."

Real Science for the Real world

The application of the science to real-world events is neither simple nor direct. The contrived experiments, manipulation of disembodied statistics, and abstract theories found in academic journals are at best only the starting point. The science presented on this site also originates from the street-level where human nature reveals itself in the detailed investigation of over 1000 real-world events, each a story with a lesson to be learned. -"Knowing the facts is not knowing the story."

Contents of This Site

This site contains 83 pages covering the basic psychophysical, perceptual, and cognitive sciences and their human factors applications in understanding human behavior is accidents and other emergencies. It is also concerned with more general meta-issues such as the trustworthyness of science, the motivations of those performing science, and the common errors that occur in reasoning with scientific data. Among the topics discussed are:

Vision & Human Factors visibility, conspicuity, aging, looming, attention, color	Reaction & Response braking, steering, walking, shooting, PRT
Transport Collisions cars, trucks, motorcycles, subway, ATVs, rail, maritime	Pedestrian & Bicycle streelight, headlighting, clothing, speed
Self-Driving Cars automation complacency, vigilance, takeover time	Police Shootings response, ambient/focal, stress, narrowing, experience
Warnings & Safety Consumer products, drugs, medical, nursing, workplace	Design Defects sports, construction, medical, vehicles, signage, computer
Scientific Thinking methodology, causation, ideology, trustworthiness	Medical & Medication "error," nursing, labelling, equipment, adverse effects
Intellectual Property trademark, tradedress, confusion, funtionality, distinctiveness	Other pictorial evidence, trip & fall, diving accidents

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