National Academies Press: OpenBook
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×

Human Factors Specialists' Education and Utilization

Results of a Survey

Harold P. Van Cott and Beverly Messick Huey, Editors

Panel on Human Factors Specialists' Education and Utilization

Robert C. Williges, Chair

Committee on Human Factors

Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education

National Research Council

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C.
1992

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard to appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Frank Press is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Robert M. White is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was established by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Frank Press and Dr. Robert White are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

This work relates to Department of the Army grant MDA903-C-0739 issued by the Defense Supply Service Washington. However, the content does not necessarily reflect the position or the policy of the Government, and no official endorsement should be inferred.

The United States Government has at least a royalty-free, nonexclusive and irrevocable license throughout the world for government purposes to publish, translate, reproduce, deliver, perform, dispose of, and to authorize others so as to do, all or any portion of this work.

ISBN 0-309-04693-9

Available from:
National Academy Press
2101 Constitution Avenue N.W. Washington, D.C. 20418

S-552

Printed in the United States of America

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×

PANEL ON HUMAN FACTORS SPECIALISTS' EDUCATION AND UTILIZATION

ROBERT C. WILLIGES (Chair),

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

MOHAMED M. AYOUB,

Department of Industrial Engineering, Texas Tech University

KENNETH R. BOFF, AAMRL/HEX,

Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio

DAVID BLOOM,

Russell Sage Foundation, New York

CHARLES W. GEER,

Boeing Aerospace and Electronics, Seattle

OSCAR GRUSKY,*

Department of Sociology, University of California, Los Angeles

DOUGLAS H. HARRIS,

Anacapa Sciences, Inc., Charlottesville, Va.

DAVID KNOKE,

Department of Sociology, University of Minnesota

ALAN S. NEAL,

IBM Santa Teresa Lab, San Jose, Calif.

RICHARD PEW,

BBN Laboratories, Inc., Cambridge, Mass.

MARK S. SANDERS,

California State University, Northridge

CHRISTOPHER D. WICKENS,

Aviation Research Laboratory, Savoy, Ill.

HAROLD P. VAN COTT, Study Director

BEVERLY MESSICK HUEY, Associate Study Director

*  

Member and cochair until 1989

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×

COMMITTEE ON HUMAN FACTORS

RAYMOND NICKERSON (Chair),

BBN Laboratories, Inc., Cambridge, Mass.

PAUL ATTEWELL,

Information Systems Area, New York University

MOHAMED M. AYOUB,

Department of Industrial Engineering, Texas Tech University

PAUL GOODMAN,

Center for Management and Technology, Carnegie Mellon University

JOHN GOULD,

IBM Corporation, Yorktown Heights, New York

ROBERT HELMREICH,

NASA/UT Aerospace Crew Resource Project, Austin, Tex.

ROBERTA KLATZKY,

Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara

HERSCHEL LEIBOWITZ,

Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University

NEVILLE MORAY,

Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana

WILLIAM B. ROUSE,

Search Technology, Inc., Norcross, Ga.

JOYCE SHIELDS,

HAY Systems, Washington, D.C.

CHRISTOPHER D. WICKENS,

Aviation Research Laboratory, Savoy, Ill.

J. FRANK YATES,

Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

LAURENCE YOUNG,

Man Vehicle Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×

Foreword

The Committee on Human Factors was established in October 1980 by the Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education of the National Research Council. The committee is sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Air Force Armstrong Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory, the Army Advanced Systems Research Office, the Army Human Engineering Laboratory, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The principal objectives of the committee are to provide new perspectives on theoretical and methodological issues, to identify basic research needed to expand and strengthen the scientific basis of human factors, and to attract scientists both inside and outside the field for interactive communication and needed research.

Human factors issues arise in every domain in which humans interact with the products of a technological society. To perform its role effectively, the committee draws on experts from a wide range of scientific and engineering disciplines. Members of the committee include specialists in such fields as psychology, engineering, biomechanics, physiology, medicine, cognitive sciences, machine intelligence, computer sciences, sociology, education, and human factors engineering. Other disciplines are represented in the working groups, workshops, and symposia organized by the committee. Each of these disciplines contributes to the basic data, theory, and methods required to improve the scientific basis of human factors.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×
This page in the original is blank.
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×

Acknowledgments

The activities of the panel and the preparation of this report are a special achievement, in light of the circumstances under which they occurred. The panel was established with Oscar Grusky and myself as cochairs. Just prior to the initiation of our work, I was involved in a serious automobile accident. My extensive hospitalization and rehabilitation precluded my participation in most of the panel deliberations. Oscar Grusky graciously accepted all the responsibilities of chairing the panel throughout my recovery. Unfortunately, personal responsibilities required that he resign from the panel shortly after my return to professional activities.

In addition to the effort and contributions of each member of the panel, six resource people participated in meetings addressing questionnaire development. These people included Earl Alluisi, assistant for training and personnel technology at the Pentagon; Thomas McCloy, associate professor and deputy for human factors at the United States Air Force Academy; John O'Brien, of the Human Factors Research Division, Electric Power Research Institute; Judith Olson, associate professor in the Graduate School of Business Administration, University of Michigan; Brian Peacock, human factors head at General Motors Corporation; and Ben Schneiderman, professor in the Department of Computer Science, University of Maryland. Their contribution is gratefully acknowledged.

This report is unusual in that its conclusions are based on the results of a survey of human factors specialists that was conducted for the study panel by the Survey Research Laboratory of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Seymour Sudman directed all the survey activities, provided an initial summary of results, and was extremely responsive to additional

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×

information requests of the panel members. Staff member Beverly Huey diligently conducted subsequent analyses of the survey data as needed by the panel and provided documentation for the statistical command files. The Close Combat (Light and Heavy) Division of the Human Engineering Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, provided access to their facilities for the follow-up analyses. Three panel members, Douglas Harris, Mark Sanders, and Richard Pew, accepted the major responsibility for summarizing and interpreting the survey results for the panel. Their summaries are presented in Chapters 3, 4, and 5, respectively, of this report.

The diversity of authorship and the integration of survey results and analyses required a major editing responsibility. Beverly Huey and Harold Van Cott expertly provided the necessary technical editing.

As chair of this study panel, I gratefully acknowledge the unselfish efforts of each of these individuals as well as the thoughtful deliberations and contributions of all our panel members. Without such a coordinated effort, we would not have been able to complete our study panel activities.

Robert C. Williges

Chair, Panel on Human Factors Specialists' Education and Utilization

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×

Human Factors Specialists' Education and Utilization

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×
This page in the original is blank.
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×
Page R1
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×
Page R2
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×
Page R3
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×
Page R4
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×
Page R5
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×
Page R6
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×
Page R7
Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×
Page R8
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×
Page R9
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×
Page R10
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×
Page R11
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1992. Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1978.
×
Page R12
Next: Summary »
Human Factors Specialists'Education and Utilization: Results of a Survey Get This Book
×
Buy Paperback | $50.00
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

Does the education given by the nation's human factors graduate training programs meet the skill and knowledge needs of today's employers? Can the supply of trained human factors specialists be expected to keep pace with the demand? What are the characteristics, employment settings, gender distribution, and salaries of human factors specialists?

These and other questions were posed by the committee as it designed mail-in and computer-aided telephone surveys used to query human factors specialists. The committee evaluates its findings and makes recommendations aimed at strengthening the profession of human factors.

This book will be useful to educators as an aid in evaluating their graduate training curricula, employers in working with graduate programs and enhancing staff opportunities for continuing education, and professionals in assessing their status in relation to their colleagues.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!