Academic literature on the topic 'Naturalistic observation'

Ergonomists have long recommended user adjustable furniture for office workers. A majority of the recommendations have been based upon anthropometric models of economically “correct” postures. Research validation of these proposals is sparse, and those that have been conducted are predominantly laboratory oriented. This research observed the use of adjustable furniture in a field setting. Three questions were addressed: 1) what are the preferred settings when the equipment has been used for a length of time?; 2) do people change the settings?; and 3) how do these measures relate to anthropometric data? The offices of 91 workers were measured covertly. Twenty one offices were measured once, 41 twice, and 29 three times. All the offices had an adjustable VDT stand with independent height and angle adjustments for both the keyboard and display. Seat height had a mean and standard deviation of 20.0 and 0.85 inches. The height of the home row of the keyboard had a mean of 29.1 and a standard deviation of 1.2 inches. For the display surface the mean and standard deviation were 29.7 and 1.3 inches. In terms of repeated measures, 62.9% of the chair heights, 57.1 % of the keyboard heights, and 91.4% of the display heights did not change. Of the observed changes, 90% were between 0.25 in and 0.75 inches. None of the observed heights correlated well with stature, seated eye height, or popliteal length. One correlation was 0.32, all others were less than 0.20. The results are similar to other published data in that the measured settings are much higher than anthropometric models would predict. More significantly, they do not match the new ANSI guideline nor the proposed CSA guideline for adjustable furniture. This suggests that the ergonomic theories behind these recommendations need to be modified to more closely reflect actual use products.

Despite their importance, techniques of naturalistic observation are rarely taught in undergraduate research methods courses. This article describes exercises designed to give students experience in using methods of naturalistic observation to quantify behavior. Students construct a coding system (ethogram) of the behaviors observed in a small mouse colony. This behavioral catalog is then used to gather data by two techniques: instantaneous and focal animal sampling. The data can be used to calculate interrater reliability and then subjected to sequence analysis. The application of naturalistic observation to the quantification of human behavior is considered.

The prevalence of Alcohol Use Disorders is rapidly increasing among college students. The use of real time monitoring in conjunction with contingency management procedures to reduce alcohol consumption has only recently been developed. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to learn more about natural patterns of alcohol consumption in college-aged adults. A second goal was to evaluate a novel, handheld technology for obtaining reliable samples over extended time periods. College students were given a SoberLinkTM SL2 breathalyzer for eight weeks to monitor their drinking behaviors and asked to self-report the number of drinks consumed each day. Participants received one to three text messages per day to provide breath samples and earned monetary rewards for submitting samples within the allotted time. The results of this study showed that college students tend to consume alcohol during the evening hours and mostly on the weekends. There was a weak to medium correlation between average breath alcohol concentration and conditional average drinks. Compliance with prompts ranged between 77 and 84 percent and monetary earnings ranged between $152 and $160. Naturalistic observations of college drinking may aid in the development of interventions to prevent excessive drinking and the SL2 breathalyzer may have great potential to be used in a number of therapeutic approaches.

Most research on parents has been focused on the mother. Recent studies however have showed that the father plays a pivotal role in child cognitive and socio-emotional development. The aim of this study was to look for associations between father characteristics, paternal nurturance behaviors and toddler emotional expression. Fathers (N=57) with a toddler between the ages of 1 and 3 wore the EAR for two consecutive days. Research assistants coded the resulting sound files for paternal nurturance behaviors and toddler emotional expressions. As expected, fathers who engaged in more physical play, non-physical play, gave praise or encouragement and playful, silly and goofy behaviors had toddlers that laughed or giggled more. Unexpectedly, fathers who engaged in non-physical play, gave praise or encouragement and showed affection had toddlers who fussed, whined or cried more. Also, contrary to our hypothesis, only one paternal nurturance behavior was associated with father characteristics. Future research should look more closely at the context of these paternal nurturance behaviors and toddler emotional expressions. While this study found significant associations, more research should be done on father-toddler interaction either with the EAR or traditional observational methods.

This article reviews the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR) as an ambulatory ecological momentary assessment tool for the real-world observation of daily behavior. Technically, the EAR is an audio recorder that intermittently records snippets of ambient sounds while participants go about their lives. Conceptually, it is a naturalistic observation method that yields an acoustic log of a person’s day as it unfolds. The power of the EAR lies in unobtrusively collecting authentic real-life observational data. In preserving a high degree of naturalism at the level of the raw recordings, it resembles ethnographic methods; through its sampling and coding, it enables larger empirical studies. This article provides an overview of the EAR method; reviews its validity, utility, and limitations; and discusses it in the context of current developments in ambulatory assessment, specifically the emerging field of mobile sensing.

Cette étude s’intéresse au rapport des Anciens Égyptiens au sable, élément naturel omniprésent dans le paysage et le quotidien. Le problème est abordé d’un point de vue textuel et plus particulièrement lexicographique. Pour cela, les mentions de six termes appartenant au vocabulaire du sable sont examinées dans des textes mythologiques et rituels, sur une période comprise entre l’Ancien Empire et l’époque romaine. L’enjeu est de déterminer la perception du sable en contexte et de mettre en évidence les croyances élaborées autour de l’élément. Il s’agit de saisir les principes d’introduction du sable au discours religieux afin de mettre en lumière un mécanisme de pensée spécifique à la religion égyptienne : l’observation naturaliste
This study focuses on the relations between Ancient Egyptians and sand, a natural element, ever-present in landscape and daily life. It is seen from a textual and especially lexicographical point of view. Therefore, quotes of six words related to the vocabulary of sand are studied in mythological and ritual texts from Old Kingdom to Roman Period. The aim is to establish the perception of sand depending on the context and to reveal the beliefs associated to sand. The introduction of sand in the religious speech is taken into account in order to highlight a way of thinking specific to the Egyptian religion : naturalistic observation

This dissertation used naturalistically-observed snippets of actual conversations of couples coping with breast cancer to understand how often, with whom, and how couples talk about cancer and other topics, and how these conversations relate to both partners' adjustment to the experience. Fifty-six breast cancer patients undergoing treatment and their spouses wore the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR) for one weekend and completed adjustment questionnaires at baseline and a two-month follow-up. The first study revealed that couples discussed cancer in fewer than 10% of their conversations, and that these conversations occurred more frequently with each other than with friends and family. Cancer conversations tended to be informational and supportive, and spouses', rather than patients', discussion of cancer tended to be more related to adjustment. The second study analyzed the social language used within couples' cancer-related and other topics of conversation. Specifically, it examined the associations between we-talk (first-person plural pronouns), I-talk (first-person singular pronouns), and you-talk (second-person pronouns) and couples' adjustment. Results revealed that, contrary to prediction, both partners' we-talk was associated with concurrent, rather than future, adjustment. Further, both partners' focus on the spouse, indicated by I-talk and you-talk, was related to better adjustment for spouses. The findings in this dissertation indicate that psychosocial factors influence spouses' adjustment at least as much as patients' adjustment to breast cancer, and that couples without an exclusive focus on the patient may fare better overall.

A intervenção Módulo Ambientes Seguros (Ortiz, 2009, 2010) foi avaliada no seu processo, ao desenvolvê-la com 16 famílias participantes residentes na cidade de Bogotá. Este processo de avaliação foi parte de um estudo maior. A avaliação do processo visou melhorar o processo da intervenção e a qualidade dos dados obtidos para uma posterior avaliação de efeitos. A partir dos resultados obtidos neste estudo foi estabelecido que ambos, os instrumentos e os procedimentos selecionados para a coleta de dados (observação naturalística), foram adequados e estão em consonância com a realidade das famílias bogotanas de baixo nível socioeconômico. Concluiu-se que existe a necessidade de fortalecer tanto o processo de coleta de informações, como o processo de aplicação da intervenção em si mesmo. Sugere-se a realização de uma nova formação de profissionais. O estudo fornece evidências sobre como promover a tomada de decisões e o desenvolvimento de intervenções baseadas em evidências nos governos locais.
The Intervention Módulo Ambientes Seguros (Ortiz, 2009; 2010) was evaluated in their process, and was implemented with 16 families residents in Bogota city. This process evaluation was part of a larger study. Process evaluation wanted to improve the process and the quality of the data for the future evaluation of effects. The results of this evaluation process, established that both, instruments and the procedure selected for the data collection (naturalistic observation), are appropriate to the reality of the families and their socioeconomic status. Also was concluded that is necessary to strengthen the process of data collection and the process of the intervention itself. It is suggested develop a new training program. The study provides evidence about how to promote decisions and evidence-based interventions, like a real option for local governments.
La intervención Módulo Ambientes Seguros (Ortiz, 2009;2010) fue evaluada em su proceso, al ser implementada con 16 familias participantes habitantes em la ciudad de Bogotá. Esta evaluación de proceso hijo parte de um estudio mayor. La evaluación de procesos estabeleció que tanto los instrumentos como el procedimiento seleccionado para realizar la recolección de La información (observación naturalista), fueron pertinentes y se ajustan a la realidad de las familias bogotanas de bajo nivel socioeconômico. Se concluye que es necesario fortalecer tanto el proceso de recolección de la información, como el proceso de implementación de la intervención propriamente dicho, a través de uma nueva capacitación a los profesionales. El estudio brinda evidencia sobre cómo promover que decisiones e intervenciones basadas em la evidencia para los gobiernos locales.

In todayâ s technology based society the rapid proliferation of new machines and systems that would have been undreamed of only a few short years ago has become a way of life. Developments and advances especially in the areas of digital electronics and micro-circuitry have spawned subsequent technology based improvements in transportation, communications, entertainment, automation, the armed forces, and many other areas that would not have been possible otherwise. This rapid â explosionâ of new capabilities and ways of performing tasks has been motivated as often as not by the philosophy that if it is possible to make something better or work faster or be more cost effective or operate over greater distances then it must inherently be good for the human operator. Taken further, these improvements typically are envisioned to consequently produce a more efficient operating system where the human operator is an integral component. The formal concept of human-system interface design has only emerged this century as a recognized academic discipline, however, the practice of developing ideas and concepts for systems containing human operators has been in existence since humans started experiencing cognitive thought. An example of a human system interface technology for communication and dissemination of written information that has evolved over centuries of trial and error development, is the book. It is no accident that the form and shape of the book of today is as it is. This is because it is a shape and form readily usable by human physiology whose optimal configuration was determined by centuries of effort and revision. This slow evolution was mirrored by a rate of technical evolution in printing and elsewhere that allowed new advances to be experimented with as part of the overall use requirement and need for the existence of the printed word and some way to contain it. Today, however, technology is advancing at such a rapid rate that evolutionary use requirements have no chance to develop along side the fast pace of technical progress. One result of this recognition is the establishment of disciplines like human factors engineering that have stated purposes and goals of systematic determination of good and bad human system interface designs. However, other results of this phenomenon are systems that get developed and placed into public use simply because new technology allowed them to be made. This development can proceed without a full appreciation of how the system might be used and, perhaps even more significantly, what impact the use of this new system might have on the operator within it. The U.S. Army has a term for this type of activity. It is called â stove-piped developmentâ . The implication of this term is that a system gets developed in isolation where the developers are only looking â upâ and not â aroundâ . They are thus concerned only with how this system may work or be used for its own singular purposes as opposed to how it might be used in the larger community of existing systems and interfaces or, even more importantly, in the larger community of other new systems in concurrent development. Some of the impacts for the Army from this mode of system development are communication systems that work exactly as designed but are unable to interface to other communications systems in other domains for battlefield wide communications capabilities. Having communications systems that cannot communicate with each other is a distinct problem in its own right. However, when developments in one industry produce products that humans use or attempt to use with products from totally separate developments or industries, the Army concept of product development resulting from stove-piped design visions can have significant implication on the operation of each system and the human operator attempting to use it. There are many examples that would illustrate the above concept, however, one that will be explored here is the Army effort to study, understand, and optimize its command and control (C2) operations. This effort is at the heart of a change in the operational paradigm in C2 Tactical Operations Centers (TOCs) that the Army is now undergoing. For the 50 years since World War II the nature, organization, and mode of the operation of command organizations within the Army has remained virtually unchanged. Staffs have been organized on a basic four section structure and TOCs generally only operate in a totally static mode with the amount of time required to move them to keep up with a mobile battlefield going up almost exponentially from lower to higher command levels. However, current initiatives are changing all that and while new vehicles and hardware systems address individual components of the command structures to improve their operations, these initiatives do not necessarily provide the environment in which the human operator component of the overall system can function in a more effective manner. This dissertation examines C2 from a system level viewpoint using a new paradigm for systematically examining the way TOCs operate and then translating those observations into validated computer simulations using a methodological framework. This paradigm is called COmputer Modeling Paradigm And Simulation of Systems (COMPASS). COMPASS provides the ability to model TOC operations in a way that not only includes the individuals, work groups and teams in it, but also all of the other hardware and software systems and subsystems and human-system interfaces that comprise it as well as the facilities and environmental conditions that surround it. Most of the current literature and research in this area focuses on the concept of C2 itself and its follow-on activities of command, control, communications (C3), command, control, communications, and computers (C4), and command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I). This focus tends to address the activities involved with the human processes within the overall system such as individual and team performance and the commanderâ s decision-making process. While the literature acknowledges the existence of the command and control system (C2S), little effort has been expended to quantify and analyze C2Ss from a systemic viewpoint. A C2S is defined as the facilities, equipment, communications, procedures, and personnel necessary to support the commander (i.e., the primary decision maker within the system) for conducting the activities of planning, directing, and controlling the battlefield within the sector of operations applicable to the system. The research in this dissertation is in two phases. The overall project incorporates sequential experimentation procedures that build on successive TOC observation events to generate an evolving data store that supports the two phases of the project. Phase I consists of the observation of heavy maneuver battalion and brigade TOCs during peacetime exercises. The term â heavy maneuverâ is used to connotate main battle forces such as armored and mechanized infantry units supported by artillery, air defense, close air, engineer, and other so called combat support elements. This type of unit comprises the main battle forces on the battlefield. It is used to refer to what is called the conventional force structure. These observations are conducted using naturalistic observation techniques of the visible functioning of activities within the TOC and are augmented by automatic data collection of such things as analog and digital message traffic, combat reports generated by the computer simulations supporting the wargame exercise, and video and audio recordings where appropriate and available. Visible activities within the TOC include primarily the human operator functions such as message handling activities, decision-making processes and timing, coordination activities, and span of control over the battlefield. They also include environmental conditions, functional status of computer and communications systems, and levels of message traffic flows. These observations are further augmented by observer estimations of such indicators as perceived level of stress, excitement, and level of attention to the mission of the TOC personnel. In other words, every visible and available component of the C2S within the TOC is recorded for analysis. No a priori attempt is made to evaluate the potential significance of each of the activities as their contribution may be so subtle as to only be ascertainable through statistical analysis. Each of these performance activities becomes an independent variable (IV) within the data that is compared against dependent variables (DV) identified according to the mission functions of the TOC. The DVs for the C2S are performance measures that are critical combat tasks performed by the system. Examples of critical combat tasks are â attacking to seize an objectiveâ , â seizure of key terrainâ , and â river crossingsâ . A list of expected critical combat tasks has been prepared from the literature and subject matter expert (SME) input. After the exercise is over, the success of these critical tasks attempted by the C2S during the wargame are established through evaluator assessments, if available, and/or TOC staff self analysis and reporting as presented during after action reviews. The second part of Phase I includes datamining procedures, including neural networks, used in a constrained format to analyze the data. The term constrained means that the identification of the outputs/DV is known. The process was to identify those IV that significantly contribute to the constrained DV. A neural network is then constructed where each IV forms an input node and each DV forms an output node. One layer of hidden nodes is used to complete the network. The number of hidden nodes and layers is determined through iterative analysis of the network. The completed network is then trained to replicate the output conditions through iterative epoch executions. The network is then pruned to remove input nodes that do not contribute significantly to the output condition. Once the neural network tree is pruned through iterative executions of the neural network, the resulting branches are used to develop algorithmic descriptors of the system in the form of regression like expressions. For Phase II these algorithmic expressions are incorporated into the CoHOST discrete event computer simulation model of the C2S. The programming environment is the commercial programming language Micro Saintä running on a PC microcomputer. An interrogation approach was developed to query these algorithms within the computer simulation to determine if they allow the simulation to reflect the activities observed in the real TOC to within an acceptable degree of accuracy. The purpose of this dissertation is to introduce the COMPASS concept that is a paradigm for developing techniques and procedures to translate as much of the performance of the entire TOC system as possible to an existing computer simulation that would be suitable for analyses of future system configurations. The approach consists of the following steps: · Naturalistic observation of the real system using ethnographic techniques. · Data analysis using datamining techniques such as neural networks. · Development of mathematical models of TOC performance activities. · Integration of the mathematical into the CoHOST computer simulation. · Interrogation of the computer simulation. · Assessment of the level of accuracy of the computer simulation. · Validation of the process as a viable system simulation approach.
Ph. D.

How do air traffic controllers, or ATCos, distribute visual attention and can it vary between controllers? In this study, using primarily eye-tracking data and a couple of on-site interviews, these questions are explored. Two ATCos, with the most similar landings, had their eye-movements recorded with Tobii pro glasses 2 and further analysed by categorizing every fixation into different areas of interest during four landings. Two more ATCos were interviewed briefly during an observational visit to the control tower. The results showed that the ATCos distributed their attention fairly equally between the outside of the control tower and the inside. When attending to something outside the runway was the focus and when attention was inside the control tower the radar was usually the focus. The ATCos differed in their attention distribution by the presumably more experienced ATCo distributing their attention more outside the control tower than the presumably less experienced ATCo.  A large number of fixations were not categorized bringing the method of dividing the ATCos eye-tracking view into areas of interest into question.

In this paper, the author illustrates several techniques for deriving findings from qualitative data. Data collected in this way can be used to enhance, but not necessarily take the place of, quantitative data which are routinely collected metrics of student performance. In this paper, the author suggests how to utilize naturalistic methods such as observation, interviews and blogs to represent “student stories” (or case studies). The paper has the following outcomes: 1) recognizing and using elements of good interviews, 2) knowing how to relate qualitative methods and findings to quantitative information and 3) understanding appropriate analysis for qualitative data. For this paper, the author draws upon her PhD research undertaken 2003–2007.

While the literature suggests that driver behavior is the main cause of most of highway-rail grade crossing crashes, it has proven to be a challenging area for research. The SHRP2 Naturalistic Driving Study (NDS) opened a window of opportunity to make a systematic analysis of the phenomenon because it includes an in-vehicle direct observation of the drivers. The first step in the analysis was the selection process of approximately 300 representative crossings for analysis from over 1,000 crossings included in the NDS. In order to allow the analysis of driver behavior in various environments, the selected set was comprised of different types of crossings. Key parameters that were considered are the types of crossings based on the installed traffic control devices, the configuration of nearby intersections, and the number of accidents that took place at the crossing in recent years. From a statistical standpoint, each group must have a size large enough to generalize the observed conclusions across other crossings with similar characteristics. In addition to NDS, resources such as the FRA accident database, the FRA crossings inventory, and Google-Maps were used in order to determine the crossings that fit the selection criteria. In future steps of the project evaluation of driver behavior over selected crossings is expected to help identify patterns that carry high risk for highway-rail crossing accidents.

This paper discusses the development of a user-centered control stand for the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Next Generation Locomotive Cab (NGLC) demonstration program. A “modified” Association of American Railroads (AAR) 105 side-mounted control stand was used as a starting point to facilitate bidirectional locomotive operation. Researchers applied a variety of qualitative human factor methods, including literature review, naturalistic observation, computer modeling, and heuristic evaluation, to design the improved control stand. The final design included a decluttered side control stand, a short desktop with three-panel front touchscreen displays that can accommodate and integrate current and future locomotive train technologies, and an overhead ceiling panel that replaces, in part, controls and displays traditionally located behind the engineer on the back wall. A mockup of the revised control stand design was fabricated as part of this program to demonstrate the human factors and ergonomic improvements. Researchers conducted structured interviews with locomotive engineers to validate the user-centered design approach. The engineers engaged in interactive scenarios that assessed the functionality of the workspace. The usability results provided the opportunity to improve upon the initial NGLC user-centered design. Changes included minor relocation of controls because they were in the reach path of other controls. Certain frequently accessed controls required relocation to more accessible locations. The LCD displays were redesigned with respect to information groupings and visibility issues. Feedback revealed that the transition from mechanical operations to electronic operations will result in the loss of auditory cues inherent in mechanical operations. The researchers suggest simulating auditory cues to promote personnel transition from mechanical to electronic operations. The results of this usability assessment identify the opportunity for future R&D cab integration efforts and demonstrate the importance of user-centered design and usability assessment in these efforts.

Abstract Skateboards have been used as a means of transportation and extreme sport participation for decades. However, the prevalence of skateboards as a source of transportation is increasing. The laws that permit skateboard users to travel in roadways and in pedestrian walkways can vary by state, city, or county, allowing for a large variance in travel speed and user behavior. The amount of data available for the average speed of skateboard users during travel and trick initiation is limited. This study will preliminarily describe the natural travel and trick initiation speeds of skateboard users. The data that is presented in this study is beneficial to a vast audience including, but not limited to: traffic safety, road and intersection design, accident reconstruction, skateboard design, bearing design and useful life, and wheel design and useful life. This is an observational study of users on public spaces; no personal identification or biometric data was collected.