Usability and Human Factors Cognition and Human Performance Lecture b This material (Comp15_Unit3b) was developed by Columbia University, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology under Award Number 1U24OC

Cognition and Human Performance Learning Objectives 2 Describe the processes of memory and their relationship to web-design (Lecture b) Describe the cognitive constructs for mental representation (Lecture b) Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 3.0/Spring 2012 Usability and Human Factors Cognition and Human Performance Lecture b

Memory 3 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 3.0/Spring 2012 Usability and Human Factors Cognition and Human Performance Lecture b Short term sensory storage Working Memory Long Term Memory Short term sensory storage Working Memory Long Term Memory

Memory Processes 4 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 3.0/Spring 2012 Usability and Human Factors Cognition and Human Performance Lecture b Encoding: process of putting things into memory Storage: how information is maintained in memory Retrieval: accessing information from memory

Working memory (WM) 5 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 3.0/Spring 2012 Usability and Human Factors Cognition and Human Performance Lecture b WM is the short-term memory or temporary store that keeps information “active” When processing in WM, we bring information from the sensory register and long-term memory (LTM) into WM Information is encodedWM has limitationsThe limitations of WM have major implications for system design

WM Capacity Constraints 6 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 3.0/Spring 2012 Usability and Human Factors Cognition and Human Performance Lecture b The upper limit of capacity is 7± 2 chunks of information A “chunk” is the unit of WM space, defined jointly by the physical and cognitive properties that bind items within the chunk together

Long-term memory (LTM) 7 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 3.0/Spring 2012 Usability and Human Factors Cognition and Human Performance Lecture b LTM provides a mechanism for storing information and retrieving it at a later time Relatively permanent storage system Highly organized knowledge structures Different types of knowledge

Carving Up Knowledge 8 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 3.0/Spring 2012 Usability and Human Factors Cognition and Human Performance Lecture b Factual Knowledge Risk factors for coronary artery disease Declarative or Conceptual Knowledge Deeper level of understanding Part of a network of knowledge and beliefs Procedural Knowledge How to perform various actions Decision rules in guidelines Collaborative Knowledge (people and artifacts) Individual and collective

Cognitive Constructs for Mental Representation 9 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 3.0/Spring 2012 Usability and Human Factors Cognition and Human Performance Lecture b Schema Representation of perceiving some object, event, or scene Mental Images Capture the meaning of linguistic and other symbolic forms PropositionsMental models

Schemata 10 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 3.0/Spring 2012 Usability and Human Factors Cognition and Human Performance Lecture b Represent a higher level kind of knowledge structure Representing basic general concepts stored in memory (e.g., fruits, chairs, geometric shapes, and vertebrates) Schemata for concepts underlying situations, events, and common sequences of actions

Schemata (Cont.) To process information with the use of a schema is to determine which model best fits the incoming information. –Does the animal at a distance more closely resemble a dog or a cat? Features of schemata. –constants (all birds have wings) and –variables (chairs can have between 1 and 4 legs); Aimed at evaluating how well they fit to the data being processed –Does the patient’s chest pain seem more like a case of heartburn or might he be having a heart attack? 11 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 3.0/Spring 2012 Usability and Human Factors Cognition and Human Performance Lecture b

12 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 3.0/Spring 2012 Usability and Human Factors Cognition and Human Performance Lecture b Bird Schema Type: –animal Locomotion: –flies* (default value) –walks –swims Communication: –sings* –squawks Size: –small* –medium –large Habitat: –trees* –lands –waters Food: –insects* –seeds –fish Colors: –Variable (Kaufman, 2010.)

Scripts 13 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 3.0/Spring 2012 Usability and Human Factors Cognition and Human Performance Lecture b Eating in a Restaurant, Attending a Lecture, The Visit to the Dentist’s Office Knowledge structure captures general information about routine events Customers, waiter, cook Professor, teaching assistants, students Dentist, assistant, patient, and the drill Scripts have typical roles Customers are hungry Students are thirsty for knowledge Patient needs 6 cavities filled, some root canal work and a bridge installed Scripts have entry conditions We can fill in or infer the scenes and actions that are not explicitly mentioned Scripts elicit elaborated knowledge of an event type

Cognition and Human Performance Summary – Lecture b Structure of memory with a particular focus on working memory Cognitive constructs for mental representation –Schemata –Scripts Next lecture: mental models and distributed cognition 14 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 3.0/Spring 2012 Usability and Human Factors Cognition and Human Performance Lecture b

Cognition and Human Performance References – Lecture b References Preece, J. Rogers, Y. & Sharp, H. (2007) Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction. 2nd Edition. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. Images: Slide 12: Kaufman, D. (2010). Personal image of bird schema. Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University Medical Center. 15 Health IT Workforce Curriculum Version 3.0/Spring 2012 Usability and Human Factors Cognition and Human Performance Lecture b