Human Factors, Psychological Factors, and Affirmation of Continuity

There are two general strategies that may be employed for "doing human factors research with nonhuman animals." First, one may use the methods of traditional human factors investigations to examine the nonhuman animal-to-machine interface. Alternatively, one might use performance by nonhuman animals as a surrogate for or model of performance by a human operator. Each of these approaches is illustrated with data in the present review. Chronic ambient noise was found to have a significant but inconsequential effect on computer-task performance by rhesus monkeys (Macaco mulatta). Additional data supported the generality of findings such as these to humans, showing that rhesus monkeys are appropriate models human psychomotor performance. It is argued that ultimately the interface between comparative psychology and technology will depend on the coordinated use of both strategies of investigation. There are two general interpretations for the notion, suggested by the title of this article, of doing human factors research with nonhuman animals. In the first, the nonhuman animal-to-machine interface is studied in a style mirroring that of traditional human factors research. That is, "human factors-type" research can be conducted with nonhuman animals to the end of identifying factors that influence the animal-totechnology interaction. According to the second interpretation of"human factors with nonhumans," nonhuman animals are used as surrogates for or models of human performance. It will be argued in the present article that both meanings of the phrase are critical for the study of behavior and performance. Factors that affect the nonhuman animal-to-technology interaction should—and increasingly can—be identified and examined using many techniques comparable to those employed in research with human opAddress all correspondence to David A. Washburn, Sonny Carter Life Sciences Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA. © 1992 International Society of Comparative Psychology 1 91 192 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE PSYCHOLOGY erators. At our laboratory for example, we have conducted a series of experiments to discover the factors that affect a rhesus monkey's interaction with the Language Research Center's Computerized Test System (LRC-CTS; Rumbaugh, Richardson, Washburn, Savage-Rumbaugh, & Hopkins, 1989; Washburn & Rumbaugh, 1992a). The LRC-CTS is a computer-based test system in which individuals (human or nonhuman primates) respond to computer-generated stimuli by manipulating a joystick. Variables such as computer speed, monitor type and size, joystick size and angle of orientation, incentive, and social arrangement—all rather standard types of variables in human factors research—have been systematically manipulated to determine the effects on monkeys' computer-task performance. In addition to permitting the design and construction of better test stations, this information has frequently resulted in valuable basic psychological science. MONKEY-TO-MACHINE INTERFACE To illustrate this type of investigation, we conducted an experiment to determine the effects of ambient noise on computer-task performance. For a variety of reasons, chronic conditions of high ambient noise, a feature of many environments, might be expected to influence performance. Under such conditions, task auditory feedback may be made inaudible, subjects may be unable to obtain adequate rest or sleep, might become distracted by features within the noise, or chronic noise may affect a person's psychological well-being; any of these effects might be expected to compromise task performance. On the other hand, there is a literature (Broadbent, 1978; Poulton, 1978) suggesting that at least transient levels of background noise can increase an individual's general arousal and improve performance.