How Can You Continue Growing in the Field of Engineering Psychology
For the past 20 years I have taught in the Engineering Psychology Program at West Point. Along with General Psychology, Sociology, and Management, Engineering Psychology is one of four academic majors offered by the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership. The mission of West Point is to "educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of duty, honor, and country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army." Engineering Psychology supports this mission by building in its cadets the skills and knowledge needed for professional excellence in today's Army.
Engineering psychology is not a widely known subdiscipline of psychology. Only a handful of colleges and universities offer it as an academic major. Engineering psychology applies principles of psychology to the design of complex systems. With technology infiltrating virtually every aspect of our lives, an understanding of human strengths and limitations is critical in designing systems that are both effective and easy to use. This is particularly true in the military with its complex command and control, computer, intelligence, and weapons systems. But it is also true in the civilian sector, where advanced technologies are embedded in ever more of the devices and systems we use each day in our work and private lives.
The goal of an undergraduate engineering psychology program is to educate students on psychology and basic engineering principles. A person with a bachelor's degree in engineering psychology may find work as part of a design team that includes engineers and experts in other disciplines. At West Point, cadets majoring in engineering psychology complete 10 academic courses. Beginning with a grounding in experimental psychology and statistics, they then learn about the human in the loop by taking courses in biopsychology, sensation and perception, cognitive psychology, and anthropometrics and biomechanics. During their senior year, they take additional courses in human-computer interaction, human factors engineering, and two seminar courses that require them to apply principles of psychology in system design. This coursework is supplemented by a three-course sequence in a traditional engineering discipline, such as electrical or systems engineering, and a two-course sequence in information technology. Upon graduation and commissioning as an Army officer, these skills help them master the complex technologies that characterize the modern military.
Examples of the type of research and application conducted by engineering psychologists are many. For instance, good tactical decision-making is critical to mission success in the military, law enforcement, firefighting, and emergency medicine (to name just a few). The concept of situational awareness (SA) represents one aspect of tactical decision-making. In a fast-moving and high-stakes environment such as a soldier or law enforcement officer facing a shoot, don't shoot situation, engineering psychologists have discovered three levels of cognition needed for making a fast and accurate decision. These are Level I SA, which is accurately perceiving critical elements of the situation; Level II SA, which involves comprehending the meaning of what is perceived; and Level III SA, which is the ability to make quick and accurate decisions on what is likely to occur next in a dynamic, evolving scenario. Using principles of cognitive psychology, the engineering psychologist helps develop training protocols to boost SA, and to design command and control technologies to better organize and provide information that builds all levels of SA. West Point cadets, mentored by faculty members, have completed numerous studies of SA over the years.
Another example demonstrates how knowledge of the visual system, learned by cadets in their courses in biopsychology and sensation and perception, may be applied to develop more effective camouflage. During initial deployments to Afghanistan following the events of September 11, 2001, the Marine Corps discovered their winter camouflage uniforms were not optimally effective in the snowy conditions found in the higher mountains of Afghanistan. Needing a quick solution to this problem, members of the Engineering Psychology faculty at West Point were asked by the Office of Naval Research to develop a new and more effective camouflage pattern, one that was lightweight and easy to don. A cadet research team, led by a former West Point Engineering Psychology faculty member, tackled this problem. Based on knowledge of how the eye and brain process visual information, a rapid prototyping experimental design was employed to test candidate winter camouflage patterns. Within the course of a single academic semester, the team developed a new winter camouflage garment that was quickly adopted for operational use by the Marine Corps. A soldier wearing this garment is pictured below. See if you can find him.
Soldier in winter camouflage.
Source: Michael D. Matthews
These are just two examples of how engineering psychology prepares undergraduates to design systems that optimize human performance. Graduates of West Point's Engineering Psychology Program use their knowledge in the Army to manage complex system, train soldiers on the use of these systems, and to identify ways to improve existing systems. After leaving the Army, many find employment in high tech companies including careers in the aviation and automotive industry. Here they work hand-in-hand with traditional engineers and other professionals to design and market products to make life easier and safer.
Engineering Psychology may be psychology's best-kept secret. I don't think this will be true for much longer. As universities look for new academic majors to add to their curriculum, particularly ones with high post-graduation employment opportunities, we may see a surge in undergraduate engineering psychology programs. The future will be increasingly high-tech, and experts with the blended knowledge of psychology and engineering are needed to ensure that emerging technologies make life better for consumers, not simply more complicated and frustrating.
Note: The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not reflect the position of the United States Military Academy, the Department of the Army, or the Department of Defense.
Source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/head-strong/202001/engineering-psychology
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