Research
Ongoing research projects involve:
- How pilots perceive motion-in-depth under conditions of limited visibility
- How pilots judge their trajectory to touchdown during emergency landings
- The effectiveness of highlighting cues, such as color and blinking, at attracting attention on a computer display
- The costs/benefits of using such cues; factors that influence warning effectiveness
- People's perception of risk and hazard; visual information display design
- Using technology to assist oler adults' cognitive processes
- The use of mental models in evaluating team training
Because of the university's convenient access to Research Triangle Park and to agencies/organizations such as the SAS Institute, IBM, HumanCentric Technologies, and EPA, students are involved in various research projects in many applied settings.
Research Facilities
We have more than 3200 square feet of laboratory space:
Perception Labs
Three visual "alleys" for studying visual spatial performance, equipment for measuring basic visual functions, a Laser-Badal optometer, apparatus for generating a variety of 2D and 3D displays; auditory localization studies are conducted in a large room with modifiable acoustical characteristics; an adjacent control room houses digital systems for creating/modifying stimuli; an anechoic chamber is available through cooperation of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
Human Information Processing and Ergonomics Labs
The Human Information Processing and Ergonomics Labs provide a wide variety of experimental, computer-driven displays and test configurations; additional individual testing cubicles are planned. A scaled-facility power plant control room and a controlled environmental chamber are available through cooperation of Nuclear Engineering and the College of Textiles, respectively.
Stress and Performance Lab
Contains isolation test room, Coulbourn polygraph, and several computers that run the Wright-Patterson Criterion Task Set as well as other cognitive tasks. Eyelink II eyetracking system. Various multimedia-based instruction and scientific visualization equipment at the Friday Institute at NCSU's nearby Centennial Campus. Individual labs are equipped with computers, including new MS Windows machines and an assortment of Macs. Clusters of additional computers are available for general word processing, data analysis, etc.
