PSYC212: APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DAVID OHARE

COURSE HANDOUT 2013

Essential Information
The course consists of 12 lectures and 7 required readings covering topics in Human Factors
and Human Decision Making. In addition there are four practical classes directly associated with
the lecture topics.
Lecture time is 12-12.50 on Thursday and Friday.
Copies of the lecture overheads will be made available to you on Blackboard.
All the required readings are contained in Social and Applied Psychology: A Course
Companion (2013). Pearson. The content of these readings is examinable in both the MCQ
section and the essay/short-answer section of the final exam.
I am happy to answer questions on material covered in lecture or readings. Please contact me
by email: ohare@psy.otago.ac.nz
Lecture 1 (Feb 28th)
TITLE
DESCRIPTION

READING
PRACTICAL

Introduction
What effects has technology had on jobs and careers? What do applied
psychologists study? What do psychologists hope to achieve by studying
human factors?
None
None

Lecture 2 (Mar 1st))

TITLE
DESCRIPTION

READING
PRACTICALS

Asking Questions
Why are questionnaires important? What are some of the common
problems in writing good questions? How can we understand how people
respond to a questionnaire?
Questionnaire Design 1 & Questionnaire Design 2

Lecture 3 (Mar 7th)

TITLE
DESCRIPTION

READING
PRACTICAL

Flightdeck Performance
What proportion of airline crashes are caused by a breakdown in human
performance? How can communication patterns contribute to failures on
the flightdeck? Can these problems be corrected with training?
Helmreich, R.L. (1997, May). Managing human error in aviation. Scientific
American, 62-67. (Optional).
None

Lecture 4 (Mar 8th)

TITLE
DESCRIPTION

READINGS

PRACTICAL

Devices and Desires

Why can ordinary devices be confusing and difficult to use? What do
compatibility; the action cycle and mental model mean? How do they
help in the design of better devices?
Norman, D. (1992). Chapt 2 (Design Follies) from Turn signals are the facial
expressions of automobiles. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. (Reader, pp.
2-24).
Wickens et al (2013). Engineering psychology and human performance. (4th
ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson (Reader, pp. 62-72).
Design for Action

Lecture 5 (Mar 14th)

TITLE
DESCRIPTION
READING
PRACTICAL

Driving to Destruction
How do driving skill and driving style contribute to road crashes? What kind
of drivers are most at-risk? Do we drive as we live?
None
None

Lecture 6 (Mar 15th)

TITLE
DESCRIPTION

READING
PRACTICAL

Human Error 1
What are the main categories of human error? Why do errors occur during
skilled performance? What role did human error play in the worlds worst
aviation disaster?
Wickens et al (2013). Engineering psychology and human performance (4th
ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson (Reader, pp. 73-83).
None

Lecture 7 (Mar21st)
TITLE
DESCRIPTION
READING
PRACTICAL

Human Error 2
What are the main types of action error? What is stress? How does stress
affect human performance?
Wickens et al (2013). Engineering psychology and human performance (4th
ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson (Reader, pp. 85-95).
Design for Action

The final five lectures (lectures 8-12) cover topics in human decision making.
Lecture 8 (Mar 22nd)
TITLE
DESCRIPTION

READING
PRACTICAL

Decision Making 1
What is meant by classical decision theory? What are judgemental
heuristics? How do each of the three most well-known heuristics affect
judgement?
Robinson-Riegler & Robinson-Riegler (2012). Cognitive psychology (3rd ed).
Boston, MA: Pearson (Reader, pp. 25-60).
None

Lecture 9 (Mar 28th)

TITLE
DESCRIPTION
READING
PRACTICAL

Decision Making 2
Why do our intuitions struggle with chance and probability? What is the
sunk cost fallacy? Are heuristics necessarily biased?
Robinson-Riegler & Robinson-Riegler (2012). Cognitive psychology (3rd ed).
Boston, MA: Pearson (Reader, pp. 25-60).
None

Lecture 10 (Apr 11th)

TITLE
DESCRIPTION

READING
PRACTICAL

Group Decision Making

Whats the difference between a group and a team? How does groupthink
affect decision making? Can improved teamwork make a difference in the
operating theatre?
None
Group Decision Making

Lecture 11 (Apr 12th)

TITLE
DESCRIPTION

READING
PRACTICAL

Bystander Decision Making

What are the three key steps that a bystander must take before intervening
in an emergency? What role does the presence of others play in this
process? How reliable are these findings?
Vaughan, G. & Hogg, M. (2011). Social psychology (6th ed). Frenchs Forest,
NSW: Pearson (Reader, pp. 426-460).
None

Lecture 12 (Apr 18th)

TITLE
DESCRIPTION
READING

PRACTICAL

The Selection Interview

How good are job interviews in selecting the right candidates? What can be
done to improve the interview? What is the illusion of validity?
Wickens, C.D., et al. (2004). An introduction to human factors engineering
(2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. (Reader, pp. 96102).
None

Promo:
The relationship between people and technology is explored further in PSYC 326 (Second
Semester).
Projects in this area are available at third and fourth year level. Masters and PhD degrees can
be undertaken in human factors/cognitive engineering and decision making at the University
of Otago. In addition, postgraduate programmes in Industrial and Organisational Psychology
are available at other New Zealand universities as well as overseas.
Many of the areas covered in this course are linked to active research programmes in the
Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making Laboratory which is located in a brand new
well-equipped set of rooms on the third floor of the William James building. Our research
has been funded by various organizations including the United States Federal Aviation
Administration and NASA.
See our web site: (http://psy.otago.ac.nz/cogerg/).