Sources of Power: How People Make Decisions

With the advent of instant mobile messaging applications, traditional SMS is in danger of loosing it's reign as the king of mobile messaging. Applications like WhatsApp allow mobile users to send real-time text messages to individuals or groups of friends at no cost. While there is a vast body of research on traditional text messaging practices, little is understood about how and why people have adopted and appropriated instant mobile messaging applications. The goal of this work is to provide a deeper understanding of the motives and perceptions of a popular mobile messaging application called WhatsApp and to learn more about what this service offers above and beyond traditional SMS. To this end, we present insights from two studies an interview study and a large-scale survey highlighting that while WhatsApp offers benefits such as cost, sense of community and immediacy, SMS is still considered a more reliable, privacy preserving technology for mobile communication.

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What's up with whatsapp?: comparing mobile instant messaging behaviors with traditional SMS

O ne of the few research texts authored by those with occupational therapy expertise, this book offers a vast amount of information to the beginning researcher or to professionals interested in reviewing studies with a more critical eye. The book proceeus in a logical fashion beginning with the philosophy of research. The how-to's of designing a study and collecting data are presented, and the final chapters deal with analysis and interpretation of data. In Pan I, the authors define research as a form of knowledge that is \"logical, understandable, confirmable and useful\" (p. 5). DePoy and Gitlin also point out that research provides the scientific evidence necessary to generate a professional body of knowledge. The naturalistic approach to research, designed to uncover phenomena via inductive reasoning, is presented in a positive light. The reader becomes aware of the basic theoretical differences between this approach and the somewhat less controversial experimental approach and is given examples of each. The authors discuss that, although these approaches vary in theory, they may be combined to proVide an integrated approach to research. In Part II, the specifics of structuring research projects are addressed. Which framework (experimental, naturalistic, or a combination) is used depends on the question the researcher wants to answer. The authors also discuss the importance and mechanics of performing a thorough literature review and methods to categorize research designs. The remainder of Pan II is devored to further explanation of the naturalistic and experimental approaches. Examples to illustrate the continuum of designs in each of these approaches are given and several methods 1O combine these designs are proposed. In Part Ill, DePoy and Gitlin delve into selection of appropriate populations and sample sizes. They talk aboLlt nor only what population to include, but also what population to exclude to provide the most stable foundation for a research project. Data-gathering techniques are examined in depth for borh the naturalistic and experimental designs, and several methods for performing statistical analysis are presented. Analysis techniques for naturalistic methodologies are included also. Some basic tips for metamorphosing the information proVided from data analysis into a written text that is clear and concise are outlined in the remaining chapters. The authors also make the pOint that information gleaned from research, no matter how relevant, is nor of use to the profession unless it is disseminated to others. In the last chapter, the authors share their personal research experiences. The reader is left with some perceptions of performing research in a practice-oriented profession. The entry-level researcher, or the clinician wishing to upgrade his knowledge of what constitutes a strong study, will find this book of great interest. The authors have tackled a rather esoreric subject and tied it into a clinician's frame of reference. This text was also written to be included in research curriculums. The Student will find all of the necessary teaching information, as well as examples of the theories presented. Some interesting features of this text include its logical organization. Each chapter contains a summary of the information presented so that the reader can review at a glance. Several of the chapters that present the steps necessary to carry out a study have mental exercises the reader can perform to tesl his knowledge. A wonderful gJossary, bibliography, and thorough index make this an appropriate reference book for the clinician. Theories, strategies, and methodologies are presented with tables and illustrations that are clear to those nor familiar with basic research ideas. One area that could be strengthened is the authors' use of clinical examples. The examples provided in the text are sometimes vague and difficult for the reader to relate to the tenets they are used to reinforce. In addition, many examples appear to be drawn from the authors' social work experience, rather than from their occupational therapy expertise. The book does, however, contain several pertinent references to studies encompassing the occupational therapy range. Several of these studies were also done by the authors, lending further credence to their opinions. For the most part, the authors present the information in an easily understandable style. The beginning of the text, with its explanations of the theory of research and the philosophies of several approaches, may be difficult reading for some. But overall, this text does what it was written to do: give the reader interested in research a thorough background in theory and methodology. The authors seek to demystify the research process for those in the health and human services fields, and the reader is left with a sense that research is not JUSt for those with specialized training, but that direct patient care proViders also can possess the necessary skills and knowledge to make a significant contribution to their profession's body of knowledge. Joanne Merante Baird, MA. OTRIL

Introduction to research.

Although interruptions are daily occurring events for most working people, little research has been done on the impacts of interruptions on workers and their performance. This study examines the e Vects of interruptions on task performance and its regulation, as well as on workers’ psychological and psychophysiological state. Two parallel experiments were carried out in the Netherlands and in Russia, using a common conceptual framework and overlapping designs. Employees with relevant work experience carried out realistic text editing tasks in a simulated o Yce environment, while the frequency and complexity of interruptions were experimentally manipulated. It was hypothesized that interruptions: (i) would cause a deterioration of performance; (ii) evoke strategies to partially compensate for this deterioration; (iii) aVect subjects’ emotions and well-being negatively; and (iv) raise the level of eVort and activation. It was also hypothesized that greater frequency and complexity of interruptions would enhance the expected e Vects. The hypotheses are only partially cone rmed. The results show that, contrary to what was expected, interruptions cause people to perform the main task faster while maintaining the level of quality. Participants develop strategies enabling them to deal e Vectively with the interruptions, while actually over-compensating the potential performance decline. Interruptions do have a negative impact on emotion and well-being, and lead to an increase of e Vort expenditure, although not to an increase in activation. Thus the improved performance is achieved at the expense of higher psychological costs. Greater complexity evoked more favourable responses among the Dutch participants and more unfavourable ones among the Russian participants. These diVerences are interpreted in terms of the participants’ professional background. The research demonstrates that the e Vects of interruptions reach beyond the execution of additional tasks and the change of work strategies. Interruptions appear to have an after-e Vect, ine uencing the workers’ subsequent readiness to perform. Detailed analysis of the activity in the interruption interval, focusing on

Temporal factors in mental work: effects on interrupted activities

Introduction matters: Manipulating trust in automation and reliance in automated driving.

As automation becomes ubiquitous, it is important to know how differences in introducing automated systems will affect human-automation interactions. There are two main ways of introducing expected reliability of an automated system to users: explicitly telling operators what to expect or giving operators experience using the system. Additionally, the expected level of system reliability in an introduction can be higher-than, lower-than, or the same as the actual system reliability. This study systematically investigated the effect of introductions initially and over time on: 1) perceptions of reliability and system usage, and 2) human responses to automation (e.g., compliance, reliance, and overall dependence) for 60 undergraduates across two days. We found that explicit statements introductions had a greater effect on perceived system reliability than did initial exposure introductions, particularly initially. There were few initial differences between introduction formats on system usage. In general, s...

Introducing an Automated System Effects on Perceptions and Use of the System

A Call to Action Following the RaDonda Vaught Case: A Culture of Safety and High-Reliability Organizations.

Greater patient involvement in the healthcare process is a key pillar of the patient centered health-care model. However, observations of a healthcare facility identified limited communication as a...

Promoting Patient and Caregiver Engagement during Discharge from a Healthcare Facility

Blood transfusions are common procedures but are high risk for patient safety. Verification of the correct blood unit for the patient, assessments of the patient for symptoms of transfusion reactio...

Redesign of a Transfusion Issue Form Using Human Factors Science

To present the job requirements and background Human Factors professionals may need to be prepared and succeed in health care facilities. Both hospitals and Human Factors professionals must be prepared for the predicted growth of Human Factors job openings in health care. Professionals transitioning from another industry or graduating from a Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) program may benefit from understanding what hospitals need, education requirements, and the compensatory landscape. To date, there is a lack of baseline information about Human Factors professional job details in health care. We surveyed hospital-embedded Human Factors professionals. We grouped respondents based on the amount of time dedicated to operations vs. research work. Of 32 respondents, 75% were women. Hospital-embedded professionals reported an average salary of $153,917 and a median salary of $149,481. Although more institutions required a master's degree, 25% of practitioners had a doctorate degree. Technical and interpersonal skills were similar between researchers and practitioners including data collection and teamwork. Universities can use this information to tailor educational programs for HFE students interested in a health care track. Hospitals seeking HFE professionals can create targeted job descriptions. HFE professionals can assess their ability to transition into the health care setting. This information can be used by HFE professionals to assess their readiness to enter the hospital setting and negotiate compensation based on the current market. Hospitals can also use this to determine what skills HFE professionals bring. 

Laura H. Barg-Walkow

Papers

Introducing an Automated System Effects on Perceptions and Use of the System

A Call to Action Following the RaDonda Vaught Case: A Culture of Safety and High-Reliability Organizations.

Promoting Patient and Caregiver Engagement during Discharge from a Healthcare Facility

Redesign of a Transfusion Issue Form Using Human Factors Science

Human Factors in the Hospital: Education, Skills, and Job Details