Human Information Processing Theory Research Articles

User compliance and remediation success after IoT malware notifications

Abstract Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are getting involved in remediating Internet of Things (IoT) infections of end users. This endeavor runs into serious usability problems. Given that it is usually unknown what kind of device is infected, they can only provide users with very generic cleanup advice, trying to cover all device types and remediation paths. Does this advice work? To what extent do users comply with the instructions? And does more compliance lead to higher cleanup rates? This study is the first to shed light on these questions. In partnership with an ISP, we designed a randomized control experiment followed up by a user survey. We randomly assigned 177 consumers affected by malware from the Mirai family to three different groups: (i) notified via a walled garden (quarantine network), (ii) notified via email, and (iii) no immediate notification, i.e. a control group. The notification asks the user to take five steps to remediate the infection. We conducted a phone survey with 95 of these customers based on communication–human information processing theory. We model the impact of the treatment, comprehension, and motivation on the compliance rate of each customer, while controlling for differences in demographics and infected device types. We also estimate the extent to which compliance leads to successful cleanup of the infected IoT devices. While only 24% of notified users perform all five remediation steps, 92% of notified users perform at least one action. Compliance increases the probability of successful cleanup by 32%, while the presence of competing malware reduces it by 54%. We provide an empirical basis to shape ISP best practices in the fight against IoT malware.

Visual Scanning Techniques and Mental Workload of Helicopter Pilots During Simulated Flight.

INTRODUCTION: The visual scanning techniques used by helicopter pilots are a critical skill to accomplish safe and correct landing. According to the human information processing theory, visual scanning techniques can be analyzed as a function of fixation location, number, and duration of fixations.METHODS: This study assessed these techniques in expert and novice pilots during an open sea flight simulation in a low-workload condition, consisting of a daylight and good weather simulation, and in a high-workload condition of night-time, low visibility, and adverse weather conditions. Taking part in the study were 12 helicopter pilots. Mental workload was assessed through psychological measures (NASA-TLX). The pilots performance was assessed and eye movements were recorded using an eye-tracker during four phases of the flight simulations.RESULTS: Overall, pilots made more fixations out of the window (OTW; 22.54) than inside the cockpit (ITC; 11.08), Fixations were longer OTW (830.17 ms) than ITC (647.97 ms) and they were shorter in the low-demand condition (626.27 ms). Further, pilots reported higher mental workload (NASA-TLX) in the high-demand condition compared to the low-demand condition, regardless of their expertise, and expert pilots reported a lower mental workload compared to novice pilots.DISCUSSION: Pilots performance and perceived mental workload varied as a function of expertise and flight conditions. Pilots rely on instrument support during the cruise phase and external visual cues during the landing phase. The implications for a new visual landing system design are discussed.Rainieri G, Fraboni F, Russo G, Tul M, Pingitore A, Tessari A, Pietrantoni L. Visual scanning techniques and mental workload of helicopter pilots during simulated flight. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2021; 92(1):1119.

Sensory Perception: A Comparative Study of Western Psychology and Buddhist Psychology

Sensory Perception (SP) is a fundamental psychological process of species for their survival, as it predominantly involves with memory and learning. In human, therefore, a spectacular system of sensory processing has developed. Every being in the world has special features of their sensory information processing systems. This study focused on exploring the Buddhist Psychological explanation of SP of human beings in comparison to the theories and models of SP in Western Psychology (WP). The study was conducted under qualitative research methods, based on textual studies. Western psychologists have introduced number of theories such as Human Information Processing Theory of Cognitive Psychology through experimental researches to understand the biological and psychological process of SP. Buddhist Psychology (BP) of SP is mainly laid on the explanations in Abhidhamma piṭaka and Sutta piṭaka. The special attention was, here, paid on Sabbacittasādhārana cetasika and Cittavịthi in the Abhidhamma piṭaka and Madupindika sutta in Sutta piṭaka. In conclusion, both WP and BP comprise of complex theories and models of SP. The two approaches are less comparable, as there are different complex explanations except certain similarities.

Development of Propositions on Human Cognitive Abilities Matching Impacts on Accounting Job Performance

The purpose of this research paper is to analyze the matching factors between the human expectation of accounting job cognitive ability needed and the actual cognitive ability requirement of those jobs and how this relationship impacts job performance. First, based on the human information processing theory and previous research of cognitive ability analysis related to jobs, this paper proposes a research model to analyze the cognitive abilities’ matching factors between human expectation and actual job requirements of accounting jobs. Secondly, seven propositions are developed based on this research model. Thirdly, an instrument is developed to quantitatively measure these matching factors on job performance. Finally, theoretical and practical implications associated with the accounting job design also presented in this paper.

Characterizing Mobile-Enhanced Cognitive Abilities: Implications for Accounting Jobs

The purpose of this research paper is to characterise mobile-enhanced cognitive job requirements and analyse implications on accounting jobs for performance improvement and human resource management. This paper first develops a mobile cognitive task analysis (MCTA) model based on the human information processing theory, which identifies the cognitive abilities that can be enhanced by mobile devices when performing cognitive-intensive jobs. Second, these mobile cognitive abilities are decomposed into 52 measurable items and assessed by surveys. Data were collected for 50 cognitive-oriented jobs from 400 surveys with 368 valid surveys (92% of valid survey). Third, results from factor analysis indicate that there are nine dimensions of mobile-enhanced cognitive abilities. Fourth, the mobile-enhanced cognitive ability topographies on three accounting jobs (Accountant, Auditor, and Tax Accountant) were constructed based on the weighted factor score analysis, which indicate that the accounting jobs have different requirements on the derived mobile-enhanced cognitive ability intensities. Finally, theoretical and practical implications are also presented in this paper.

Characterising mobile-enhanced cognitive abilities: implications for accounting jobs

The purpose of this research paper is to characterise mobile-enhanced cognitive job requirements and analyse implications on accounting jobs for performance improvement and human resource management. This paper first develops a mobile cognitive task analysis (MCTA) model based on the human information processing theory, which identifies the cognitive abilities that can be enhanced by mobile devices when performing cognitive-intensive jobs. Second, these mobile cognitive abilities are decomposed into 52 measurable items and assessed by surveys. Data were collected for 50 cognitive-oriented jobs from 400 surveys with 368 valid surveys (92% of valid survey). Third, results from factor analysis indicate that there are nine dimensions of mobile-enhanced cognitive abilities. Fourth, the mobile-enhanced cognitive ability topographies on three accounting jobs (Accountant, Auditor, and Tax Accountant) were constructed based on the weighted factor score analysis, which indicate that the accounting jobs have different requirements on the derived mobile-enhanced cognitive ability intensities. Finally, theoretical and practical implications are also presented in this paper.

Investigating the determinants of telepresence in the e-commerce setting

While a majority of the US population uses the Internet to seek product information for purchasing decisions, U.S. Census (2017) shows only a small portion of actual retail sales occur on the Internet. Previous research shows that consumers' anxiety on performance risk is one of the core causes for this small ratio of online sales, and can be addressed by enhanced telepresence. However, few studies investigated how telepresence can be enhanced. Drawing on theories of human information processing, we identify four drivers of telepresence. The four drivers identified are Standardization of Specification, Sensory Descriptiveness, Interactivity and Feedback Quality. Our study expands the nomological network of telepresence by presenting antecedents to telepresence. The proposed model is tested using 391 online consumers and results from the study are discussed.

SCHEMA THEORY IN READING CLASS

Comprehension is making a sense out of text. It is a process of using reader’s existing knowledge (schemata) to interpret texts in order to construct meaning. Many reading experts agree that the schema theory is one of the reasonable theories of human information processing. Schemata, the plural of schema, are believed to be the building blocks of cognition. This paper discusses the role of readers’ preexisting knowledge on linguistics code as well as readers’ knowledge of the world (schema), which for the case of reading has similar importance of the printed words in the text. It is argued that the more non visual information the reader posses, the less visual information is needed. For teaching and learning, teachers are expected to use different strategies in order to deal with different students’ preexisting knowledge and schema to maximize students’ learning.

A structured method for the traffic dispatcher error behavior analysis in metro accident investigation

Identifying the traffic dispatcher error behaviors that frequently result in the occurrence of metro accidents is beneficial to prevent error behaviors and mitigate their consequences. Yet, there is no theoretical framework available for metro safety officers in investigating and classifying traffic dispatcher error behaviors. This article presents a structured procedure to analyze traffic dispatcher error behaviors in emergency based on the human information processing theory and the modified task analysis framework. In order to make the proposed method be more applicable to practical use, a detailed task list of traffic dispatcher in case of emergency is given by considering the characteristic of equipment in operation control center (OCC) to simplify the task analysis procedure. And the traffic dispatcher error behavior classification with an error degree value scale derived from the VACP model is built to identify the error behavior type, which defined human behaviors according to the information processing stages. Finally, the validation and reliability studies have been carried out to assess the reasonability of the proposed method. The grey relational analysis (GRA) of the data from 98 traffic dispatcher error related accident reports indicates an acceptable validation of the proposed error behavior classification. And the reliability analysis suggests an adequate inter-coder consensus of more than 70% percentage agreement of the proposed method in practical use.

Balancing the scorecard through academic accounting research: opportunity lost?

PurposeAs one of the co‐authors of the first academic research papers published in a major accounting research journal on the subject of the balanced scorecard, the author was asked to reflect on his experiences with research in this area over the last 12 years since that first paper was published. The purpose of this paper is to do this through personal reflection and a literature review.Design/methodology/approachEmploying personal reflection and a literature review, the author examines three issues: what motivated him to start this research program; the way the research program unfolded and its unintended consequences; and finally some reflections on the academic research enterprise as it is practised in North America that are reflected by the unintended consequences.FindingsThe author looks at the differences in psychology research traditions and how they shaped the research program on the balanced scorecard into an attempt to “debias” a problem rather than to bring strong human information processing theory to bear on how the scorecard dealt with some of the issues in its application. The author suggests that these different focuses explain how management accounting behavioral researchers lost an opportunity to have greater impact in the development of this performance tool.Originality/valueThe paper questions and documents limitations that arise from the reliance on an underlying psychology paradigm that focuses on human limitations, rather than one focused on aiding humans to perform better. It suggests that greater research contributions in management accounting could be obtained if more researchers focused on how management accounting information can be developed that takes advantage of human information processing strengths.

B.A.S.E. - A Brand-Architecture Strategy Explorer

Some of the most pressing brand-related problems concern the management of a system of several brands, i.e. brand architecture, rather than one individual brand. By integrating three fields of theory, (a) the theory of strategic brand concepts, (b) the theory of human information processing and (c) a typology of brand architecture strategies, this paper proposes an explorative instrument from which to derive optimal brand architecture strategies.

Sensory-Perceptual Objective Task (SPOT) Taxonomy: A Task Analysis Tool

Task Analyses serve multiple purposes in system design, yet even with the resource intensive nature of such processes, further insight is still needed for the design of multi-modal systems. A Sensory Task Analysis (STA) allows a very granular level task decomposition into sensory information and interaction capability requirements that allows the determination of how individuals in the domain gather information as well as act upon this information in the operational environment. To complete this, however, knowledge of both the domain task and human information processing theory is required. Herein is presented a sensory-perceptual task taxonomy, a task analysis tool that facilitates the decomposition of domain tasks into generalizable sensory perceptual and response task types that greatly facilitates this process. This paper discusses the development and components that make up this taxonomy and presents a proof of concept example of how it may be used in an operational military domain. A discussion of potential applications and how this taxonomy fits within a tool to define optimal system fidelity requirements is also presented.

Redesigning our theories of human information processing

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Development of a human information processing model for cognitive task analysis and design

High costs and long cycle times of software development are factors hindering the analysis and design of the complete cognitive aspects related to task performances. Reusable software has been proposed as a solution to the problem of high software development and maintenance costs. One of the paradigms for reusable software, object-oriented modelling, has emerged as an important method for specifying, creating and reusing software modules. Using Unified Modelling Language, this paper develops an object-oriented cognitive task analysis and design (OOCTAD) model based on human information-processing theory. First, human task performance-related cognitive aspects are classified into modules and logically linked together; secondly, cognitive aspects within these modules were further decomposed into packages and classes based on object-oriented technology. Finally, one case study was presented to compare and contrast different cognitive analysis models to illustrate the advantages of the OOCTAD model developed in the current research over the other five cognitive task analysis models. These reusable classes in the OOCATD model were shown to be reused to reduce software development costs and cycle times for cognitive task analysis and design. The current research should be of use to both developers and users of cognitively based tasks, systems and tools and researchers and practitioners in the broader discipline of cognitive tasks design and analysis.

A model for notification systems evaluation—assessing user goals for multitasking activity

Addressing the need to tailor usability evaluation methods (UEMs) and promote effective reuse of HCI knowledge for computing activities undertaken in divided-attention situations, we present the foundations of a unifying model that can guide evaluation efforts for notification systems. Often implemented as ubiquitous systems or within a small portion of the traditional desktop, notification systems typically deliver information of interest in a parallel, multitasking approach, extraneous or supplemental to a user's attention priority. Such systems represent a difficult challenge to evaluate meaningfully. We introduce a design model of user goals based on blends of three critical parameters---interruption, reaction, and comprehension. Categorization possibilities form a logical, descriptive design space for notification systems, rooted in human information processing theory. This model allows conceptualization of distinct action models for at least eight classes of notification systems, which we describe and analyze with a human information processing model. System classification regions immediately suggest useful empirical and analytical evaluation metrics from related literature. We present a case study that demonstrates how these techniques can assist an evaluator in adapting traditional UEMs for notification and other multitasking systems. We explain why using the design model categorization scheme enabled us to generate evaluation results that are more relevant for the system redesign than the results of the original exploration done by the system's designers.

Allchin's Shoehorn, or Why Science is Hypothetico-Deductive

Allchin's critique of my analysis of Galileo's discovery of Jupiter's moons, and of my characterization of science as hypothetico-deductive, contains several factual and conceptual errors. Thus, contrary to his attempt to paint scientific discovery in terms of blind search and limited induction, a careful analysis of the way humans spontaneously process information and reason supports a general hypothetico-deductive theory of human information processing, reasoning, and scientific discovery.

A proposed index of usability: A method for comparing the relative usability of different software systems

Usability is becoming a more and more important software criterion, but the present usability measurement methods are either difficult to apply, or overly dependent upon evaluators' expertise. Based on human information processing theory, this study identified eight human factors considerations which are relevant to software usability. These considerations as well as the three stages of human information processing theory formed the framework from which our Purdue Usability Testing Questionnaire (PUTQ) is derived. An experiment was conducted to test the validity of PUTQ. The experiment result showed high correlation between PUTQ and the Questionnaire for User Interaction Satisfaction (QUIS version 5.5). In addition, PUTQ detected the differences in user performance between two experimental interface systems, but QUIS failed to do so.

When a Group Is Not a Group

This article argues that a large part of idea-generation behavior in electronic brainstorming (EBS) can be explained by viewing EBS as an individual, cognitive (rather than a social) phenomenon from the human information processing system (IPS) perspective. EBS incorporates a set of structuringmechanisms meant to overcome the limitations of the human IPS. Consequently, a group using an EBS outperforms both verbal brainstorming and nominal groups by operating not as a group but as a collection of individuals who interact with an evolving set of ideas rather than with other individuals. We present a research agenda oriented toward the development of strategies, procedures, and technologiesfor stimulating idea generation. Based on this agenda, we identify the problem of information overload in EBS; develop a set of strategies for addressing the problem, grounded in human information-processing theory; andformulate a set of propositions for testing the strategies.

Summary Graphics for Integrated Visualization in Dynamic Cartography

Dynamic cartography calls for a single, more cognitively friendly graphic that summarizes salient relationships in an animated sequence of maps. The theory of human information processing suggests that because the human eye-brain system does not instantaneously process patterns from short-term memory through to long-term memory, information presented toward the end of a dynamic cartographic sequence retards the memory and comprehension of information presented earlier in the sequence. Four types of summary graphics hold particular promise as animation supplements: (1) the centrographic time-series map; used since the late 19th century to portray the westward march of the center of the U.S. population; (2) the biplot, a joint, two-dimensional representation of time units and places based upon two principal components; (3) canonical trend-surface analysis, which might extract one or two salient spatial trends, the canonical loadings of which can be plotted in a time-series graph showing when each trend was particularly prominent; and (4) the time-series correlation graph, which reveals temporal variation in the apparent influence of given trends or regionalizations on a particular bivariate correlation. Because an animated sequence of maps can promote understanding of an otherwise complicated summary graphic, the cartographic animation and its summary graphic can be complementary.

Unemployment: The Voter's Conception of Reality

The unemployment rate is often criticized as a flawed indicator of underlying events. Some suggest we are better served by following the employment ratethe number employed over the total adult population. This paper draws on the theory of human information processing to compare the effectiveness of the two views. Research has shown that we attach meaning to external data by associating them with retrieved bits of stored experience. Internal representations of unemployment would thus depend on the experience and expectations stored by the polity. Examining such expectations provides insight into the cognitions that citizen/decoders build from unemployment data. The analysis suggests that alleged flaws in the data are more appropriately attributed to the expectation that any single indicator can reflect all significant developments, and the consequent disinclination to integrate multiple indicators. The neurophysiological and experiential roots of these cognitive preferences are explored.