A Mathematical Psychology Talent Show: Examples of How Our Models May Influence Human-Centered Design

The use of cognitive-theory-driven approaches may evaluate performance and cognitive processes with more rigor and precision than current procedures and metrics used in human factors research and application. A mathematical modeling approach allows for both more theoretically meaningful measures than raw accuracy or response time (RT), and for insight into the aspects of the cognitive process that may have led to better or worse performance. Extending the modeling approaches developed in mathematical psychology to evaluate applied environments may inform display design, multitask combination, assist adaptive automation, or supply pertinent feedback in real-time. In this talk, I demonstrate a few applications of mathematical models to inform human-centered design: the evaluation of multispectral fusion techniques, estimation of efficiency to compare multitask configurations, and the influence of task load on multitasking efficiency and management strategies. Each of these modeling approaches provide additional insights beyond traditional analyses. In conclusion, I illustrate how developing time-varying mathematical models can serve as a useful online tool for evaluating cognitive processes and performance.