Graduate study in Human Factors: Department of Psychology Miami University www'units'muohio'edupsych

1
Graduate study in Human FactorsDepartment of
PsychologyMiami Universitywww.units.muohio.edu/p
sychology/cogsci/

• Dr. L. James Smart, Jr. (Jay)
• Assistant Professor of Psychology

2
MU Department Profile 1

• Our program is in Brain and Cognitive sciences
  and consists of the following areas of interest
• Cognition Perception
• Biopsychology
• Developmental (concentration)
• Human Factors
• Our graduate program is a full-time, doctoral
  program, students will receive a Ph.D. in
  Psychology
• Students also receive masters (M.A.) after
  completion of a thesis.
• Currently we have 14 students and 1 post doc 16
  faculty (names, specialty)
• We graduated 2 Ph.D. and 2 masters in 2004 4
  Ph.D. and 2 masters graduates are anticipated in
  2005

3
MU Department Profile 2

• Focus Approach
• The Brain Cognitive Science (BCS) area of the
  Psychology department seek to understand the
  mental processes and structures that are involved
  in perceiving, learning, understanding, and
  acting in ones environment. 
• The mental phenomena that we study include basic
  visual processes, categorization, expertise,
  spatial cognition, cognitive and motor skills,
  and perception-action links. 
• We use a variety of methods, ranging from
  behavioral measurements (e.g., reaction time
  experiments) to mathematical modeling, to
  neurophysiological measurements (i.e. single-cell
  recording). 
• The program is distinctive, in part because the
  faculty members balance strong interests in basic
  psychological research with work that applies
  their research interests to everyday life. 
• We offer students genuine opportunities to
  explore applications.  That is, the focus of our
  graduate training is acquiring skills in basic
  research while providing opportunities for and an
  appreciation of non-academic applications. 

Curriculum
4
MU Department Profile 3

• Faculty and Expertise
• Gordon Allen memory processes
• Sian Beilock expertise
• Stephen Berry learning (neuro)
• Phillip Best spatial skills (neuro)
• Marvin Dainoff HF/E
• Yvette Harris cognitive development
• Yvonne Lippa action/perception
• Leonard Mark - perception/action HF/E
• Lynn Olzak visual perception
• Allan Pantle visual perception
• Cecelia Shore cognitive development
• Peter Simpson psychophamacology
• Jay Smart perception/action HF/E
• Robin Thomas categorization HF/E
• David Waller spatial cognition HF/E

Back to profile 1
5
Curriculum 1

• Structure
• The B C curriculum is organized into four tiers
  that provide progressively finer-grained
  (detailed) content
• Tier I courses are expected to be completed in
  year one Tier II III courses are expected to
  be completed by end of the second year
• At least two courses or seminars must be from
  outside the students immediate area.
• These courses are in addition to the departmental
  requirements.
• Most coursework is typically done by year 2, so
  students can focus on research.
• Any internship opportunities must be approved by
  the students committee

6
Curriculum 2
Tier 1 Core Courses
Tier 3 Advanced Seminars
Tier 2 Content Courses
Tier 4 Specialized Modules
Advanced Cognitive Processes Neurobiology of
Learning Memory
Sensation Perception Math Modeling Human
Factors Cog Neuroscience Etc.
Vision JDM Categorization Spatial
Cognition Expertise P C Development Motor
Control FEHB WSWO Etc.
SDT Psychophysical Methods Color
Vision Usability VE Attention Etc.
7
Sample Research by Department Faculty, Staff,
and Students 1

• SPCCLab (dir J. Smart)
• Understanding the role of prospective control in
  adaptation and coordination
• Visual Psychophysics Lab (dir Dr. L. Olzak)
• Modeling the structure of early vision centers
  to understand pattern recognition
• Perception Cognition Lab (dir Dr. R. Thomas)
• Modeling the structure of expertise (in
  cooperation with Lexis-Nexis)
• Perception Action Lab (dir Dr. L. Mark)
• Factors that determine peoples reach
  capabilities

8
Sample Research by Department Faculty, Staff,
and Students 2

• Human Performance Lab (dir Dr. S. Beilock)
• Factors that mitigate performance of skilled
  behaviors in experts and novices
• Berry Neuropsychological Lab (dir Dr. S. Berry)
• Neural mechanisms of learning and memory (role of
  hippocampal activity)
• SPACELab (dir Dr. D. Waller)
• Factors influencing peoples ability to navigate
  in physical and virtual environments

9
Type of Jobs or Positions Graduating Students
Assume / Aspire to

• Our students typically seek academic or industry
  research positions. More than 40 percent are
  currently teaching and conducting research in a
  college or university setting.
• Some graduates initially opt to obtain
  postdoctoral training which has opened
  opportunities for them to work in research
  institutions.
• Many graduates have chosen to work in business,
  industry, or government service they are often
  involved in research as well as applying
  psychology to address real-world problems.
• Our graduates are employed by a variety of large
  and small companies, including Boeing,
  McDonnell-Douglas, IBM, Exxon, Mead Data, ATT ,
  Sprint, Klein Associates, Science Applications
  International, and Sonanalysts, Inc., as well as
  the Air Force, Navy, and the National Institute
  for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) .