Proceedings of the International Ergonomics Association & the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Congress, 2000
A study was carried out to explore the effects of two variables on the amount of pain and sufferi... more A study was carried out to explore the effects of two variables on the amount of pain and suffering awards in a product liability litigation context. The first variable was the level of liability/responsibility allocated to the plaintiff and defendant for the accident and injury. The two levels were 100% and 60% assigned to the defendant, with the corresponding levels for the plaintiff at 0% and 40%. The second variable was the severity of the injury which was characterized as high or low. The two variables were manipulated between participants, resulting in a 2 x 2 design. Four separate accident/injury scenarios were employed, and each participant was presented with all four scenarios in one of the conditions. The scenarios described an automobile accident resulting in paralysis, a workplace accident resulting in chemical burns, a workplace accident resulting in brain damage, and an automobile accident resulting in the death of a small child. Following the presentation of each scenario, participants were asked to make a pain and suffering award. There were no constraints, small or large, on the size of the awards. Results indicated significant differences in pain and suffering allocations for the two levels of liability/responsibility (means in dollars were: defendant 100% = 4.0 million, defendant 60% = 1.2 million). While the means were in the expected direction for the high and low injury severity manipulation (high = 3.2 million, low = 2.0 million) the difference in pain and suffering allocations was not significant. The results suggest that liability or fault may play an important role in pain and suffering awards, a finding of significance in understanding jury decisions.
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 2001
Studies of juror decisions regarding pain and suffering awards in product liability litigation te... more Studies of juror decisions regarding pain and suffering awards in product liability litigation tend to show substantial variability across participants. A possible explanation is that jurors do not have a useful metric for assessing pain and suffering. A study was conducted to explore effects of providing day-rate suggestions on such decisions. Day rate refers to giving information about remaining life expectancy in days and suggesting a value to assign per day. Four scenarios describing product-related accidents were presented to 134 participants. Seven day-rate conditions were employed for each scenario: a no day-rate control; five day rates consisting of $1, $50, $100, $200 and $1000; and a multiple day rate condition that described four alternative rates. Results showed a significant day-rate effect, with higher rates resulting in higher awards. Variability of awards was greater in the no day-rate condition than in day-rate conditions with similar award levels. This finding is consistent with the notion that jurors are susceptible to monetary award suggestions. Implications for "biases" in pain and suffering award decisions are discussed.
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 2002
A study was carried out using four measures of effectiveness to compare product warnings that are... more A study was carried out using four measures of effectiveness to compare product warnings that are consistent with the American National Standards Institute Product Safety Signs and Labels standard (ANSI 2535.4) to warnings that are not consistent with the standard. Inconsistent warnings were based on the format of existing product warnings. Two warnings, consistent and inconsistent, for each of ten different products were evaluated: cooking oil, trampoline, paint, dresser, airbag, seat belt, tire, sports utility vehicle, reclining seat and swimming pool. The four effectiveness criteria were judgments of noticeability, likelihood to read, understandability and likelihood of complying. Participants were 176 students with varied majors from five different universities. Results indicated higher levels of judged effectiveness for the warnings that were consistent with the ANSI standard. The differences were statistically significant for all four effectiveness measures for all ten products. While warnings that are consistent with the ANSI 2535.4 standard do not by themselves necessarily constitute an adequate warning system, these results indicate that the standard does have merit and utility and represents a good starting point in warning design.
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 2002
A study addressing jury decisions regarding punitive damages awards in civil litigation was carri... more A study addressing jury decisions regarding punitive damages awards in civil litigation was carried out. Two issues explored were the fkct that jurors typically do not have a good metric for assigning a value to such damages and the concept of "leakage." The latter concept refers to decisions regarding compensatory damages and punitive damages influencing each other; in the law they are supposed to be independent. Forty-two participants were given three scenarios describing accidents, injuries, liability outcomes, and the amounts of economic and non-economic (pain and suffering) awards. Their task was to decide on punitive damages awards. Two variables manipulated in the scenarios were the presence or absence of defendant profit information and the amount (high or low) of the pain and suffering award. Results indicated the main effects of the two variables were not statistically significant. A significant interaction between the profit-information and pain-and-suffering-amount variables indicated that when profit information was available, low pain and suffering awards led to higher punitive damage awards. When profit information was not available, high pain and suffering awards led to higher punitive damage awards. The results indicate that decisions regarding compensatory and punitive damages are not independent as the law intends; an outcome that may be due, at least in part, to the uncertainty associated with these types of decisions. These findings have implications for judicial procedures, particularly jury instructions.
Page 1. 1 Tools to Support Human Factors and Systems Engineering Interactions During Early Analys... more Page 1. 1 Tools to Support Human Factors and Systems Engineering Interactions During Early Analysis Carroll Thronesbery Jane T. Malin Kritina Holden S&K Technologies, Inc NASA Johnson Space Center Danielle Paige Smith ...
Adherence to an agile software development methodology has become commonplace in many organizatio... more Adherence to an agile software development methodology has become commonplace in many organizations. However, while the focus on iteration and frequent investigation appears to readily map onto many of the values advocated by HF/UX professionals, in practice the merging of the two approaches is not always straightforward or complementary. Panel members represent a range of perspectives with regard to the adoption and integration of UX research and agile methodologies, as well as company sizes, from large technology companies to an independent consultancy. Panelists will describe their unique approaches, their transitions into the agile environment and some of the challenges, and their lessons learned when it comes to operating as HF/UX professionals within an agile development environment. Panelist will also discuss common themes, such as the criticality of working ahead of the current sprint, leaner research design, and increased collaboration across developers and research teams.
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting Proceedings
A study addressing jury decisions regarding punitive damages awards in civil litigation was carri... more A study addressing jury decisions regarding punitive damages awards in civil litigation was carried out. Two issues explored were the fkct that jurors typically do not have a good metric for assigning a value to such damages and the concept of "leakage." The latter concept refers to decisions regardii compensatory damages and punitive damages influencing each othery in the law they are supposed to be independent. Forty-two participants were given three scenarios describw accidents, injuries, liability outcomes, and the amounts of economic and non-economic (pain and suffering) awards. Their task was to decide on punitive damages awards. Two variables manipulated in the scenarios were the presence or absence of dekndant profit infbrmation and the amount (high or low) of the pain and sUgering award, Results indicated the main effects of the two variables were not statistically sisnificant. A si@Piticant interaction between the profit-information and pain-and-suffering-amount ...
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2000
... INFORMATION Kenneth R. Laughery and Danielle Paige Department of Psychology Rice University H... more ... INFORMATION Kenneth R. Laughery and Danielle Paige Department of Psychology Rice University Houston, Texas 77005 USA RichardN. Bean MichaelS. Wogalter ... the $200 day-rate were greater than for the control, employee received severe chemical burns as a ...
Page 1. 1 Tools to Support Human Factors and Systems Engineering Interactions During Early Analys... more Page 1. 1 Tools to Support Human Factors and Systems Engineering Interactions During Early Analysis Carroll Thronesbery Jane T. Malin Kritina Holden S&K Technologies, Inc NASA Johnson Space Center Danielle Paige Smith ...
Proceedings of the International Ergonomics Association & the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Congress, 2000
A study was carried out to explore the effects of two variables on the amount of pain and sufferi... more A study was carried out to explore the effects of two variables on the amount of pain and suffering awards in a product liability litigation context. The first variable was the level of liability/responsibility allocated to the plaintiff and defendant for the accident and injury. The two levels were 100% and 60% assigned to the defendant, with the corresponding levels for the plaintiff at 0% and 40%. The second variable was the severity of the injury which was characterized as high or low. The two variables were manipulated between participants, resulting in a 2 x 2 design. Four separate accident/injury scenarios were employed, and each participant was presented with all four scenarios in one of the conditions. The scenarios described an automobile accident resulting in paralysis, a workplace accident resulting in chemical burns, a workplace accident resulting in brain damage, and an automobile accident resulting in the death of a small child. Following the presentation of each scenario, participants were asked to make a pain and suffering award. There were no constraints, small or large, on the size of the awards. Results indicated significant differences in pain and suffering allocations for the two levels of liability/responsibility (means in dollars were: defendant 100% = 4.0 million, defendant 60% = 1.2 million). While the means were in the expected direction for the high and low injury severity manipulation (high = 3.2 million, low = 2.0 million) the difference in pain and suffering allocations was not significant. The results suggest that liability or fault may play an important role in pain and suffering awards, a finding of significance in understanding jury decisions.
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 2001
Studies of juror decisions regarding pain and suffering awards in product liability litigation te... more Studies of juror decisions regarding pain and suffering awards in product liability litigation tend to show substantial variability across participants. A possible explanation is that jurors do not have a useful metric for assessing pain and suffering. A study was conducted to explore effects of providing day-rate suggestions on such decisions. Day rate refers to giving information about remaining life expectancy in days and suggesting a value to assign per day. Four scenarios describing product-related accidents were presented to 134 participants. Seven day-rate conditions were employed for each scenario: a no day-rate control; five day rates consisting of $1, $50, $100, $200 and $1000; and a multiple day rate condition that described four alternative rates. Results showed a significant day-rate effect, with higher rates resulting in higher awards. Variability of awards was greater in the no day-rate condition than in day-rate conditions with similar award levels. This finding is consistent with the notion that jurors are susceptible to monetary award suggestions. Implications for "biases" in pain and suffering award decisions are discussed.
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 2002
A study was carried out using four measures of effectiveness to compare product warnings that are... more A study was carried out using four measures of effectiveness to compare product warnings that are consistent with the American National Standards Institute Product Safety Signs and Labels standard (ANSI 2535.4) to warnings that are not consistent with the standard. Inconsistent warnings were based on the format of existing product warnings. Two warnings, consistent and inconsistent, for each of ten different products were evaluated: cooking oil, trampoline, paint, dresser, airbag, seat belt, tire, sports utility vehicle, reclining seat and swimming pool. The four effectiveness criteria were judgments of noticeability, likelihood to read, understandability and likelihood of complying. Participants were 176 students with varied majors from five different universities. Results indicated higher levels of judged effectiveness for the warnings that were consistent with the ANSI standard. The differences were statistically significant for all four effectiveness measures for all ten products. While warnings that are consistent with the ANSI 2535.4 standard do not by themselves necessarily constitute an adequate warning system, these results indicate that the standard does have merit and utility and represents a good starting point in warning design.
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 2002
A study addressing jury decisions regarding punitive damages awards in civil litigation was carri... more A study addressing jury decisions regarding punitive damages awards in civil litigation was carried out. Two issues explored were the fkct that jurors typically do not have a good metric for assigning a value to such damages and the concept of "leakage." The latter concept refers to decisions regarding compensatory damages and punitive damages influencing each other; in the law they are supposed to be independent. Forty-two participants were given three scenarios describing accidents, injuries, liability outcomes, and the amounts of economic and non-economic (pain and suffering) awards. Their task was to decide on punitive damages awards. Two variables manipulated in the scenarios were the presence or absence of defendant profit information and the amount (high or low) of the pain and suffering award. Results indicated the main effects of the two variables were not statistically significant. A significant interaction between the profit-information and pain-and-suffering-amount variables indicated that when profit information was available, low pain and suffering awards led to higher punitive damage awards. When profit information was not available, high pain and suffering awards led to higher punitive damage awards. The results indicate that decisions regarding compensatory and punitive damages are not independent as the law intends; an outcome that may be due, at least in part, to the uncertainty associated with these types of decisions. These findings have implications for judicial procedures, particularly jury instructions.
Page 1. 1 Tools to Support Human Factors and Systems Engineering Interactions During Early Analys... more Page 1. 1 Tools to Support Human Factors and Systems Engineering Interactions During Early Analysis Carroll Thronesbery Jane T. Malin Kritina Holden S&K Technologies, Inc NASA Johnson Space Center Danielle Paige Smith ...
Adherence to an agile software development methodology has become commonplace in many organizatio... more Adherence to an agile software development methodology has become commonplace in many organizations. However, while the focus on iteration and frequent investigation appears to readily map onto many of the values advocated by HF/UX professionals, in practice the merging of the two approaches is not always straightforward or complementary. Panel members represent a range of perspectives with regard to the adoption and integration of UX research and agile methodologies, as well as company sizes, from large technology companies to an independent consultancy. Panelists will describe their unique approaches, their transitions into the agile environment and some of the challenges, and their lessons learned when it comes to operating as HF/UX professionals within an agile development environment. Panelist will also discuss common themes, such as the criticality of working ahead of the current sprint, leaner research design, and increased collaboration across developers and research teams.
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting Proceedings
A study addressing jury decisions regarding punitive damages awards in civil litigation was carri... more A study addressing jury decisions regarding punitive damages awards in civil litigation was carried out. Two issues explored were the fkct that jurors typically do not have a good metric for assigning a value to such damages and the concept of "leakage." The latter concept refers to decisions regardii compensatory damages and punitive damages influencing each othery in the law they are supposed to be independent. Forty-two participants were given three scenarios describw accidents, injuries, liability outcomes, and the amounts of economic and non-economic (pain and suffering) awards. Their task was to decide on punitive damages awards. Two variables manipulated in the scenarios were the presence or absence of dekndant profit infbrmation and the amount (high or low) of the pain and sUgering award, Results indicated the main effects of the two variables were not statistically sisnificant. A si@Piticant interaction between the profit-information and pain-and-suffering-amount ...
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2000
... INFORMATION Kenneth R. Laughery and Danielle Paige Department of Psychology Rice University H... more ... INFORMATION Kenneth R. Laughery and Danielle Paige Department of Psychology Rice University Houston, Texas 77005 USA RichardN. Bean MichaelS. Wogalter ... the $200 day-rate were greater than for the control, employee received severe chemical burns as a ...
Page 1. 1 Tools to Support Human Factors and Systems Engineering Interactions During Early Analys... more Page 1. 1 Tools to Support Human Factors and Systems Engineering Interactions During Early Analysis Carroll Thronesbery Jane T. Malin Kritina Holden S&K Technologies, Inc NASA Johnson Space Center Danielle Paige Smith ...
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