PSYCHOLOGY MASTER'S THESIS ABSTRACT

Marshall E. Dion
MS-Human Factors
May 2007

Effects of Contrast Polarity Between Background and Foreground in Air Traffic Control Displays For Time-To-Contact Judgments

    From time-to-contact predictions, an air traffic controller must first identify the location of the point intersection.  In a pilot study, Dion showed the initial judgment task of locating the intersection point can be affected by contrast scheme, but did not incorporate motion into the task (locating two line segments’ intersection point).  The present research compares the 2 contrast schemes by utilizing a prediction task similar to the Law, Pellegrino, Mitchell, Fischer, McDonald and Hunt, arrival-time judgment task (participation predicted which object arrived first) with two objects moving to a contact point by having one of the objects set to reach its contact point first with the display stopping when the objects were two-thirds the way to the given contact point to investigate prediction of motion.  Accuracy in the task was calculated as percentage correct and was submitted to a 5-way and 6-way mixed design ANOVA in order to examine in conjunction with the previous research of Law et al. and in regards to the present study’s hypothesis of contrast polarity.  There was no difference in participants’ performance in identifying which object will arrive first in the negative and positive contrast polarity conditions.  Even though there was no effect of contrast polarity, a marginal contrast polarity x configuration x arrival time differential (ATD) interaction, F(4, 40)=2.50, p=.06, and marginal contrast polarity x winning object x velocity ratio x ATD x gender interaction, F(2, 20)=2.76, p=.09, were shown. Design recommendations and future implications are discussed.

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