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Psychophysiology and the electronic workplace
Books Psychophysiology and the electronic workplace Anthony Gale and Bruce Christie (Eds)
John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 1987, ISBN 0-471-91272-7, 351 + x pp. £36.50.
The editors of Psychophysiology and the electronic workplace point out that the workplaces of the 1990s and beyond are going to be predominantly computer based, and that this will impose new demands on their users. Their book deals with the area of overlap of interests which has developed between the studies of psychology and physiology, in order to explore the complex needs of humans in the electronic office and other computer-based working environments. The book aims to cover the influence of the social context, cognitive demands, physical demands, requirements for concentration, and sources of stress on the human reactions to the electronic workplace.
demands, the social context of the work and its organisation. It deals essentially with the efficiency and compatibility of the human-machine interface. Part 3, on 'Special demands of the electronic workplace', focuses on the physical arrangement and on the cognitive aspects of the work, particularly the attention and vigilance aspects of the use of visual displays. Part 4, 'Psychophysiology research and findings', gives the latest research findings using a variety of psychophysiological measures (cortical, peripheral and biomechanical) which have been used to monitor people at work. These include chapters on event-related brain potentials, electroencephalograms, oculomotor activity, heart rate and sinus arrhythmia, adrenal hormone production, and subjective measures of mood and state.
• identifying sources of stress
Part 5, 'Overview, predictions and recommendations', looks to the future in development of psychophysiological techniques and predicts design trends for electronic offices, which will be the workplace for most people in the next few decades.
• improving the socio-psychological aspects of work
Christine Haslegrave
In their Introduction, the editors list the key issues which are addressed by the book, which include:
• optimising the physical aspects of displays and controls • matching design with keyboard skills
Performance in endurance events
• information processing requirements of work with information technology
Spodym Publishers, London (Ontario), Canada, 1987.
• new users and the learning process • personality characteristics and the user's style of interaction with the system These will be of interest to anyone involved with information technology, and especially to ergonomists and psychologists whether researchers or practitioners, to designers and manufacturers, and to those planning and operating systems (managers, trade unionists and government). This is a well structured book and the editors have drawn together a range of authors from different fields - social, psychological, cognitive and biological, reviewing the contributions which the discipline of psychophysiology can make to the design and operation of the workplaces of the future. Many of the chapters have extensive lists of references for readers to follow up with further study. The book is divided into five sections. Part 1 is an Introduction to the Key Issues, which contains a chapter outlining the psychophysiological approach which, according to the author, is characterised by an emphasis on human behaviour as a complex system in which phsyiological responses and subjective experiences interact. The following chapter describes the context of work using the new technologies which can be expected in the office of the 1990s. It reviews key developments in the technology and seeks to define office work both in terms of the use made of information (such as the preparation of documents, communication or forecasting) and in terms of activities and tasks carried out. Part 2, on 'Psychological concepts in the analysis of usersystem interaction', has three chapters covering the psychological framework: looking at the information processing
F. Peronnet, G. Th/bault, M. Ledouc and G. Brisson ISBN 0-9691619-9-9. VI + pp 272 + vi. U~; $24.95.
This book is an introductory text on exercise biochemistry, the content being fairly well reflected by the choice of subtitle "Energy balance, nutrition and temperature regulation in distance running." It is a translation from the earlier version in French entitled Le Marathon. The content is organised so that fuels for endurance exercise are considered first, the physiological factors limiting performance being dealt with towards the end of the book. An introductory chapter sets out the objectives of the book which is addressed to runners, but one suspects only those with a keener interest in biochemistry and physiology than in their own performance. The next chapter considers the energy cost of running and sets this alongside other physical activities. There follow chapters on fuels for exercise - fatty acids, glucose, amino acids, glycogen. These four chapters contain useful learning material for students in the human sciences with limited knowledge about the metabolic pathways. The final three chapters deal with maximal oxygen uptake, temperature regulation and the wall (depletion of muscle glycogen) in turn and mainly in physiological terms. The book may have been satisfactory in the original language but in translation it is sadly lacking. It is patronising to the runner at whom it is aimed and who surely will have insufficient patience to work through the dull tasks that are set. It is hard to ignore the printing errors, misinterpretations, unintelligible aphorisms that crop up with irritating frequency. I counted four different spellings of triacylglycerol early on in the book, wondered why the energy cost of running was expressed as watts and was surprised at the glib assertion that there is no bad running shoe on the market today. And all but the cognoscenti of the cycling
Applied Etgonomics
March 1989
59
John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 1987, ISBN 0-471-91272-7, 351 + x pp. £36.50.
The editors of Psychophysiology and the electronic workplace point out that the workplaces of the 1990s and beyond are going to be predominantly computer based, and that this will impose new demands on their users. Their book deals with the area of overlap of interests which has developed between the studies of psychology and physiology, in order to explore the complex needs of humans in the electronic office and other computer-based working environments. The book aims to cover the influence of the social context, cognitive demands, physical demands, requirements for concentration, and sources of stress on the human reactions to the electronic workplace.
demands, the social context of the work and its organisation. It deals essentially with the efficiency and compatibility of the human-machine interface. Part 3, on 'Special demands of the electronic workplace', focuses on the physical arrangement and on the cognitive aspects of the work, particularly the attention and vigilance aspects of the use of visual displays. Part 4, 'Psychophysiology research and findings', gives the latest research findings using a variety of psychophysiological measures (cortical, peripheral and biomechanical) which have been used to monitor people at work. These include chapters on event-related brain potentials, electroencephalograms, oculomotor activity, heart rate and sinus arrhythmia, adrenal hormone production, and subjective measures of mood and state.
• identifying sources of stress
Part 5, 'Overview, predictions and recommendations', looks to the future in development of psychophysiological techniques and predicts design trends for electronic offices, which will be the workplace for most people in the next few decades.
• improving the socio-psychological aspects of work
Christine Haslegrave
In their Introduction, the editors list the key issues which are addressed by the book, which include:
• optimising the physical aspects of displays and controls • matching design with keyboard skills
Performance in endurance events
• information processing requirements of work with information technology
Spodym Publishers, London (Ontario), Canada, 1987.
• new users and the learning process • personality characteristics and the user's style of interaction with the system These will be of interest to anyone involved with information technology, and especially to ergonomists and psychologists whether researchers or practitioners, to designers and manufacturers, and to those planning and operating systems (managers, trade unionists and government). This is a well structured book and the editors have drawn together a range of authors from different fields - social, psychological, cognitive and biological, reviewing the contributions which the discipline of psychophysiology can make to the design and operation of the workplaces of the future. Many of the chapters have extensive lists of references for readers to follow up with further study. The book is divided into five sections. Part 1 is an Introduction to the Key Issues, which contains a chapter outlining the psychophysiological approach which, according to the author, is characterised by an emphasis on human behaviour as a complex system in which phsyiological responses and subjective experiences interact. The following chapter describes the context of work using the new technologies which can be expected in the office of the 1990s. It reviews key developments in the technology and seeks to define office work both in terms of the use made of information (such as the preparation of documents, communication or forecasting) and in terms of activities and tasks carried out. Part 2, on 'Psychological concepts in the analysis of usersystem interaction', has three chapters covering the psychological framework: looking at the information processing
F. Peronnet, G. Th/bault, M. Ledouc and G. Brisson ISBN 0-9691619-9-9. VI + pp 272 + vi. U~; $24.95.
This book is an introductory text on exercise biochemistry, the content being fairly well reflected by the choice of subtitle "Energy balance, nutrition and temperature regulation in distance running." It is a translation from the earlier version in French entitled Le Marathon. The content is organised so that fuels for endurance exercise are considered first, the physiological factors limiting performance being dealt with towards the end of the book. An introductory chapter sets out the objectives of the book which is addressed to runners, but one suspects only those with a keener interest in biochemistry and physiology than in their own performance. The next chapter considers the energy cost of running and sets this alongside other physical activities. There follow chapters on fuels for exercise - fatty acids, glucose, amino acids, glycogen. These four chapters contain useful learning material for students in the human sciences with limited knowledge about the metabolic pathways. The final three chapters deal with maximal oxygen uptake, temperature regulation and the wall (depletion of muscle glycogen) in turn and mainly in physiological terms. The book may have been satisfactory in the original language but in translation it is sadly lacking. It is patronising to the runner at whom it is aimed and who surely will have insufficient patience to work through the dull tasks that are set. It is hard to ignore the printing errors, misinterpretations, unintelligible aphorisms that crop up with irritating frequency. I counted four different spellings of triacylglycerol early on in the book, wondered why the energy cost of running was expressed as watts and was surprised at the glib assertion that there is no bad running shoe on the market today. And all but the cognoscenti of the cycling
Applied Etgonomics
March 1989
59