Module 3 – A Closer look at Information Processing, Personalities, and Perception

Slide 1 Text: This module will look at an Information Processing model first, then it will cover what happens when we detect or think we detect an information signal. Next, this module looks at how our personality affects the way we perceive information, and finally provide some examples of interesting and complex pictures to perceive (a true example of information processing). (You should have done the Common Sense demo and determined your MBTI four letters before you view this slide presentation.)

Slide 2 Text: According to Wickens, 1984, information processing begins when a stimuli hits one or many of our five senses. Once that stimuli is sensed, our long-term memory determines if this stimuli is something experienced before (like the smell of a lemon) or is a new sensation. If it is a new sensation, then it is put into short term memory (often referred to as working memory) until a decision and response is selected (is this a good or bad sensation). Once a response is made (that is very cold or hot!), we receive feedback from our senses on whether the initial response was correct or another decision or response is required based on the feedback from our first decision. Let’s use as an example, looking at someone showing their hand with the fingers in a fist and the thumb pointing up. Most of us would interpret that signal as an “alright or good deal” signal.
However, in Australia a thumbs up motion means “Up yours” and in Germany it means
“the number one” and in Japan it means “the number five” and in Saudi Arabia it means
“I’m winning” and finally in Malaysia it means “the way you point instead of using the finger”. Now that your memory is aware of the different ways of perceiving something you see, your response will be different based on the feedback you receive from another’s information processing. Also, your thoughts can also influence your information processing. A friend of yours might tell you about a person that is coming to your organization. Based on the comments, you develop a perception (from your memory) of this person. Once you see, hear, and talk with the person, your perception might be changed (through the feedback loop). Now let’s see how age affects information processing. Slide 3 Text: Aging and Information Processing
There are a few well-known changes in information processing capability that occur with age: 1. Slowing of performance
2. Increased disruption of working memory by a shift of attention during the time that the material is being held there.
3. Difficulty in searching for material in long-term memory.
a. It takes older people longer to consolidate new memories and to recall them later.
4. Difficulty in dealing with incompatibility, especially conceptual, spatial and movement incompatibility.
5. Decrements in perceptual encoding of ambiguous stimuli (i.e., increased difficulty identifying objects from incomplete representations or processing complex or confusing stimuli). I had a 90 year old father-in-law and when you asked him a question, 90% of the time he answers “I don’t know.”

Slide 4 Text: Your long term memory verifies that one of these is the real penny because all the possible pieces match. It’s the specific details that aren’t in long term memory because they don’t have to be…after all who is going to counterfeit a penny! Your short term memory is what you use when you select a penny from a hand full of change. The answer is the bottom middle.

Slide 5 Text: Amazing isn’t it! Which memory allows you to read the paragraph…I hope you said long term memory. You can read the paragraph because you can find words in your memory that have the same number of letters and the same first and last letter. And your brain processes it and makes a decision is a very short time.

Slide 6 Text: Not only does your memory impact your information processing, but your personality does too. Take this personality test and find out which four letter combination you are. If you have time, determine what your significant other and boss are. The hyperlinks work in the Slide Show view. According to a personality expert, the following four personalities are what most individuals who work in the aviation industry have. If you didn’t score one of these four, it doesn’t mean you aren’t capable of working in the aviation industry. After all, I’m an INTP and spent over 30 years in the business.

Slide 7 Text: No notes required – text on slide is self explanatory.
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Slide 14 Text: Is this shape lying down or standing up and are you looking at the bottom, side or top?
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Slide 16 Text: Perception (I suggest you print these notes to have for your final).
A. Definition: Perception involves the association of meaning to sensory stimulation
(e.g., shapes and patterns on a page are translated into words through perceptual processes) B. Signal Detection Theory

1. Signal detection theory (SDT) refers to how much energy or change must be present in the stimulus for humans to detect the stimulus or change. SDT asserts that a person sets some criterion level such that whenever the level of sensory activity exceeds that criterion level a person will say that the signal is present.

There are 4 (four) possible outcomes in any signal detection task:

a. HIT - signal is present; human detects it …an example is someone says your name and you hear them
b. MISS - signal is present; human fails to detect it …an example is someone says your name and you don’t hear it
c. FALSE ALARM - signal is not present; human thinks it is …an example is someone doesn’t say your name but you think they did
d. CORRECT REJECTION - signal is not present; human thinks it is not (opposite of the HIT)…an example is someone doesn’t say your name and you don’t think they did

C. Sensitivity (d prime) - the index of the human's ability to distinguish the signal from the noise

a. Sensitivity is determined by:

1) Properties of the receptor (e.g., vision and audition are limited in terms of the frequencies they can detect)
2) Skill of the observer
3) Properties of the environment or communication channel (e.g., amount of background noise)
a) The greater the amount of noise, the smaller d’ will be; also the weaker the signal, the smaller d’ will be.

b. Sensitivity can be affected by many variables like:

1) fatigue 2) memory load 3) being evaluated 4) expectancy

c. Note that any modification that increases sensitivity will increase the probability of HITS and CORRECT REJECTIONS

4. Response bias (beta) - index of the human's decision-making criterion (i.e., the human's tendency to respond "YES" or "NO")

a. When a signal is important and likely (flying over enemy territory and the likelihood of ground-to-air and air-to-air threats) the response bias should be adjusted so that the probability of HITS and FALSE ALARMS will be relatively high and the probability of
MISSES and CORRECT REJECTIONS will be relatively low.
b. In contrast, when the signal is not important or is unlikely, the responses bias should be adjusted so that the probability of MISSES and CORRECT REJECTIONS will be relatively high.
c. Note that any modification that increases or changes response bias simply trades one form of error (MISS) for another (FALSE ALARMS) and are therefore not recommended over modifications that improve sensitivity.

Slide 17 Text: Is the boy kneeling on the floor (which we know is not part of the puzzle), higher than the girl standing on the puzzle? Or is the girl a part of the puzzle? What other misperceptions do you see?

Slide 18 Text: This flat sidewalk chalk painting tricks your senses (eyes) to create a 3- dimensional picture out of a 1-dimension chalk painting. Your long term memory also tricks your mind because it knows what a below ground water pipe and above ground fountain would look like. There are lots of other sidewalk chalk paintings that are similar to this one can be found at this website: http://www.ruavista.com/sidewalk.htm .

Slide 19 Text: Only humans have the ability to switch their perception from one object to another. Did you see the old couple first or young Mexican couple first? When you switch back and forth, you are actually switching between two long term memories.

Slide 20 Text: Do you see the arrow in the word FedEx? It’s between the capital “E” and the “x”. Once you see it, it will be stored in long time memory and when you see the
FedEx truck, package or plane, you will remember the arrow. That’s a great example of information processing and long term memory.

Slide 21 Text: No notes required – text on slide is self explanatory.

Slide 22 Text: Can you decipher these lines and dashes? The brain is an awesome thing!

Slide 23 Text: Can you see the Dalmatian dog? Once you do, it will be hard to see anything but the dog.

Slide 24 Text: No notes required – text on slide is self explanatory.

Slides 25 Text: Now let’s look at the Research Paper assignment. The syllabus provides samples of APA formats and you can also get a hard copy from your ERAU Center office. The paper should following the above format and sections.

Slides 26 Text: The PowerPoint presentation of your experimental paper will use as a minimum these four slide titles. You can add pictures but be careful how large the file becomes. Also, you must add text on the note pages to receive full credit. Just words/bullets on the slides will only get half credit. Make sure that you explain your bullet statements in the note pages.

Finally, make sure that you to pick one of the following aviation areas for your weekly case studies: a. Pilots
b. Mechanics
c. ATCers
d. Flight crew
e. Administration/Managers
f. Passengers

Slides 27 Text: Here is an example of a case study. You will be expected to read the text chapters assigned and then apply the psychology aspects to the aviation industry. You can use a website to find a situation that addresses the topic being studied. Once you have the article, provide me a Word document that has the Hyperlink of the article, a summary of the article, and the answers to the questions I will provide in the PowerPoint slides for that module. You will do the case study questions on your own and provide your responses on the Bulletin Board. I’ve also included a Word document case study example for you to see the format.

Slides 28 Text: No notes required – text on slide is self explanatory.

Slides 29 Text: So, for your response to this module’s discussion, you need to provide the answers to the 25 common sense questions as your Assignment for this module. Then, post your MBTI four letters in the discussion area, and identify the aviation area you want to do for the weekly case studies.