Goal

• Conduct research that contributes to understanding of human-automation interaction 
• Demonstrate proficiency in experimental design, statistical analysis, and academic writing
• Hone research skills and explore new data collection and analysis methodologies 

Process

• Applied for and obtained Institutional Review Board approval
• Performed literature review of human-automation interaction and working memory
• Designed series of experiments to investigate impact of individual differences in working memory on automation use and ways to mitigate those differences
• Designed experimental tasks and collected data on 120+ students
• Analyzed behavioral and eye-tracking data via SPSS and Excel macros
• Reported findings in dissertation and defended before doctoral committee

Impact

• Published findings from one experiment in International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics (2014)
• Presented findings from one experiment at Annual Meeting of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (2011)
• Satisfied requirements of PhD degree in Human Factors and Applied Cognition