Radar operator’s oculomotor activity at working with group targets

Computer oculography (eye-tracking) technologies make it possible to effectively study the work of the human oculomotor system in the operator's activity in the man-machine system. The data obtained in this way helps to increase the system efficiency, especially in conditions of extreme activities associated with vital and emotional stress at a high cost of error. Within the process of the interface ergonomic design of the radar complex for detecting and tracking, the features of the human oculomotor system are considered when working with group targets.

Forming domestic ergonomics and ergodesign in the soviet period

The 60s-80s of the last century are characterized by emerging a number of theoretical and methodological works devoted to new understanding of design as a person’s interaction with his objective world. These are the works of designers (Fedorov M.V., Minervin G.B. and others), philosophers (Kantor K.M., Shchedrovitsky G.P., Yudin E.G.) and psychologists (Zinchenko V.P., Munipov V.M., Chainova L.D. and others). Common positions were noted in a variety of interpretations; these positions are interdisciplinarity and project-based design. Intensive development of technical means of labour activity determined the need to have an integral system of ideas about a working person, his labour activity, his relationship with the machine and with the environment, his ergonomics. Thanks to the research and development of prominent Russian philosophers, engineers and psychologists, ergonomics received the status of an interdisciplinary, scientific and design discipline of a new type, based on a systemic methodology and an activity approach. On the basis of the All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Technical Aesthetics, founded in 1962, a productive integration of design and ergonomics tools was fulfilled; a direction was formed, which would later be called ergodesign. Special interdisciplinary research, projects and developments were organized where specialists from different fields of knowledge studying the human nature participated. In the process of these events the ideas of various disciplines were synthesized. A significant part of the research in the field of ergodesign in the period of 1960s-1980s was carried out within the framework of a closed problem in the field of space ergonomics and defence technology. Some of the solutions in the field of space ergonomics and defence technology related to the developments conversion in the post-Soviet period are discussed in this article.

Comparative analysis of domestic psychologists and ergonomists’ publication activity using citation indices

The advantages and disadvantages of indices for assessing scientists’ activities using the scientometric databases Web of Science (USA), Scopus (EU) and RSCI (RF) are considered. It is proposed to use such indicators as the citation index and the publication relevance index to objectify the data in addition to the known indicators, namely the number of publications, the number of links, the average number of citations per publication, the Hirsch index. It is shown that the main disadvantage of the h-index proposed by the American physicist Jorge Hirsch for assessing ergonomists’ scientific activities is not taking into account the relevance of breakthrough scientific results and inventions. The rating of 25 leading domestic psychologists and 25 domestic ergonomists is given, which is obtained from the RSCI database and it includes such indicators as the number of publications, the total number of citations, the average number of citations, the average number of citations per publication, and the Hirsch index. It is concluded that using relevance and citation indices is, to a certain extent, evidence of this scholar’ official recognition by the scientific community and the formal confirmation of his authority. It is shown that applying scientometric citation indices and their correct use in assessing scientists’ activities should be carried out by the qualified experts in the relevant field of knowledge.

Psychophysiological and ergonomic aspects of visual image perception formed by technical vision means

The subject of research is establishing psychophysiological regularities of technical (instrumental) means for representing the out-of-cockpit space and objects for solving the problems of piloting and spatial orientation used by flight personnel. In flight tests carried out on helicopters equipped with optical-television and thermal television systems, scientific data are obtained, indicating the regulatory influence of pilots’ spatial orientation image on the piloting efficiency and safety. The psychophysiological possibilities and limitations of using technical vision aids are established, and ergonomic requirements for their technical characteristics are formed. The research results provided the basis for making technical specifications for helicopters of a new generation, and can be useful in designing the information field of aircraft for various purposes.

Applying the principles of metadesign in the educational platform development

Modern requirements for educational technologies are flexibility and adaptability, with the consideration of the student’s individual characteristics, learning style and basic competencies. The most important resource is time, therefore, shortening the training time and obtaining the most useful and complementary professional competencies and knowledge is an urgent and important task. The article discusses the concept of metadesign as a means for building learning paths, and examines the design and platform application based on its principles. Implementing metadesign principles is demonstrated on the example of the educational trajectory while training software developers. Forming the learning paths within the trajectory using the created educational platform is considered. The functional requirements for the educational platform are stated. The principles of building an educational trajectory within the framework of the platform using modern educational trends and simulators are described.

A brief history of post-war soviet engineering psychology and ergonomics in persons

The article deals with a brief history in the faces of post-war engineering psychology and ergonomics. It is shown that the emergence of disciplines in the Soviet Union taking into account the human factor while building complex systems of guided weapons and their improvement was an organized process of specialists’ joint activities in a wide class of scientific and practical disciplines involved in designing and operating ergatic systems for general and military purposes. Prominent representatives of the engineering-psychological and ergonomic discourse of the Soviet engineering psychology and ergonomics of the post-war period are considered in historical and personal terms. Their contribution to the theory and practice of designing man-machine systems is considered. The article shows the existence of local scientific schools in the field of human factor problems, the schools have arisen around the authoritative leaders and scholars solving scientific, design and organizational tasks for creating a new technology. The main literature sources, which served as a scientific and educational-methodological basis for developing domestic engineering psychology and ergonomics, are highlighted. The centres of advancing academic research and applying scientific developments into practice in the field of engineering psychology and ergonomics in modern Russia are stressed.

Organizational management of intra-group behaviour based on conflict analysis of activities

The article is aimed at solving an important theoretical and experimental problem associated with the search for constructive ways of organizational management of intra-group behaviour based on the official activity analysis. On the ground of ergonomic concepts of purposeful systems, some strategies for eliminating and preventing conflicts are considered based on the materials taken from the domestic and foreign publications. The empirical data obtained on a representative sample of employees related to conflict interactions, status-role positions, and the socio-psychological climate in the team are analyzed. The article outlines further research on organizational management of conflict resolution strategies in official activities

Developing the culture of students’ intellectual activity based on cognitive ergonomics principles

The versatility of the concept and the need to develop the culture of students’ intellectual activity as a way of adapting in the modern information space are shown. The article considers the features of designing a joint cognitive system “The teacher – educational information – the student” as a condition for developing the culture of a future specialist’s intellectual activity and improving the quality of mastering educational information in the professional training process. The results of studying the factors reducing the quality of a student’s intellectual and educational activities within higher education environment are analyzed and discussed. Findings and recommendations are made to direct psychological and pedagogical correction in the system of higher education for further research.

Problems of training engineering personnel in Russia

Mechanical engineering as an industry needs modernizing to maintain a sufficient level of competitiveness. The existing education system is not able to fully provide enterprises with qualified staff. This is due to a gap between the level of knowledge obtained in an educational institution and the enterprise real needs. To bridge the gap, more attention should be paid to personnel training and retraining. The article identifies the problems of educating future engineers, proposes an appropriate set of measures providing for a three-level transformation: at the level of government, regions and enterprises; considers a model for training staff of a machine-building enterprise and also suggests building regional training and internship centres. Such centres will make it possible not only to train workers, to conduct internships for students and employees, but also to provide internships for future engineers, to acquaint them with the production specifics. Such internships will ensure young specialists’ consolidation, allow them to interact more effectively with enterprises, and create for them an additional incentive to stay in the region. Furthermore, a favourable image of a machine-building worker, engineer, innovator, and ordinary worker should be formed.

Specificity of using messengers by schoolchildren and students in mobile learning

The aim of the work is to identify the functionality required by mobile messengers for convenient online communication between pupils and high school students. To achieve this aim, a survey of 116 questions was developed, which adjusted to the respondent’s answers and reduced its volume in order to avoid the respondents’ fatigue and to decrease the time spent on completing the survey. An online survey of students aged 16 to 24 living in different cities of the Russian Federation was carried out. Then the information obtained was processed, and possible relations between the analysis results were found. Based on the study results, recommendations were formed to improve messengers according to the students- users’ goals and objectives. Now messengers are created mainly for the widespread use. There are already more than a hundred of them, and therefore products need to stand out in order to be competitive. One of the ways to excel is to be narrowly focused, tailored to a specific audience. Since the functionality of the messenger directly affects its popularity, the introduction and refinement of the necessary functions will have a positive effect on the number of users. The analysis shows that developers of instant messengers can improve the efficiency of using messengers by the students and, possibly, reduce the number of installed mobile applications on their devices, and, consequently, decrease the number of competitors for their target audience.