Human factors experts apply cognitive psychology and ergonomics to questions of perception, attention, reaction time, warning effectiveness, and design usability. They address what a person could reasonably perceive and do.
Testimony frequently concerns warnings adequacy.
Alternative Names:
Human Factors Engineer, Ergonomics Expert
Why it Matters?
Perception-reaction time is the most common application, establishing whether a driver or operator could have avoided an incident given the available time. The defense use is symmetrical to the plaintiff's, since the same analysis showing a defendant had insufficient time also shows when a plaintiff did. Warnings testimony is separately contested, because opinions about whether a warning would have changed behavior frequently rest on assumptions the literature does not support.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the most common application?
What warnings testimony is contested?


