Are Students Learning About Human Factors and Ergonomics in Introductory Psychology Textbooks?

An ongoing issue of the membership of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society concerns efforts to educate audiences about human factors and ergonomics (HF/E). One important group to consider is students taking a beginning or introductory psychology course. The initial course in psychology usually reviews the scope of psychology and is taken by large numbers of individuals. In the present research, introductory psychology textbooks (n=123) published between 1969 and 2006 were consulted to identify the nature and extent of the coverage of HF/E. A clear increase in coverage was evidenced beginning in 1995. Although HF/E is now being mentioned significantly more often in newer texts, it is frequently limited in both amount and scope. The potential growth of graduate HF/E programs may be affected by the extent to which potential applicants are exposed to the discipline. Implications for HF/E are discussed and opportunities for increasing student exposure are identified.