Engineering & Environmental Psychology

Engineering psychology (human factors) and environmental psychology study how people interact with technology, designed systems, and physical environments.

Scope

It covers human performance and human-machine interaction, usability and design, and the influence of physical and built environments on behaviour and well-being.

Sub-topics

• Human Factors Engineering
• Lifespace & Institutional Design
• Community & Environmental Planning
• Environmental Issues & Attitudes
• Transportation

Core questions

• How do people interact with machines and interfaces?
• How can systems be designed for human capabilities?
• How do physical environments affect behaviour?
• How can design support performance and well-being?

Key concepts

• Human factors
• Fitts's law
• Affordances
• Usability
• Built environment
• Person-environment fit

Key theories

Human performance and Fitts's law

Fitts quantified the speed-accuracy trade-off in movement, foundational for interface design.

Ecological perception

Gibson's ecological approach and 'affordances' reframed how environments support perception and action.

History

Engineering psychology grew from wartime human-factors research (Fitts), and environmental psychology from the study of person-environment relations, together informing the design of technology and spaces.

Debates

Information-processing versus ecological views

Whether perception and action are best explained by internal processing or by direct pickup of environmental affordances.

Key figures

• Paul Fitts
• James J. Gibson

Seminal works

• fitts-1954
• gibson-1979

Frequently asked questions

What are affordances?

Gibson's term for the action possibilities an environment or object offers an organism (e.g., a handle affords grasping).