Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Humanistic Psychology

Humanistic Psychology

Humanistic psychology emerged in the mid-20th century as a response to the deterministic and pessimistic nature of behaviorism and psychoanalysis. While behaviorism focused on observable behaviors influenced by the environment and psychoanalysis delved into unconscious motivations, both theories suggested that human actions lacked free will. In contrast, humanistic psychology offers a perspective that emphasizes the innate potential for goodness and growth within every individual.
This approach...

Cognitivism

Cognitivism

Cognitive psychology emerged as a significant field in the mid-20th century. It focused on understanding humans' internal mental processes. This approach emphasizes how people perceive, remember, think, and solve problems—elements critical to human cognition.
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process information is...

Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary psychology explores the origins of human behavior and mental processes by framing them within the context of natural selection, a theory famously propounded by Charles Darwin. This field asserts that many behaviors common across human societies — ranging from instinctive fear reactions to complex social interactions — arose as evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations enhanced the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors, thereby becoming embedded in the human psyche...

Cognitive Learning

Cognitive Learning

Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...

Stereotype Content Model

Stereotype Content Model

The Stereotype Content Model (SCM) was first proposed by Susan Fiske and her colleagues (Fiske, Cuddy, Glick & Xu, 2002; see also Fiske, 2012 and Fiske, 2017). The SCM specifies that when someone encounters a new group, they will stereotype them based on two metrics: warmth—or that group’s perceived intent, and how likely they are to provide help or inflict harm—and competence—or their ability to carry out that objective. Depending on the warmth-competence categorization, a person will feel...

Halo Effect

Halo Effect

The halo effect is a cognitive bias in which an individual's overall impression influences judgments about their specific traits. This psychological phenomenon leads people to associate positive characteristics with those they perceive as generally good and negative characteristics with those they view as bad. This effect is particularly influential in social perception, professional evaluations, and decision-making processes.The Psychological Basis of the Halo EffectThe halo effect is rooted...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

The role of short-term memory, type of practice and metacognitive judgments in predicting cognitive offloading.

Frontiers in cognition·2026

Same author

Examining the Role of Conference Participation to Enhance Research Self-Efficacy and Science Identity of Undergraduates in a Research Training Program.

Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics Conference·2025

Same author

A comparison of applicant and accepted student characteristics to research training programs with implications for recruitment and selection strategy.

Frontiers in education·2025

Same author

BUILDing pathways to health-related research careers in biomedical and behavioral sciences: a longitudinal evaluation of postbaccalaureate outcomes using a matched comparison group.

Frontiers in education·2025

Same author

Research-Infused Courses are Effective for Online and In-Person Education.

Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics Conference·2025

Same author

Pre-Professor Program: A Virtual Training Program to Improve Faculty Diversity.

Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics Conference·2025

Same journal

Implicit Bias: Evolution of a Powerful Idea.

Annual review of psychology·2026

Same journal

Introduction.

Annual review of psychology·2026

Same journal

Social Robotics Is Not (Just) About Machines, It Is About People: Psychology's Role in Developing Social Machines.

Annual review of psychology·2025

Same journal

Intensive Longitudinal Methods: Toward a Psychological Science of Daily Life.

Annual review of psychology·2025

Same journal

Human Rationality.

Annual review of psychology·2025

Same journal

Space to Act, Think, and Create.

Annual review of psychology·2025

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Cumulative knowledge and progress in human factors.

Robert W Proctor¹, Kim-Phuong L Vu

¹Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2081, USA. proctor@psych.purdue.edu

Annual Review of Psychology

|June 19, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Human factors research builds upon the information-processing approach, driving cumulative advancements in concepts and methods. This review highlights current research and alternatives, emphasizing the foundational role of information processing in the field's growth.

Related Experiment Videos

Area of Science:

Human Factors and Ergonomics
Cognitive Science
Systems Engineering

Background:

The field of human factors has a rich history documented in previous Annual Review articles.
Recent progress in human factors research often stems from the established information-processing paradigm.
Existing work provides a strong foundation for current and future research endeavors.

Purpose of the Study:

To offer a cumulative perspective on contemporary human factors research.
To identify conceptual advances rooted in the information-processing approach.
To review fundamental tools, current research areas, and application domains within human factors.

Main Methods:

Literature review and synthesis of existing human factors research.
Analysis of conceptual advances and their relation to the information-processing model.
Examination of current research topics and application areas.

Main Results:

Recent human factors advancements are largely extensions of the information-processing framework.
Key areas of human factors research and their foundational tools are summarized.
Current applications of human factors principles are reviewed.

Conclusions:

The information-processing approach serves as a crucial foundation for human factors research.
The field demonstrates cumulative growth through the continuous development of concepts and methods.
Understanding the evolution and current state of human factors is vital for future innovation.