This book draws on the psychology of perception, attention, and cognition to give an understanding of some everyday activities and skills. The author focuses on processes involved in selecting simple actions, face perception, reading, and tasks requiring attention skills. He uses practical problems as the starting points for discussion, including mental overloading in air-traffic controllers, cooker hob design, the use of Photokit/Identikit, and reading from computer screens. The book also examines the strenghts and limitations of the basic analytical approach of 'information-processing' psychology. As well as proving a textbook for students of psychology and ergonomics, this book will be welcomed by those from other disciplines - management studies, education, sports science - who need to understand skilled behaviour in applied settings. (Author/publisher)
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