Introduction to Psychology
Fields

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Human factors and engineering psychology

The study of interactions among people and other elements of a system, applied to design. Societies in this area describe it as both a science and a profession.

Also called: human factors, ergonomics, human factors and ergonomics

Interdisciplinary fieldWork and technology

Type of entry
Interdisciplinary fieldAn area that draws on psychology together with other disciplines. Types are editorial labels, not an official classification.
Cluster
Work, technology, and performanceOrganizations, design, markets, media, sport and the military.
Sources opened
3 of 31 read as a full page, 2 as selected text or an abstract, 0 not verified.
Independent review
Admitted after correctionsClaude Code reviewer agent, separate from the writer, 2026-10-21. 8 claims checked against 3 sources opened by the reviewer.

What it studies

The International Ergonomics Association (IEA) defines ergonomics, or human factors, as the scientific discipline concerned with understanding interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and as the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design to optimize well-being and system performance. The IEA names three domains of specialization: physical, cognitive and organizational ergonomics.

History and people

The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) says human factors concerns emerged during World War II from the work of specialists studying manned systems. Human factors requirements were then incorporated into government procurement contracts with industry, and in later decades the field broadened beyond military systems. HFES planning began in 1955 in Southern California under a joint committee chaired by Arnold Small. Its constitutional convention and first national meeting took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on September 25, 1957.

People and documented roles

  • Arnold Small. Chair of the joint committee that began planning HFES in 1955
    • Chaired the joint committee that began planning for the society in Southern California. [1]
  • Paul Fitts. Assisted the HFES planning committee, per HFES
    • Named by HFES as assisting the committee members who drew up plans for a national society. [1]
  • Jesse Orlansky. Assisted the HFES planning committee, per HFES
    • Named by HFES as assisting the committee members who drew up plans for a national society. [1]
  • Max Lund. Assisted the HFES planning committee, per HFES
    • Named by HFES as assisting the committee members who drew up plans for a national society. [1]

The HFES page documents society organizers, not researchers of the wartime studies, and names no wartime specialists. The sources opened do not document women or scholars outside the United States.

Dated milestones

  • 1955Society or organization formed. Year.Planning for the society (now HFES) began in Southern California under a joint committee chaired by Arnold Small. [1]
  • 1956Society or organization formed. Year.A founding committee developed the formal concept for the society. [1]
  • September 25, 1957Society or organization formed. Exact date.Constitutional Convention and First National Meeting of the society in Tulsa, Oklahoma; a society event, not the start of the field. [1]

Methods

HFES describes wartime studies of systems performance, information presentation, detection and recognition, related action controls, workspace arrangement, operator selection, training and signal detection. The IEA says the profession applies theory, principles, data and methods to design. Neither page lists research methods as such, so this guide names no specific techniques.

Training and applications

HFES says the field broadened to include transportation, medical devices, health and other areas. It reports 3,500 members working in educational institutions, industry, government and military research centers and independent consultancies in 58 countries. The pages opened do not describe training routes or credentials. Titles and licenses in any jurisdiction are set by regulators, not by this guide.

Boundaries and limits

The IEA definition describes a discipline and a design profession, and the sources do not say how the work divides between psychology and other fields. The 1957 convention was a society event in the United States, not the start of the field, and wartime work came earlier. Paul Fitts, Jesse Orlansky and Max Lund assisted the committee members who drew up plans for the society. No source opened names a single founder.

Evidence behind the claims

  • The IEA, in a definition adopted in 2000, calls ergonomics the scientific discipline concerned with understanding interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design to optimize well-being and system performance.

    What it studiesThe organization's own descriptionSource: [2]Where: Definition block on the What is Ergonomics page

  • The IEA names three domains of specialization: physical ergonomics, cognitive ergonomics and organizational ergonomics.

    What it studiesThe organization's own descriptionSource: [2]Where: Domains of specialization list

  • HFES says human factors concerns emerged during World War II from the work of specialists who studied manned systems on land, under the sea and in space.

    History and peopleThe organization's own descriptionSource: [1]Where: Origins section, first paragraph

  • HFES describes wartime studies of systems performance, problems of information presentation, detection and recognition, related action controls and workspace arrangement, with attention to operations analysis, operator selection, training and signal detection.

    MethodsThe organization's own descriptionSource: [1]Where: Origins section, description of wartime studies

  • HFES says that human factors requirements were incorporated into government phased-procurement contracts with industry, and that in the decades that followed the field broadened to include transportation, medical devices, health and many other areas.

    Training and applicationsThe organization's own descriptionSource: [1]Where: Origins section, postwar paragraph

  • HFES planning began in 1955 in Southern California under a joint committee chaired by Arnold Small, and the Constitutional Convention and First National Meeting took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on September 25, 1957.

    History and peopleThe organization's own descriptionSource: [1]Where: Founding section (1955 to 1957)

  • A founding committee developed the formal concept for the society in 1956; committee members then drew up plans for a national society, assisted by Paul Fitts, Jesse Orlansky and Max Lund.

    Boundaries and limitsThe organization's own descriptionSource: [1]Where: Founding section, 1956 paragraph and the paragraph that follows

  • HFES reports 3,500 members working in educational institutions, industry, government and military research centers and independent consultancies in 58 countries.

    Training and applicationsThe organization's own descriptionSource: [3]Where: Membership statement on the About page

Where it appears

University examples

Professional contexts

Examples show documented structures. They are not a ranking, a census, or a statement about admission or licensing.

In the Psy101 course

This is course relevance only. It is not evidence for the historical or practice claims on this page.See the full course map.

Sources and inspection

3 of 3 sources were opened and read at the level shown. A source marked as not verified supports no claim on this page by itself.

  1. [1]
    HFES HistoryHuman Factors and Ergonomics Society, undated. Society history. Supports the history.Full page readRead the origins, 1955 to 1957 founding, organizational timeline, publications and international sections; the page does not explain the society's name.
  2. [2]
    What is Ergonomics?International Ergonomics Association, undated. Professional association. Supports the definition of the area.Selected text readRead the definition adopted in 2000 and the three domains; the page gives no IEA founding date and linked interview material was not opened.
  3. [3]
    About HFESHuman Factors and Ergonomics Society, undated. Professional association. Supports a statement about practice.Selected text readRead the mission, vision and membership statements on the page titled About HFES; no definition of the field appears on it.

Independent source review: Claude Code reviewer agent, separate from the writer, 2026-10-21. Verdict: Admitted after corrections. Of 8 claims checked, 4 were supported as written, 4 were reworded and 0 were removed.