Behind the Music: Human Factors Rap

The Arch Laboratory at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, USA is the main research and training facility of the graduate program in Human Factors and Applied Cognition. Arch Lab members conduct research in attention, audition, biological motion, eye movements, imagery, memory, and visual perception as applied to such domains as automation, aviation, driving, robotics, and human-computer interaction. Students and faculty created this video for a Human Factors and Ergonomics Society video contest in 2011 to help explains what human factors is.

Tyler Shaw, also known as the Human Factors Rapper, is Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at George Mason University. Shaw’s current research interests involve examining cognitive workload using non-invasive imaging techniques to monitor cerebral blood flow velocity (Transcranial Doppler Sonography) and oxygen saturation (Transcranial Cerebral Oximetry) during the performance of mental tasks. He also has interests in human-robot interaction and the dynamics of team collaboration. Below Shaw discusses the story behind the rap and the importance of sharing educating others about areas of psychological science.