Human Factors in Engineering

Assignment # 2
Submitted By:
To:
Nouman Nadeem Hashmi
Ullah
Reg # 110101019
Aero-10

Submitted
Engr Muhammad Ehsan

a) The accidental shooting of one's own soldiers (friendly fire) frequently

occurs in wars. Based on what you have learned about sensation,
perception, and psychophysics, why do you think soldiers might
mistakenly fire on their own soldiers?
The primary cause of friendly fire is commonly known as the "fog of war" which
attributes friendly fire incidents to the confusion inherent in warfare. Friendly
fire that is the result of apparent recklessness or incompetence may be
improperly lumped into this category. The concept of a fog of war has come
under considerable criticism, as it can be used as an excuse for poor planning,
weak or compromised intelligence and incompetent command.

Errors of position occur when fire aimed at enemy forces may accidentally
end up hitting one's own. Such incidents are exacerbated by close proximity
of combatants and were relatively common during the First and Second
World Wars, where troops fought in close combat and targeting was relatively
inaccurate. As the accuracy of weapons improved, this class of incident has
become less common but still occurs.

Errors of identification happen when friendly troops are mistakenly attacked

in the belief that they are the enemy. Highly mobile battles and battles
involving troops from many nations are more likely to cause this kind of
incident as evidenced by incidents in the 1991 Gulf War, or the shooting
down of a British aircraft by a U.S. Patriot battery during the 2003 invasion of
Iraq. In the Tarnak Farm incident, four Canadian soldiers were killed and eight
others injured when a U.S. Air National Guard Major dropped a 500 lb (230
kg) bomb from his F-16 onto the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
regiment which was conducting a night firing exercise near Kandahar.

A number of situations can lead to or exacerbate the risk of friendly fire.

Poor terrain and visibility are major factors. Soldiers fighting on unfamiliar
ground can become disoriented more easily than on familiar terrain. The
direction from which enemy fire comes may not be easy to identify, and poor
weather conditions and combat stress may add to the confusion, especially if
fire is exchanged. Accurate navigation and fire discipline are vital.
In high-risk situations, leaders need to ensure units are properly informed of
the location of friendly units and to issue clear, unambiguous orders, but
they must also react correctly to responses from soldiers who are capable of
using their own judgment. Miscommunication can be deadly. When allied
troops are operating the situation is even more complex, especially with
language barriers to overcome.

b) If we pick up two letters, one that weighs 1 ounce and one that weighs
2 ounces, we can notice the difference. But if we pick up two packages,
one that weighs 3 pounds 1 ounce and one that weighs 3 pounds 2
ounces, we can't tell the difference. Why?
We cannot tell the difference because it is below the differential threshold.
Differential threshold can be defined as the amount of stimulus change needed
to recognize that a change has occurred, also called just noticeable difference.
It is as such because in the first case the stimulus change is 50 %, while in the
second case it is only 3.125 % i.e. too low that which is beyond our ability to
detect.
c) Take a moment and lie down quietly in your bedroom. Notice the
variety and levels of what you can see, hear, and feel. Does this
experience help you understand the idea of the absolute threshold?
When I lie down, I can

hear the clock ticking

hear a vibrating/buzzing sound from the tube light
see dim light through the window slit
hear the curtains move due to wind
feel the cold crawling up my body
hear the leaves rustle

These all perceptions do help me to understand the concept of absolute

threshold because these things acted as lowest level/minimum stimulus for me
to detect which is also how a absolute threshold is defined.

References:

Class Lecture
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/learning-play/200912/friendly-fire

Regan, Geoffrey (2002) Backfire: a history of friendly fire from ancient warfare to the present
day, Robson Books
Kirke, Charles M. (ed., 2012) Fratricide in Battle: (Un)Friendly Fire Continuum Books

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendly_fire