An Essay About the Theory-to-Practice Relationship of Ergonomics

摘要

Etymological and empirical studies about the theory-to-practice-relationship indicate that matching problems exist in the area of bringing together theoretical models and practical design-oriented (goal driven) approaches. For the example of design of an "autonomous production cell" in manufacturing from the point of view of ergonomics theoretical models from cognitive engineering are checked for their suitability in terms of design support. The set of cognitive models implies the Rasmussen decision step ladder, the Cacciabue cognitive simulation, the Newell unified cognition theory and others. The evaluation of practical utility is based on "degree of fulfilment" determination for application specific practical description and explanation demands, for example task complexity, time basis, modalities, learning processes, time consumption, reliability, mental workload, etc. The results indicate that theoretical modelling in ergonomics is not only application domain specific but design goal specific according to priorities and posteriorities of ranked demands. Some conclusions to bridge the explanation-design-schema are drawn. A set of 10 thesis for the characterization of ergonomics as a discipline of applied science are formulated.