# Cognitive engineering

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Not to be confused with [Cognitive ergonomics](/source/Cognitive_ergonomics).

**Cognitive engineering** is an [interdisciplinary field](/source/Interdisciplinary_field) that applies principles from [cognitive psychology](/source/Cognitive_psychology), [cognitive neuroscience](/source/Cognitive_neuroscience), and [human factors](/source/Human_factors) to design and develop [engineering systems](/source/Engineering_system) that effectively support or enhance human [cognitive processes](/source/Cognitive_process).[1][2] The field emerged in the 1980s when [Donald Norman](/source/Donald_Norman) and others recognized the need to better understand how humans interact with complex technological systems.[3]

Unlike traditional [engineering design](/source/Engineering_design) approaches that focus primarily on physical and technical aspects, cognitive engineering emphasizes understanding the [mental models](/source/Mental_model), [decision-making](/source/Decision-making) processes, [attention](/source/Attention), [memory](/source/Memory), and [information processing](/source/Information_processing_(psychology)) capabilities of users. This user-centered approach aims to create systems that are intuitive, reduce [cognitive load](/source/Cognitive_load), minimize [human error](/source/Human_error), and optimize overall [human-computer interaction](/source/Human-computer_interaction). Cognitive engineering methods include [task analysis](/source/Task_analysis), [cognitive work analysis](/source/Cognitive_work_analysis), [cognitive modeling](/source/Cognitive_modeling), [usability testing](/source/Usability_testing), and various forms of [user research](/source/User_research).

## History

It was an engineering method used in the 1970s at [Bell Labs](/source/Bell_Labs), focused on how people form a [cognitive model](/source/Cognitive_model) of a system based upon common metaphors.[4] As explained, by [Joseph Henry Condon](/source/Joseph_Henry_Condon):[4]

"The idea is that people form a model. You present them with some instruments, tools, like a faucet, electric stove or something like that and demonstrate how it works. They then form in their heads a model that shows how it works inside to help them remember how to use it in the future. It may be a totally erroneous model of what is going on inside the black box."

— [Joseph Henry Condon](/source/Joseph_Henry_Condon), *["Interview with Joseph H. Condon (transcript)"](https://www.princeton.edu/~hos/mike/transcripts/condon.htm).*History of Science, Princeton University*. Retrieved 2017-05-17.*

According to Condon, the ideas of cognitive engineering were developed later than, and independent from, the early work on the [Unix](/source/Unix) operating system.[5]

[Don Norman](/source/Don_Norman) cited principles of cognitive engineering in his 1981 article, "The truth about Unix: The user interface is horrid." Norman criticized the [user interface](/source/User_interface) of Unix as being "a disaster for the casual user."[6] However the "casual user" is not the target audience for UNIX and as the Condon quote above indicates, a high level of user interface abstraction leads to cognitive models that may be "totally erroneous."

## See also

- [Cognitive systems engineering](/source/Cognitive_systems_engineering)
- [History of Unix](/source/History_of_Unix)
- [Outline of human–computer interaction](/source/Outline_of_human%E2%80%93computer_interaction)

## References

1. Wilson, Kyle M.; Helton, William S.; Wiggins, Mark W. (2013). ["Cognitive engineering"](http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/28844/1/WilsonHeltonWiggins_Cognitive%20Engineering_Authors%20Pre-print%202012.pdf). *Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science*. **4** (1): 17–31. [doi:10.1002/wcs.1204](https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.1204). [PMID 26304173](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26304173)

1. John R. Gersh, Jennifer A. McKneely, and Roger W. Remington (2005). ["Cognitive Engineering: Understanding Human Interaction with Complex Systems"](https://secwww.jhuapl.edu/techdigest/content/techdigest/pdf/V26-N04/26-04-Gersh.pdf). *Johns Hopkins APL Technical Digest*. **26** (4)

1. Norman, Donald A. & Draper, Stephen W. (1986). *User Centered System Design: New Perspectives on Human-Computer Interaction*. CRC Press. ISBN 978-0898598728.

1. ["Interview with Joseph H. Condon (transcript)"](https://www.princeton.edu/~hos/mike/transcripts/condon.htm). *History of Science, Princeton University*. Retrieved 2017-05-17.

1. Michael S. Mahoney. ["Joseph H. Condon"](https://www.princeton.edu/~hos/mike/transcripts/condon.htm). [Princeton University](/source/Princeton_University) History of Science.

1. Norman, Don (1981). ["The truth about Unix: The user interface is horrid"](http://www.ceri.memphis.edu/people/smalley/ESCI7205F2009/misc_files/The_truth_about_Unix_cleaned.pdf). *Datamation*. Vol. 27, no. 12.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cognitive engineering](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_engineering) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_engineering?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.