Design of an Improved Infant Viewing Apparatus for Developmental Research

Abstract

It is important to note that many of the types of apparatus we as researchers use to collect data for studies violate human factors principles. It is only logical that we should use human factors knowledge to make our own jobs as easy as possible. To that end, an improved viewing chamber (used in the study of neonatal perception) was designed which eliminated many problems inherent in an older design. The redesign was necessary since researchers in an infant development laboratory often reported physical discomfort after long experimental sessions in a viewing chamber designed with few human factors considerations in mind.