Elizabeth L. Blickensderfer

Title
Professor
Email
Department
Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology
College
College of Arts & Sciences

Office Hours

401.12 Office hours by appointment

Areas of Expertise

Simulation-based, human-in-the-loop research
Simulation-based training
Measuring human performance
Team performance
Aerospace and Healthcare Domains 

Elizabeth L. Blickensderfer

Dr. Beth L. Blickensderfer has over 25 years of experience in human-machine systems research and development using both qualitative and quantitative research methods.  She has designed and validated numerous training programs for purposes such as teaching general aviation pilots to interpret and understand weather displays and fostering crew resource management skills in helicopter and fixed-wing pilots. In addition, she has developed metrics to assess human performance in a range of domains and tasks such as aviation operations, nurses responding to cardiac arrest, and tennis teams.  Her other recent work includes investigating patient safety at a community hospital, measuring general aviation pilots' knowledge and skill at interpreting weather displays, and performing cognitive task analyses to identify safety issues inherent to Live-Virtual-Constructive flight training environments for the U.S. Navy. Dr. Blickensderfer has held leadership positions in both the Human Factors and Ergonomic Society as well as Division 21 Applied Experimental and Engineering Psychology of the American Psychological Association.  She earned an M.S in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and a Ph.D. in Human Factors Psychology from the University of Central Florida.

  • Ph.D. - Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology: Human Factors, University of Central Florida
  • M.S. - Master of Science in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, University of Central Florida
  • HFS 515: Ergonomics
  • HF 312: Ergonomics & Bioengineering
  • HF 399: Special Topics Human Factors

Graduate Courses: 

HFS515 Ergonomics 
HFS600 Human Factors and Systems
HFS612 Human Factors Methods
HFS695 Simulation, Training, & Performance Measurement

Undergraduate courses: 

PSY101 General Psychology

PSY312 Research Analysis

PSY340 Introduction to I/O Psychology

PSY345 Training and Development

HF300 Introduction to Human Factors

HF302 Human Factors II: Applied Methods

HF312 Ergonomics and Bioengineering

HF415 Human Factors and Simulation




Edited Volume


Keebler, J.R., Lazzara, E.H., Wilson, K. A., Blickensderfer, E. L. (Eds.) (2022).  Human factors in aviation and aerospace (3rd ed).  Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/C2013-0-12999-6


Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles  (*indicates student author)


Zhang, T., Frederick, C., Dattel, A., Blickensderfer, E., & Chaparro, B. (under review).  User experience, motivation, and self-efficacy comparisons between virtual reality and conventional PC-Based flight simulation training. Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research.


Gregory, M. E., Lazzara, E. H., & Blickensderfer, E. (2024).  Leadership in Healthcare:  What are some novel insights?   Psychology of Leaders and Leadership. 


Thomas, R., *Domingo, C., *Kleber, J., *McSorley, J., *Cole, A., Guinn, T., & Blickensderfer, E. (2022).  Validated question bank for assessing pilot knowledge of aviation weather. Collegiate Aviation Review International, 40(2). https://ojs.library.okstate.edu/osu/index.php/CARI/article/view/8989

*Simonson, R. J., Keebler, J. R., Blickensderfer, E. L.  Besuijen, R.  (2022).  Impact of alarm management and automation on abnormal operations:  A human-in-the-loop simulation study.  Applied Ergonomics, 100(April).   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103670

Proctor, R.W., McLaughlin, A.C., Szalma, J.L., Blickensderfer, E. L., Vu, K.P.L. (2021). Division 21 has been devoted to human-centered design since the 1950s:  Comment on Lyon, Brewer, and Arean (2020).   The American Psychologist, 76(7), 1186-1188.  

Blickensderfer, B., *McSorely, J., Defillipis, N., King, J. M., Ortiz, Y., Guinn, T.A., & Thomas, R. (2021). General aviation pilots’ capability to interpret aviation weather displays. Journal of Air Transportation, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.2514/1.D0242

King, J., Blickensderfer, B., Guinn, T., & *Kleber, J. (2021). The effects of display type, weather type, and pilot experience on pilot interpretation of weather products. Atmosphere, 12(143). https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12020143

Blickensderfer, B., Guinn, T., Lanicci, J., Ortiz, Y., King, J., Thomas, R., & DeFilippis, N. (2020). Interpretability of aviation weather information displays for general aviation. Aerospace Medicine & Human Performance, 91(4), 318-325. doi: 10.3357/AMHP.5245.2020.

Lanicci, J., Guinn, T., King, J., Blickensderfer, B., Thomas, R., & Ortiz, Y. (2020). A proposed taxonomy for general aviation pilot weather education and training. Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education and Research, 29(1) doi:10.15394/jaaer.2020.1815

Keebler, J. R., Lazzara, E. H., Blickensderfer, B., & Looke, T.  (2018). Human factors applied to perioperative process improvement.  Anesthesiology Clinics. 

Blickensderfer, B., Lanicci, J., Guinn, T., Thomas, R., *King, J., *Ortiz, Y., & Thomas, R.  (2017). Assessing general aviation pilots understanding of aviation weather products. The International Journal of Aerospace Psychology, 27: 3-4, 79-91,  DOI:10.1080/24721840.2018.1431780.

Blickensderfer, E. A., Lanicci, J., *Vincent, M., *Thomas, R., & Smith, M. J., & *Cruit, J. (2015).   Training general aviation pilots for convective weather situations. Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance, 86(10), 881-888. 

*Cobbett, E.A., Blickensderfer, E. L., & Lanicci, J. (2014).   Developing general aviation pilots’ knowledge and skills to interpret NEXAD based weather products. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 85, 1019-1025. 

*Potter, B. A., Blickensderfer, E. L., Boquet, A. J. (2014).  Training monitoring skills in helicopter pilots.  Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 85, 543-549. 

*Driskell, T. Blickensderfer, E. L., Salas, E. (2013).  Is three a crowd? Examining rapport in investigative interviews.  Group Dynamics, 17(1), 1-13.

Blickensderfer, E. L., *Strally, S., & Doherty, S. (2012).  The effects of scenario-based training on pilots’ use of an emergency, whole-plane parachute.   International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 22(2), 184-202.   

Blickensderfer, E. L., Reynolds, R., Salas, E., & Cannon-Bowers, J. A. (2010).  Shared expectations and implicit coordination in tennis doubles teams.  Journal of Applied Sport Psychology.  22, 486-499.  

Reynolds, R. & Blickensderfer, E.L. (2009).  Shared mental models and cockpit resource management.  Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education and Research, 19(1), 15-23.

Cannon-Bowers, J. A., Salas, E., Blickensderfer, E., & Bowers, C. A. (1998).  The impact of cross-training and workload on team functioning: A replication and extension of initial findings. Human Factors, 40(1), 92-101.

Salas, E., Cannon-Bowers, J. A., & Blickensderfer, E. (1993).  Team performance and training research:  Emerging principles.  Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences, 83(2),     81-106.

Ricci, K. A., Gualtieri, J. Blickensderfer, E.  Cannon-Bowers, J. A., Fowlkes, J. E., & Sagi, C. A. (1997/98).  The stability of similarity judgments and pathfinder representations.  Training Research Journal, 3, 81-101.  




Trade Journal Publication


Besuijen, R., Blickensderfer, B., Simonson, R. J., Keebler, J. R., & Strohbar, D. (2021, June). How good are techniques for handling abnormal situations? A test of alarm management and upset automation with real operators provides insights. Chemical Processing. Retrieved from https://www.chemicalprocessing.com/articles/2021/how-good-are-techniques-for-handling-abnormal-situations/



Proceedings, Book Chapters, and other Peer Reviewed Publications (*indicates student author)


King, J. & Blickensderfer, B. (2022). Human factors in general aviation weather.  In J.R. Keebler, E.H. Lazzara, K.A. Wilson, & Blickensderfer, E. L. (eds.) Human factors in aviation and aerospace (3rd ed).  Elsevier.

*Kleber, J., Thomas, R., *Domingo, C., *Miksa, V., & Blickensderfer, B. (2022). Measuring mental models: General aviation pilots’ understanding of preflight weather. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, United States.

*Domingo, C., *Kleber, J., *Miksa, V., & Blickensderfer, B. (2022). Charting a path through the storm: General aviation weather training recommendations. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, United States.

*McSorley, J., *Kleber, J., *Domingo, C., *Castano, G., Blickensderfer, E. (2021). Qualitative assessment of general aviation pilots’ perceptions of preflight weather briefing. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, Baltimore, M.D.: HFES. 

*Kleber, J. & Blickensderfer, B. (2021). Aviation human-in-the-loop simulation: Best practices for subjective performance measurement. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, Baltimore, M.D.: HFES. 

*Domingo, C. & Blickensderfer, B. (2021). Applying change management to general aviation: Pilot self-briefings for weather. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, Baltimore, M.D.: HFES.

*Kleber, J., *McSorley, J., King, J., & Blickensderfer, B. (2020). Improving weather display interpretation: A training solution. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, United States.

*McSorley, J., *Kleber, J., & Blickensderfer, B. (2020). Gamification theory: Implications for general aviation weather training. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, United States.

*Ortiz, Y., Guinn, T., *King, J., Thomas, R., & Blickensderfer, B. (2019).  The role of automation in aviation weather: product development and general aviation pilot performance. In M. Mouloua and P. Hancock (eds.), Automation & human performance theory & application (Chapter 3). CRC Press. 




Research Psychologist, Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (1995 - 2003)



Member:                      Human Factors and Ergonomics Society

Division Leader, Education Division 2016- 2019      

Chair, Education and Training Committee 2013- 2016

Chair, Student Forum HFES 2014 & 2015 Annual Meeting

                                         Co-chair, Annual Meeting Workshops (2015)

Member:                      American Psychological Association  


Past president of Division 21 (2019-2020)

President of Division 21 (2018 - 2019)

President-Elect for Division 21 (2017 – 2018)

Member-at-large for Division 21 (2012-2013)

Secretary/Treasurer for Division 21 (2013 – 2018)


Member:                      Southeastern Psychological Association (2009-2011)

Member:                      Women in Aviation (2004 – 2012)

Lifetime Member:       Psi Chi International Honor Society

      Assistant to the Vice-President of Southeast Region (2010-2011)

​

Reviewer:                 

Psychology of Sport and Exercise (Journal)

Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries

Ergonomics (Journal)

Journal of the American Helicopter Society  

 American Psychological Association Annual Convention

 Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Conference

 Southeastern Psychological Association Annual Meeting

Fellow of the American Psychological Association 

Member of FITS Research Team (Team was a finalist for ERAU Researcher of the Year 2005-2006)