Paul Fitts
Paul Morris Fitts (born May 6, 1912 in Martin , Tennessee , † 1965 ) was an American psychologist at Ohio State University and later at the University of Michigan .
In 1954 he developed a model for arm movements in humans, Fitts' law . It says that the time it takes to reach a goal is a function of the distance to the goal and its size. This relationship was tested mainly by having test subjects hit a point with a pen.
He received his psychological training in 1934 at the University of Tennessee (BS), in 1936 at Brown University (MS) and in 1938 at the University of Rochester (PhD).
As a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force , he was known for his ergonomic research and worked on major improvements in aviation security .
From 1957 to 1958 he was President of the Division of Applied Experimental and Engineering Psychology of the American Psychological Association (APA). The society has named an honorary award after him. He was also President of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society from 1962 to 1963 .
Works
- Human performance . Brooks / Cole Publishing Co. (1967)
Web links
- Paul Morris Fitts - Excerpt from a Biographical Article, in: International Encyclopedia of Ergonomics and Human Factors, Second Edition - 3 Volume Set
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Fitts, Paul |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Fitts, Paul Morris (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American psychologist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 6, 1912 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Martin , Tennessee |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1965 |