United States Military Academy

Engineering Psychology Handbook United States Military Academy

As you should know by now, the Engineering Psychology curriculum is unique among academic fields at West Point because of its interdisciplinary and integrated electives. All cadets take the same electives in the same sequence. This design allows maximum integration among courses and eliminates the "dump" mentality. You can't afford to forget what you've learned in previous Engineering Psychology courses because material in PL386 (Experimental Psychology), for example, is used in all other Engineering Psychology courses. Likewise, knowledge of the anatomical and physiological characteristics of the eye, mastered in PL390 (Biopsychology), is needed to understand visual perception in PL391 (Sensation & Perception) and cognitive processes in PL392 (Cognitive Psychology). Accordingly, uniform standards for work in all Engineering Psychology courses exist. For example, the written report is the fundamental exchange medium between instructor and cadet. During your first semester in Engineering Psychology, you will learn how to write a report (in PL386). Later, you will use that knowledge to compose reports for other courses. Regardless of the course, your Engineering Psychology instructors will use the same criteria to evaluate your work - the criteria contained in this Handbook. Therefore, a thorough understanding of what's contained in this Handbook will not only reduce your workload, but quite probably will result in a higher grade. It has been developed to complement, clarify, and tailor the material found in both the Little, Brown Handbook and the Dean's Documentation of Academic Work (2010). Keep it for the rest of your time at West Point and refer to it often.