Population Stereotypes as a Perceiver's Cognitive Structure on Manipulating Devices for Daily Use

일상생활용 장치 작동에 따른 지각자의 인지구조에 대한 집단고정관념

Purpose: This study standardizes the position and direction of devices based on general user expectations and stereotypes. Population stereotypes are cognitive structures that contain the perceiver's knowledge, beliefs, and expectations about human groups. In this paper, the stereotypes that people typically expect when manipulating 'cylindrical key-in-knob locks' and 'lever-type water faucet handles' were investigated and data regarding their expectations were collected. Methods: Two sets of 600 participants, between 13 and over 60 years old, were recruited for the experiment. Each group was evenly subdivided into six age groups. Each participant was presented with cylindrical door locks mounted on a miniature door and actual lever-type water faucet handles mounted on a mockup sink. Results: If the cylindrical lock was positioned 'vertically,' 59.2% of the participants expected the device to be locked, and if the lever type faucet handle was positioned 'up,' 63.0% of the participants expected the device to be turned on. Thus, daily-use devices should be designed consistent with user expectations of operation. There was a significant difference between genders for manipulating the faucet handle between up and down. Conclusion: A more general stereotype may be defined by repetitive measurements under the same test conditions with fixed time intervals, as well as accounting for people with cognitive problems.