Board 190: A Mixed-Methods Study of Statistical Thinking in Engineering Practice

Variability is ubiquitous, but often ignored in engineering. Loading conditions, material properties, and human behavior all exhibit variability, but are often treated with fixed constants in engineering analysis. A first step towards improving the treatment of variability is to understand the conditions under which a person recognizes the consequences of variability and chooses an analysis to mitigate negative consequences---a process called targeting variability. We provide updates on Year 2 of our project, including the development of an instrument to measure the targeting behavior.