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 of people, Fitts' law. It states that the time to reach a goal, is a function of the distance to the target and its size. This relationship was tested mainly by volunteers should take a point with a pen.

He received in 1934 from the University of Tennessee ( BS ), 1936 at Brown University (MS) and 1938 at the University of Rochester (PhD) His psychological training.

As a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force, he became known for his work scientific studies and worked on significant improvements in air safety.

From 1957 to 1958 the President of the Division of Applied Experimental and Engineering Psychology of the American Psychological Association (APA). The Company has appointed an honorary award after him. He was also from 1962 to 1963 president of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Works

• Human performance. Brooks / Cole Publishing Co. (1967 )