1) The Ecology of Human Performance (EHP) model was developed by Dunn, Brown, and McGuigan in 1994 to explain how context impacts human performance of tasks. 2) The EHP model focuses on the relationship between the person, context, and tasks, and how their transaction affects performance. The person is unique with their own skills and experiences, while context includes both the temporal and physical environment. 3) The case study examines Ms. Riggles, a retired teacher with vision and mobility impairments who enjoys reading with her grandchildren. Potential EHP interventions are identified to help modify her context and tasks, like using audiobooks or online library access, to improve her performance range for

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OT 321
Occupation: Theory and Analysis
Ecology Of Human
Performance Model (EHP)
W & S CH 43
Noor Ismael, PhD, MSc, OTR/L
1/10/2019
Identifying Theory:
Title/Who Developed It?

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Ecology Of Human Performance
(EHP)
•Dunn, W., Brown, C. & McGuuigan, A. (1994). The
ecology of human performance: A framework for
considering the effect of context. AJOT,48, 595-607.
Identifying Theory:
Purpose/Focus

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Ecology Of Human Performance (EHP)
•Human Performance is a transaction
•Person
•Context
•Task
•Explains ecology (person –context)
•Explains how ecology affects behavior
and task performance
Dunn, W. Brown, C. & McGuuigan, A. (1994). The ecology of human performance: A framework
for considering the effect of context. AJOT,48, 595-607.
Identifying Theory:
Primary Concepts or
Constructs

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EHP: Constructs & Variables
•Person
•Context
•Task
•Performance
Identifying Theory:
Structure of Constructs
Organization
Categories
Relationships to each other

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T T
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TASK
PERFORMANCE
CONTEXT
PERSON
EHP: Person
•Individual, unique, complex
•Experiences
•Sensorimotor, cognitive & psychosocial skills &
abilities
•Meaning attached to task and context
influences performance

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Individuals Have Unique Experiences (Ex:
Socializing)
Individuals Have Various Abilities

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EHP: Context
•“The lens through which a person views task
performance”
•Two aspects:
•Temporal (Time)
•Environment
EHP: Context
•Temporal
•Chronological
•Developmental
•Life cycle
•Disability Status
•Period

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EHP: Context
•Environment
-Social
–Physical
–Cultural
EHP: Task
• Set of behaviors to accomplish a goal
• 1st Step
• 2nd Step
• 3rd Step
• Roles shape tasks
• Take on meaning in the person-context-task transaction to become
occupations

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EHP: Performance
• Process of engaging in tasks
• The result of transaction between person & context => performance
range
• Performance range changes over time
Person-Context-Task Transaction
•Ecology = interdependence of person-
environment
•Ecology affects task performance
•Task performance affects ecology

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T T
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TASK
PERFORMANCE
CONTEXT
PERSON
EHP: Guiding Intervention
•Establish and restore
•Alter
•Modify
•Prevent
•Create

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Establish And Restore
•Focus is on the person
•Attainment of new skill/ability
•Education imbedded in the task
Alter The Context Or Task
•Trying different context or task
•Select context/task to enable performance
•New/different context/task that matches with
current skills/abilities
•Not a change to current context/task

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Modify/Adapt
•Is a change to the current context/task
•Support performance in natural setting
•Compensatory techniques
•Task becomes more available to the person
Prevent
•Prevent occurrence or evolution of performance
problems in context
•Without intervention, predict what is likely to
occur
•Change course of events
•Includes other strategies, but occurs before the
problem develops

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Create Circumstances
•Promote performance in context
•No presumed disability or impairment
•Enhance performance for all
•In natural contexts of life
EHP: Assumptions
• People and contexts are unique & dynamic
• Person and context cannot be separated
• Each influence the other
• Contrived contexts are different from natural contexts
• Natural environments a more accurate reflection of true
performance
• Explicitly links tasks, person & context

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EHP: Limitations to the Model
•Additional evidence needed to:
•Verify the relationships
•Test effectiveness of interventions
Ecology of Human Performance
(EHP)
•Interventions include changes to the tasks and
context
•Approaches to Intervention
• Establish/Restore
• Modify/Adapt
• Alter
• Prevent
• Create

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Ms. Riggles
Ms. Riggles is a retired high-school vocal teacher who lives alone in a
townhouse. She retired early due to changes in vision, sensation and
mobility from Type II diabetes. Reading has been a favorite activity,
but is increasingly difficulty changes in central vision. She also used to
go to the library weekly. Now that she is not driving, her daughter
brings her books or will occasionally take her to the library. She has
two grandchildren who come to her house after school during the
week and their mother picks them up later. She enjoys having them
over and they help her with laundry.
Person
•Ms. Riggles is a retired music teacher, has
changes in vision and tactile sensation,
cognitively alert and aware, socially interacts
daily with daughter and grandchildren
•Enjoys reading and fulfilling her role as a
grandmother by doing activities with her
grand children at her home

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Context
•At this point, enjoying retirement and desires to be
“grandma” and have fun activities for the
grandchildren to do at her home
•recognizes own physical limitations due to health
condition
•Spends more time with family and less time with
friends
•Spends more time at home than in the community
Task
Reading alone
• Selects books
• Turns pages
• Reads words on the pages
• Returns books to library
Reading with grandchildren
• Selects books with grandchildren
• Assist grandchildren in holding and reading or reads to them
• Discusses pictures with grandchildren
• Keeps kids books at her house for grandchildren

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Task
• Roles shape tasks
• When alone, reads novels
• When with grandchildren, reads children’s books to them
• Take on meaning in the person-context-task transaction to become
occupations
 Reading alone fulfills personal enjoyment, independence
 Reading with grandchildren fulfills grandmother role
Performance Range
• Ms. Riggles
• can read some of the books she enjoys
• feels limited in book selection, since she does not go to library often
• How can this performance range change?
• Children content with book selection at grandma’s home

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Ms. Riggles wants more freedom to select
preferred books
•What interventions can be used?
• Establish and restore
• Alter
• Modify
• Prevent
• Create
Interventions
• Can she establish and restore vision or sensation to be able to drive to
the library again and easily ready books regardless of text size?
• Can she alter her library visits by going to a virtual library instead of the
physical building to select her books?
• Can she modify how she is transported to the library so she can continue
to select her own books?
• Can she prevent further decline in reading by using a magnifier or large
print text?
• Can she create a way to enjoy books by herself or when she is with her
grandchildren perhaps by listening to audio books?

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Dynamic nature
• If she decides to alter her library visits by going to a
virtual library instead of the physical building to
select her books, what would change about the
task-person-context?
• Select online vs. going to library
• Use computer for book selections online
• Work with grandchildren to use website vs. telling
daughter what to pick up
Outcome of EHP
• If human performance is a transaction, then ecology (person-
context) affects behavior and task performance
• For example, by altering her context is she able to select
the books she wants?