Towards an objective assessment of cockpit workload. I. Physiological variables during different flight phases
article
The work load concept is discussed in connection with the flight task, which is considered to lead primarily to mental load. Experiments in a DC7 simulator and an AT100 (Beachcraft) simulator, in which it was tried to validate heart rate (HR), heart rate irregularity (HI) and respiratory rate (RR) as indicators of mental load are described. As a criterion the following scale was used, from least to most difficult task: rest; level flight; take off; approach. The overall differences proved to be significant at the 0.1% level. The changes in physiological variables from phase to phase showed a correlation of 0.80 with the predicted direction. The highest discriminating power according to the ω2 criterion was shown by RR, followed by HI and HR, in this order. During an experiment with parachute jumpers, in which an anxiety scale was used as a criterion, the reversed order was found.
Topics
TNO Identifier
227474
Source
Aerospace Medicine, 44(5), pp. 527-532.
Pages
527-532
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