Aerospace Medicine and Biology. A continuing bibliography with indexes

This bibliography lists 244 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in February 1981. Aerospace medicine and aerobiology topics are included. Listings for physiological factors, astronaut performance, control theory, artificial intelligence, and cybernetics are included

Aerospace Medicine and Biology: a Continuing Bibliography with Indexes (Supplement 328)

This bibliography lists 104 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information System during September, 1989. Subject coverage includes: aerospace medicine and psychology, life support systems and controlled environments, safety equipment, exobiology and extraterrestrial life, and flight crew behavior and performance

An overview of current approaches and future challenges in physiological monitoring

Sufficient evidence exists from laboratory studies to suggest that physiological measures can be useful as an adjunct to behavioral and subjective measures of human performance and capabilities. Thus it is reasonable to address the conceptual and engineering challenges that arise in applying this technology in operational settings. Issues reviewed include the advantages and disadvantages of constructs such as mental states, the need for physiological measures of performance, areas of application for physiological measures in operational settings, which measures appear to be most useful, problem areas that arise in the use of these measures in operational settings, and directions for future development

Pilot workload and fatigue: A critical survey of concepts and assessment techniques

The principal unresolved issues in conceptualizing and measuring pilot workload and fatigue are discussed. These issues are seen as limiting the development of more useful working concepts and techniques and their application to systems engineering and management activities. A conceptual analysis of pilot workload and fatigue, an overview and critique of approaches to the assessment of these phenomena, and a discussion of current trends in the management of unwanted workload and fatigue effects are presented. Refinements and innovations in assessment methods are recommended for enhancing the practical significance of workload and fatigue studies

Aerospace Medicine and Biology: A continuing bibliography, supplement 191

A bibliographical list of 182 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in February 1979 is presented

Aerospace medicine and biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes (supplement 359)

This bibliography lists 164 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information System during Jan. 1992. Subject coverage includes: aerospace medicine and physiology, life support systems and man/system technology, protective clothing, exobiology and extraterrestrial life, planetary biology, and flight crew behavior and performance

The Effects Of Modulating Accommodative-Vergence Stress Within The Context Of Operator Performance On Automated System Tasks

Automated systems (e.g., self-driving cars, autopilot) can reduce an operator’s (i.e., driver, pilot, baggage screener) task engagement, which can result in mind wandering, distraction, and loss of concentration. Consequently, unfavorable performance outcomes, such as missed critical signals and slow responses to emergency events, can occur. Because automation reverts the operator to a “visual monitoring” role, the oculomotor accommodative-vergence responses (the oculomotor responses that maintain a single focused image on the retina) may play a vital role in human-automation interactions. Prior research has shown that individuals with deficits in the accommodative-vergence responses can exhibit inattentive symptoms (e.g., poor concentration) characteristic of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) while performing prolonged close work (e.g., reading). Given the behavioral symptoms present in those experiencing accommodative-vergence stress, automated systems may exacerbate these negative effects. The current study examined the effects of accommodative-vergence stress in combination with automation on aspects of operator task engagement. Participants (N = 95) under accommodative-vergence stress wearing -2.0 diopter lenses or normal viewing conditions completed a 40 min flight simulation task either with or without automation. Physiological dependent measures included electroencephalographic (EEG) parietal-occipital alpha power spectral density (PSD), an EEG multivariate metric of engagement, and pupil diameter. Self-report measures of task engagement, cognitive fatigue, and visual fatigue symptoms were also collected along with oculomotor measurements (accommodation and convergence) and flight simulation task performance. Multivariate analyses indicated that the application of -2.0 diopter lenses did not significantly alter oculomotor measurements or subjective reports of visual fatigue. Oculomotor stress modestly affected task performance and tended to result in increased EEG measures of engagement, while subsequently increasing feelings of fatigue, potentially indicating a compensatory effort response. Participants performing the simulation with automation exhibited significantly lower task engagement, as indicated by greater parietal-occipital alpha PSD, less multivariate EEG engagement, smaller pupil diameter, and lower self-reported engagement. Overall, oculomotor stress and automation did not interact synergistically to affect task engagement and associated performance outcomes. Automation and time on task were the main determinants of task engagement. These results underscore the negative effects automation can have on underlying operator cognitive states and the associated need to carefully design automation to combat reduced task engagement. Applications for system design and the use of EEG in augmented cognition systems involving automation are discussed

Investigation of possible causes for human-performance degradation during microgravity flight

The results of the first year of a three year study of the effects of microgravity on human performance are given. Test results show support for the hypothesis that the effects of microgravity can be studied indirectly on Earth by measuring performance in an altered gravitational field. The hypothesis was that an altered gravitational field could disrupt performance on previously automated behaviors if gravity was a critical part of the stimulus complex controlling those behaviors. In addition, it was proposed that performance on secondary cognitive tasks would also degrade, especially if the subject was provided feedback about degradation on the previously automated task. In the initial experimental test of these hypotheses, there was little statistical support. However, when subjects were categorized as high or low in automated behavior, results for the former group supported the hypotheses. The predicted interaction between body orientation and level of workload in their joint effect on performance in the secondary cognitive task was significant for the group high in automatized behavior and receiving feedback, but no such interventions were found for the group high in automatized behavior but not receiving feedback, or the group low in automatized behavior

Aerospace Medicine and Biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes, supplement 182, July 1978

This bibliography lists 165 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in June 1978