SIGNAL DETECTION EFFICIENCY IN THE MORNING WATCH. EFFECTS OF PRIOR SLEEP, DIURNAL RHYTHM AND FATIGUE

An experiment was carried out to determine whether staying awake before the morning (0400 - 0800) watch (a custom observed in submariners on prolonged patrols) is likely to exert a detrimental effect on operations such as sonar monitoring carried out continuously throughout the watch. Even when sleep had been taken, general performance levels in the morning watch were markedly different from those in a watch held from 2000 to 2400 the previous evening. Detection rate was subtantially lower throughout the watch, and the degradation during the second half of the watch at times exceeded 50 percent when compared to "fresh" performance at the start of the previous evening watch.

• Corporate Authors:

  Royal Naval Personnel Research Committee

  London,   England 
• Authors:
  • Colquhoun, W P
  • Hamilton, P
  • Edwards, R S
• Publication Date: 1974-3

Media Info

• Pagination: 33 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Biological activity; Circadian rhythms; Fatigue (Physiological condition); Personnel performance; Sleep; Watchkeeping
• Geographic Terms: United Kingdom
• Old TRIS Terms: Human performance; Rhythms (Biological)
• Subject Areas: Education and Training; Environment; Marine Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00314942
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: OES-10/74
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 27 1980 12:00AM