EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL ON A PROBLEM SOLVING TASK

TWENTY SUBJECTS WERE TESTED ON TWO SEPARATE DAYS ON A SIMPLE PROBLEM-SOLVING TASK. HALF OF THE SUBJECTS RECEIVED ALCOHOL ON THE FIRST DAY OF TESTING AND HALF ON THE SECOND DAY OF TESTING. A CONTROL GROUP OF 11 SUBJECTS WAS ALSO TESTED ON TWO DAYS AND THEY WERE GIVEN A PLACEBO ON THE FIRST DAY OF TESTING. ALL 31 SUBJECTS WERE ALSO SERVING IN A VESTIBULAR STIMULATION EXPERIMENT. A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT WAS FOUND FOR ALCOHOL WITH FIVE OF THE ELEVEN MEASURES ANALYZED FOUR OF THE MEASURES WERE TIME MEASURES AND ONE WAS AN ERROR MEASURE. ANALYSIS OF THE SIMPLE EFFECTS INDICATED THAT ALCOHOL HAD A GREATER EFFECT ON THE GROUP THAT HAD ALCOHOL ON THE FIRST SESSION THAN ON THE GROUP THAT HAD ALCOHOL SECOND. THERE WAS ALSO SUGGESTIVE EVIDENCE OF A RESIDUAL EFFECT OF THE VESTIBULAR STIMULATION ON THE PROBLEM-SOLVING PERFORMANCE OF THE CONTROL GROUP. IN GENERAL, THE FINDINGS PROVIDE SUPPORTIVE EVIDENCE OF THE POTENTIAL DELETERIOUS EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL ON A SKILL OF IMPORTANCE TO AVIATION OPERATIONS. (A)

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Rept No FAA-AM-72-11
• Corporate Authors:

  Civil Aerospace Medical Institute

  6500 South MacArthur Boulevard
  Oklahoma City, OK  United States  73128
• Authors:
  • Chiles, W D
  • Jennings, A E
• Publication Date: 1972-3

Media Info

• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: 9 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Blood alcohol levels; Flight control systems; Performance; Problem solving
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00224572
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 3 1974 12:00AM