The effects of emotion on pilot decision-making: A neuroergonomic approach to aviation safety

Emotion or stress can jeopardize decision-making relevance and cognitive functioning. In this paper the authors examine plan continuation error (PCE), an erroneous behavior defined as a “failure to revise a flight plan despite emerging evidence that suggests it is no longer safe” (Orasanu et al., 2001). The hypothesis is that negative emotional consequences attached to the go-around decision provoke a temporary impairment of the decision-making process and favor PCE. The authors investigated this hypothesis with a simplified landing task in which two possible contributors to those emotions, namely the uncertainty of a decision outcome and the reward/punishment, associated to the outcome were manipulated. A behavioral experiment (n = 12) and a second one (n = 6) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) were conducted. Behavioral results of both studies showed the effectiveness of the financial incentive to bias decision making toward a more risky and less rational behavior from a safety point of view. Neuroimaging data showed that the PCE behavior was underpinned by the contribution of brain circuitry of emotion and reward during the decision-making process. Taken together, behavioral and fMRI result support the hypothesis that PCE can be provoked by a temporary impairment of rational decision-making due to the negative emotional consequences attached with the go-around.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trc.2012.04.005
• Record URL:
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0968090X12000551
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/0968090X
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission from Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Causse, Mickaël
  • Dehais, Frédéric
  • Péran, Patrice
  • Sabatini, Umberto
  • Pastor, Josette
• Publication Date: 2013-8

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 272-281
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies
  • Volume: 33
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0968-090X
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0968090X

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air pilots; Aviation safety; Decision making; Emotions; Flight plans; Human error; Human factors; Psychological aspects
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01489550
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 12 2013 4:45PM