SOME EFFECTS OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION ON TRACKING PERFORMANCE IN STATIC AND DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENTS

The influence of approximately 34 and 55 h of sleep deprivation on performance scores derived from manually tracking the localizer needle on an aircraft instrument was assessed under both static (no motion) and dynamic (whole-body angular acceleration) laboratory conditions. In each of two experiments, 20 young men were equally divided into groups of control and sleep-deprived subjects. All tests were conducted in an enclosed Stille-Werner rotator in total darkness with the exception of the illuminated tracking display. In both experiments, significant decrements in dynamic tracking performance were uniformly obtained after 24 h and more of sleep loss. Static tracking scores were also impaired but less consistently so. In Experiment II, administration of d-amphetamine after 53 h of sleep loss produced a sharp drop in error for both static and dynamic tracking. Although performance at both types of tasks remained poorer for sleep-deprived subjects, their static tracking scores did not differ significantly from control subjects 2 h after drug ingestion.

• Corporate Authors:

  Federal Aviation Administration

  Flight Standards Service, 800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20591
• Authors:
  • Collins, W E
• Publication Date: 1976-10

Media Info

• Pagination: 12 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alertness; Amphetamines; Attention; Drugs; Human information processing; Motor reactions; Perception; Personnel; Personnel performance; Sleep deprivation; Tracking systems
• Uncontrolled Terms: Performance (Human); Tracking
• Old TRIS Terms: Aviation personnel; Vestibular apparatus
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Safety and Human Factors; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00147283
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: FAA-AM-76-12
• Files: NTIS, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Mar 15 1977 12:00AM