Psychology Commons^™

Redesigning Airport Diagrams With Principles Of Cognitive Psychology, Jacob Miller

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The aviation community strives for air travel to be the safest form of transportation. The National Transportation Safety Board published a “Most Wanted” list to acknowledge the most threatening safety issues, and runway safety and runway incursions were at the top of their list. Furthermore, runway incursion statistics by the Federal Aviation Administration show that pilot deviations were the most common cause for runways incursions. Misunderstandings of airport diagrams may be one reason for pilot deviations. While navigating through airport taxiways, pilots refer to their airport diagrams as a map of the airport. Unfortunately, airport diagrams are not designed with …

The Interaction Of Motivational Orientation And Social Context In A Flight Setting, Noelle D. Brunelle

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of motivational orientation and social context on decisions made during flight. Cultural dimensions such as power distance, uncertainty avoidance and individualism have been found to correlate with aviation accident rates. Self-determination theory provides a schedule of social contexts and cues that support, control or thwart individual motivation, with the task-focused properties of intrinsic motivation and the external (group) focus of extrinsic motivation similar to descriptions of the cultural dimensions of individualism and collectivism. In addition, studies have demonstrated contextual cues may be used to prime cognitive goals, behaviors and strategies. …

Quantifying The Cognitive, Symptomatic And Neuroendocrine Impact Of The Coriolis Illusion; A Countermeasure For Motion Sickness, Catherine Grandizio

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

When pilots are unable to accurately perceive the position and motion of their bodies, they are spatially disoriented. Spatial disorientation is often induced by aviation illusions, and its consequences include dizziness, confusion, nausea and fatigue. The present research evaluated the severity of cognitive, neuroendocrine and subjective symptoms of the Coriolis illusion, induced by a spatial disorientation flight training device. Also, the research examined the effectiveness of a mild, ground-based countermeasure, similar to the Coriolis illusion, in reducing the occurrence and severity of symptoms. In the early stages of data analysis, there appeared to be a significant impact of the Coriolis …

The Effect Of Gender Schematicity On The Assessment Of Male And Female Pilots’ Competence Given Identical Scenarios, Jan D. Laplante

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

Gender has been identified as one of the top three categories, along with race, and age that are subject to stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination (Fiske, 1998). With the emergence of women in stereotypical male domains, gender research has never been more important. The aviation community is a prime example of one such domain.

This study examined the presence of an existing perception that male pilots are more competent then female pilots. It suggested that there does not appear to be evidence that would explain why there should be a difference in this perception of competence. It also discussed social theories …

Perceived Competence Of Aging Pilots, Laura M. Stelmach

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

This study investigated the relationship between age and the perception of competence of pilots by the traveling public. Scenarios were utilized that depicted an airline captain successfully landing an airplane amidst adverse conditions. Scenarios varied only by the age of the Captain: Young, Old, or Unspecified Age and that the Young and Old scenarios included a photo of the captain. Perceived effectiveness, competence, avoidance, blame, and attribution as depicted by the Captain's performance in the scenario were assessed by 180 participants in three age groups (18-34, 35-55, and 56 <). Results showed that pilot age is a factor in perceived competence of pilots as well as participant age.

Using Scenario-Based Training To Teach Single Pilot Resource Management Related To The Use Of The Brs Parachute, Shayna Danielle Strally

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The Ballistic Recovery System is an emergency parachute for single engine aircraft which, when released, lowers the aircraft to the ground to prevent terrain collision. This study sought to examine the effects of scenario-based training on pilot’s use of the BRS. Of particular interest was the point at which the pilot decides to deploy the BRS. Single pilot resource management was included as a training objective, as it encompasses relevant cognitive skills such as decision making and situational awareness. The results showed participants in the scenario-based training condition performed significantly better than participants in a traditional training condition on several …

The Effects Of Gender And Regional Dialect On Performance In Aviation Communication, Erin E. Mccollum

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The purpose of this study was to analyze the performance effects of gender and regional dialect on air traffic control statement recall. Sixty-one student volunteers participated in the experiment. Thirty-one participants held a pilot’s license and 30 participants had no flight experience. Each participant listened to one CD with 60 ATC statements each representing a male and female voice and New England, Southern, and General American dialect. Participants were asked to recall exactly what they heard. If the participant could not understand what they heard, they requested a repeat. The participant’s performance was recorded to CD and analyzed. Demographic questionnaires …

The Effect Of Crosswind And Turbulence In Mental Workload And Pilot Tracking Performance, Bruno E. Vivaldi

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of crosswind and turbulence on mental workload and pilot tracking performance. Based on previous research, it was believed that as the amount of crosswind and turbulence is increased, mental workload would increase and tracking performance would decrease. The objective was to estimate the impact that crosswind and turbulence, of varying degrees, had on performance and workload. Fifteen full time college student volunteers served as experimental participants in a simulated horizontal and vertical tracking task. Each participant flew twelve instrument approaches, experiencing a different crosswind and turbulence combination during each approach. …

An Analysis Of Intention Formation As A Function Of Prospective Memory In Air Traffic Controllers, Jennifer Nagle

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

Prospective memory, or memory for future intents, is an important part of everyone's daily life. Air traffic controllers whose jobs are based in an environment that taxes their memory resources for extended periods of time rely on this type of memory. Controllers objectives often change based on incoming information and the amount of traffic they are controlling. It is important to investigate how controllers form intentions for future events, what processes facilitate retrieval of this information, and establish what influence experience may have. This study proposes to assess controllers in an air traffic scenario by employing a cognitive task analysis …

Gender Differences In Preference For Learning Environment Among Aviation Education Students, Eric M. Moyer

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

This study investigated whether differences existed between sex, male and female, for the preference of three different syllabi describing three different learning environments. Learning environments consisted of collaborative, and individual, with the individual sub-divided into competitive, and individual while co-varying participants for credit hours. 264 surveys were administered to students in freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior classes in order to collect preference, and demographic data. The surveys were presented as three fictional syllabi differing only in class grading format, and a paragraph on the instructional philosophy of the professor. Instructional philosophies described the proposed environment of the class by enforcing …

The Effects Of An Induced Negative Mood State On Ground- Based Learning In Student Pilots, Angela Sophia Wendell

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The United States Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration's Aviation Instructors Handbook (D.O.T.) (1999) emphasizes that aviation students must maintain a healthy and positive state of mind in order to succeed at learning. Factors such as worry, lack of interest, physical discomfort, and anxiety are all listed as obstacles to a student's ability to learn successfully during flight instruction. In addition, numerous studies support the idea that a negative mood state will have a detrimental effect on learning. This study attempts to investigate the effects of an induced negative mood state on ground- based learning in student pilots.

Auditory Stimulation And Its Effect On Spatial Temporal Ability, Cynthia G. Edwards

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

This thesis was designed to detect the type of spatial ability most effected by auditory stimulation, as described in the Mozart effect. Previous research has shown enhancement of performance on the paper-folding and cutting subtest of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale IV with failures to replicate in research using other measures. Seventy-five college students enrolled in introductory psychology classes were exposed to one of three types of auditory stimulation, followed by two measures of spatial ability. The Purdue Visualization of Developments test correlates with tests of spatial orientation and require analytical processing, while the Vandenberg and Kuse Mental Rotation Test is …

Perception Of Competence In Male And Female Pilots: Between Group Differences, Marianne Paulsen

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

This study investigated the relationship between gender and competence as perceived by pilots. Scenarios were utilized that depicted an airline captain successfully landing an airplane amidst adverse conditions. Scenarios varied only by the gender of the Captain: male, female, or unspecified by variance of pilot name. Perceived effectiveness, competence, avoidance, blame, and attribution as depicted by the Captain's performance in the scenario were assessed by 30 male and 30 female certified flight instructors. Results showed that female flight instructors' ratings of avoidance ability and attribution for success differed from male flight instructors. Attribution for blame differences between scenario conditions was …

An Analysis Of The Influence Of Age And Ionizing Radiation On Cognitive Performance, Elizabeth L. Gerhardt

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

This thesis was designed to study whether age has a significant effect on cognitive test results among persons exposed to ionizing radiation. The data for this investigation came from the fourth year of a 1995-98 longitudinal study of subjects exposed to radiation from the 1986 Chernobyl, Ukraine, nuclear power plant accident. Accuracy and efficiency scores from four cognitive tests taken by 84 Ukrainian volunteers were divided into two age groups and three radiation dosage groups for analysis. The results of this study found that decrements in human performance on tasks involving spatial processing increase with age in persons who have …

A Comparative Study Of Novice Vs. Experienced Pilots Utilizing Cockpit Models Applied To The Multi Function Display System, Susan J. Karkman

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

Based on previous research findings in the expert/novice area, this thesis suggests that how people approach and solve problems largely depend on their experience level. The literature supports that experts tend to prioritize their actions differently than their novice counterparts as they negotiate their way through various critical flight scenarios. In this study we assume this difference is, in part, related to the fact that experts have a more complete understanding/perception of the overall situation than do novices. Psychologists often refer to this understanding as a more complete mental model.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate if the …