Psychiatry and Psychology Commons^™

Eeg Data Analysis Using Artifact Separation, Chelsey Credlebaugh, Matthew Middendorf, Michael Hoepf, Scott Galster

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2015

It has been postulated that physiological measures can be a positive indicator of mental workload. One such measure is the electroencephalogram (EEG). It is well known that the EEG signal is easily affected by artifacts. One prominent source of artifacts is eye activity, including blinks and saccades. These contaminates coincide directly with EEG signals, making it difficult to obtain artifact-free data. This paper discusses a methodology that performs artifact separation at the data analysis stage. This technique was used to analyze data from a recent experiment. Workload was manipulated by varying the difficulty of the primary task while responding to …

Panel On Cross-Cultural Pilot Selection, Diane L. Damos, Mark R. Rose, Monica Martinussen, Jan L. Lorenz

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2015

Airlines in developing nations often face a pilot shortage. Airlines in such countries either must recruit experienced pilots worldwide or aid in the establishment of national flying schools. The first presentation explains some of the issues the airlines encounter in performing worldwide background screenings on experienced pilots. Selecting either experienced pilots or cadets from a multi-cultural, multi-lingual applicant pool is challenging. The second presentation discusses data comparing native versus immigrant cadet applicants on cognitive tests. The third presentation describes problems associated with adapting a personality assessment to a new culture and language and the resultant predictive validities. Selecting cadets for …

Enroute Atc Industry Perceptions Of Simulation Fidelity, Colin Dow, Jonathan Histon

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2015

Enroute air traffic control (ATC) relies heavily on simulation in training, research, and concept development applications. However, it has little domain-specific research on the effects of simulation fidelity and lacks a standardized definition of simulation fidelity in the literature. A survey of ATC industry professionals shows that simulation fidelity is not perceived to be well defined for the domain of enroute ATC, regardless of respondent nationality, experience, use of simulation or gender. Parts of the operational environment that survey respondents felt were important components in a definition of simulation fidelity are reported; Communications is the most important component regardless of …

Pilots’ Willingness To Report Aviation Incidents, Andreas Haslbeck, Carsten Schmidt-Moll, Ekkehart Schubert

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2015

This paper reports results from a survey-based study among eighty-six airline pilots investigating their willingness to report safety-relevant events and incidents. Pilots have been asked to report how many events they have experienced in thirty-five different contextual areas and how often they have reported these cases. Thus, underreporting rates, respectively dark figures, were calculated and listed. These results and the willingness to report are discussed within an aviation operation’s background. Most of these surveyed underreporting rates are very high, which means a substantial source of uncertainty in airlines’ safety reporting databases, and thus for airlines’ safety management systems.

Simulator-Based Assessment Of Flight-Specific Aptitudes In German Armed Forces’ Aircrew Selection, Katrin Meierfrankenfeld, Werner Greß, Tina Vorbach

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2015

This paper outlines German Armed Forces’ (GAF) approach to predict future success in flight training of applicants for becoming aircrew member. GAF’s aircrew selection procedure consists of three phases. Phase I and II include the assessment of basic aptitudes and the aviation-medical examination. Phase III (fixed wing) is more complex. It consists of one week simulator-based screening in a typical training scenario: Candidates prove their skills both in 4 simulator-flight missions with increasing workload and in academic training. As in real flight training, a briefing, a demonstration and a practice phase and subsequent debriefings prepare candidates for their check phases. …

A Role For Folk Psychology In Animal Cognition Research, Kristin Andrews

Experimentation Collection

If we consider that the field of animal cognition research began with Darwin’s stories about clever animals, we can see that over the 150 years of work done in this field, there has been a slow swing back and forth between two extreme positions. One extreme is the view that other animals are very much like us, that we can use introspection in order to understand why other animals act as they do, and that no huge interpretive leap is required to understand animal minds. On the other extreme we have the view that other animals are utterly different from …

Integrating Mrna And Mirna Weighted Gene Co-Expression Networks With Eqtls In The Nucleus Accumbens Of Subjects With Alcohol Dependence, Mohammed Mamdani, Vernell Williamson, Gowon O. Mcmichael, Tana Blevins, Fazil Aliev, Amy Adkins, Laura Hack, Tim Bigdeli, Andrew D. Van Der Vaart, Bradley Todd Webb, Silviu-Alin Bacanu, Gursharan Kalsi, Coga Consortium, Kenneth S. Kendler, Michael F. Miles, Danielle Dick, Brien P. Riley, Catherine Dumur, Vladimir I. Vladimirov

Psychology Publications

Alcohol consumption is known to lead to gene expression changes in the brain. After performing weighted gene co-expression network analyses (WGCNA) on genome-wide mRNA and microRNA (miRNA) expression in Nucleus Accumbens (NAc) of subjects with alcohol dependence (AD; N = 18) and of matched controls (N = 18), six mRNA and three miRNA modules significantly correlated with AD were identified (Bonferoni-adj. p≤ 0.05). Cell-type-specific transcriptome analyses revealed two of the mRNA modules to be enriched for neuronal specific marker genes and downregulated in AD, whereas the remaining four mRNA modules were enriched for astrocyte and microglial specific marker genes and …

Developmental Changes In Genetic And Shared Environmental Contributions To Smoking Initiation And Subsequent Smoking Quantity In Adolescence And Young Adulthood, Cristina B. Bares, Kenneth S. Kendler, Hermine H. Maes

Psychiatry Publications

Background

Few studies examining the genetic architecture of cigarette smoking have focused on adolescents or examined developmental changes in additive genetic, shared environment and unique environmental influences on liability to initiate cigarette smoking and quantity of cigarettes smoked. The aim of this study is to add to the literature on liability to initiate and use cigarettes during adolescence using a nationally representative sample.

Method

Data for this study came from adolescent and young adult twin pairs (ages 14-33) from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. We ran a series of developmental causal-contingent-common pathway models to examine whether …

Genetic Network Properties Of The Human Cortex Based On Regional Thickness And Surface Area Measures, Anna R. Docherty, Chelsea K. Sawyers, Matthew S. Panizzon, Michael C. Neale, Lisa T. Eyler, Christine Fennema-Notestine, Carol E. Franz, Chi-Hua Chen, Linda K. Mcevoy, Brad Verhulst, Ming T. Tsuang, William S. Kremen

Psychiatry Publications

We examined network properties of genetic covariance between average cortical thickness (CT) and surface area (SA) within genetically-identified cortical parcellations that we previously derived from human cortical genetic maps using vertex-wise fuzzy clustering analysis with high spatial resolution. There were 24 hierarchical parcellations based on vertex-wise CT and 24 based on vertex-wise SA expansion/contraction; in both cases the 12 parcellations per hemisphere were largely symmetrical. We utilized three techniques—biometrical genetic modeling, cluster analysis, and graph theory—to examine genetic relationships and network properties within and between the 48 parcellation measures. Biometrical modeling indicated significant shared genetic covariance between size of several …

Political Attitudes Develop Independently Of Personality Traits, Peter K. Hatemi, Brad Verhulst

Psychiatry Publications

The primary assumption within the recent personality and political orientations literature is that personality traits cause people to develop political attitudes. In contrast, research relying on traditional psychological and developmental theories suggests the relationship between most personality dimensions and political orientations are either not significant or weak. Research from behavioral genetics suggests the covariance between personality and political preferences is not causal, but due to a common, latent genetic factor that mutually influences both. The contradictory assumptions and findings from these research streams have yet to be resolved. This is in part due to the reliance on cross-sectional data and …

Genome-Wide Association Data Suggest Abcb1 And Immune-Related Gene Sets May Be Involved In Adult Antisocial Behavior, J E. Salvatore, A C. Edwards, J N. Mcclintick, T B. Bidgeli, A Adkins, F Aliev, H J. Edenberg, T Foround, V Hesselbrock, J Kramer, J I. Nurnberger, M Schuckit, J A. Tischfield, X Xuei, D Dick

Psychiatry Publications

Adult antisocial behavior (AAB) is moderately heritable, relatively common and has adverse consequences for individuals and society. We examined the molecular genetic basis of AAB in 1379 participants from a case–control study in which the cases met criteria for alcohol dependence. We also examined whether genes of interest were expressed in human brain. AAB was measured using a count of the number of Antisocial Personality Disorder criteria endorsed under criterion A from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV). Participants were genotyped on the Illumina Human 1M BeadChip. In total, all single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) accounted for …

Who Are Those “Risk-Taking Adolescents”? Individual Differences In Developmental Neuroimaging Research, James M. Bjork, Dustin A. Pardini

Psychiatry Publications

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has illuminated the development of human brain function. Some of this work in typically-developing youth has ostensibly captured neural underpinnings of adolescent behavior which is characterized by risk-seeking propensity, according to psychometric questionnaires and a wealth of anecdote. Notably, cross-sectional comparisons have revealed age-dependent differences between adolescents and other age groups in regional brain responsiveness to prospective or experienced rewards (usually greater in adolescents) or penalties (usually diminished in adolescents). These differences have been interpreted as reflecting an imbalance between motivational drive and behavioral control mechanisms, especially in mid-adolescence, thus promoting greater risk-taking. While intriguing, …

Impact Of Task Load And Gaze On Situation Awareness In Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Control, Joseph T. Coyne, Ciara M. Sibley

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2015

Increasing levels of automation and rising costs of manpower are pushing the DoD towards a supervisory control paradigm for future unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) missions. Using the Supervisory Control Operations User Testbed, a group of 20 participants completed two twenty minute supervisory control missions where eye tracking and performance data were collected. Each mission had 3 levels of task load; which were manipulated by varying the frequency of events to which the user responded. During each level, the simulation paused and a situation awareness (SA) probe appeared with all UAVs and targets randomly placed on the map. Participants were tasked …

Behavioral Traps In Crew-Related Aviation Accidents, Jonathan Velázquez, Allen Peck, Timothy Sestak

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2015

The majority of aviation accidents are still attributed to human error, with flight crew actions accounting for the majority of these mishaps. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has identified 12 behavioral traps that can ensnare even experienced pilots. This study examined the FAA-defined behavioral traps and the regularity with which they occurred in flight crew related accidents. The top three traps were Neglect of Flight Planning, Preflight Inspection, and Checklists; Loss of Positional or Situational Awareness; and Getting Behind the Aircraft, which were found in 72%, 61%, and 48% of aviation accidents, respectively. The results showed the contributing factors of …

Fusion: A Framework For Human Interaction With Flexible-Adaptive Automation Across Multiple Unmanned Systems, Allen J. Rowe, Sarah E. Spriggs, Daylond J. Hooper

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2015

Future unmanned systems operators and heterogeneous unmanned systems must be able to work as agile synchronous teams to complete tactical reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition related missions requiring the use of automation to assist the human operator. Interface research in this area is critical to the success of human-automation teaming, thus requiring a research test bed that brings together humans, autonomy, and systems. Fusion is a framework that enables natural human interaction with flexible and adaptive automation via the use of intelligent agents reasoning among disparate domain knowledge sources, machine learning providing monitoring services and intelligent aids to the operator, …

Haptic Guidance, Interaction Between The Guidance Model And Tuning, M.M. (Rene) Van Paassen, Rolf P. Boink, David A. Abbink, Mark Mulder, Max Mulder

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2015

A haptic interface, also called haptic display, is a system that informs and aids a human operator by forces on the control device (stick, steering wheel or other). These interfaces are being explored for many fields, e.g., for UAV control, (tele-)robotics, automotive control and flying. The force feedback helps in control tasks and increases the operator’s awareness. Proper design of such interfaces promotes “shared control”, where an autonomous agent and the human operator can jointly exercise control on a dynamic system. The human’s flexibility and adaptivity of his neuromuscular system offers ways to override the haptic support, should this be …

A Regression Of Consumer Atttitudes Toward Airport Water Reuse, Ismael Cremer, Stephen Rice, Scott R. Winter

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2015

Recent studies have focused on characterizing and understanding the public’s perceptions of risk with respect to general reuse projects (Baggett, Jefferson & Jefferson 2005; Hurlimann 2011; Toze, 2005). These studies have shown varying attitudes toward water reuse and are necessary to assess the public’s risk perception and acceptance of water reuse before implementing it. To date, no studies have examined whether certain variables affect people’s attitudes toward the water reuse concepts at airports. Four hundred and four participants from India and the United States participated in a study wherein various socio-economic were collected along with their attitude scores toward water …

Toward Head-Up And Head-Worn Displays For Equivalent Visual Operations, Lawrence (Lance) J. Prinzel Iii, Jarvis (Trey) J. Arthur, Randall E. Bailey, Kevin J. Shelton, Lynda J. Kramer, Denise R. Jones, Steven P. Williams, Stephanie J. Harrison, Kyle K. Ellis

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2015

A key capability envisioned for the future air transportation system is the concept of equivalent visual operations (EVO). EVO is the capability to achieve the safety of current-day Visual Flight Rules (VFR) operations and maintain the operational tempos of VFR irrespective of the weather and visibility conditions. Enhanced Flight Vision Systems (EFVS) offer a path to achieve EVO. NASA has successfully tested EFVS for commercial flight operations that has helped establish the technical merits of EFVS, without reliance on natural vision, to runways without category II/III ground-based navigation and lighting requirements. The research has tested EFVS for operations with both …

Perspectives Of Unsuccessful Air Traffic Control Specialists, Linda G. Pierce, Cristina L. Byrne

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2015

Approximately one-quarter of air traffic controller trainees fail field training at their first facility assignment. In some cases, those who fail the training qualifications at their first air traffic control facility assignment are allowed to transfer to a less complex facility. We surveyed a sample of these controllers to identify their perceptions of work-related and external factors that contributed to their failure and subsequent request for reassignment. For example, although these controllers were selected to work at their first facility, in part, based on their aptitude for the job, some said they simply could not do the work at the …

A3ir-Coree And Flightprofiler: An Academic-Industry Partnership For Sms Development, John H. Mott, Mark C. Ball

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2015

FlightProfiler, a safety management system software for general aviation that has been under development since 2000, quantifies and illustrates how 79 different factors collectively affect planning for general aviation flights. The software uses advanced collaborative decision-making technology and NextGen analytics to prescreen an entire flight cycle, with objectives of improving flight safety and reducing costs. The Advanced Aviation Analytics Institute for Research (A3IR-CORE) at Purdue University has entered a partnership with the software developer to improve the usability of the product in a collegiate aviation environment. This includes creating process flow diagrams of the software and of Purdue flight operations, …