, FHRL -TR-77-3 AIR FORCE -P,' STRESS AND PERFORMANCE IN T-37 PILOT TRAINING H By Gary S. Krahenbuhl Jariies R. Marett Norman W. King SA ATreizmopnea, SAtaritzeo Unan i8ve5rMsity8 A N ~FLYING TRAINING DIVISION 0 Williams Air Force Base, Arizona 85224 r Ica: R C'# May 1977 / Interim Report for Period January 1976 - November 1976 S 0 U Approved for public release; distribution unlimited. R E S LABORATORY C-3 AIR FORCE SYSTEMS COMMAND BROOKS AIR FORCE BASETEXAS 78235 ,' b NOTICE When US Government drawings, specifications, or other data are used for any purpose other than a definitely related Government procurement operation, the Government thereby incurs no responsibility nor any obligation whatsoever, and the fact that the Government may have formulated, furnished, or in any way supplied the said drawings, specifications, or other data is not to be regarded by implication or otherwise, as in any manner licensing the holder or any other person or corporation, or conveying any rights or permission to manufacture, use, or sell any patented invention that may in any way be related thereto. This interim report was submitted by Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85281, under contract F41609.75-C.0028, project 2313, with Flying Training Division, Air Force Humnan Resources Laboratory (AFSC), Williams Air Force Base, Arizona 85224. Mr. Gary B. Reid, Training Innovations Branch, was the contract monitor. This report has been reviewed and cleared for open publication and/or public release by the appropriate Office of Information (01) in accordance with AFR 190-17 and DoDD 5230.9. There is no objection to unlimited distribution of this report to the public at large, or by * iDDC to the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). * 'lids tqchnical report hos been reviewed and is approved for publication. EDWARD E. EDDOWES, Technical Adviser Flying Training Division DAN D. FULGHAM, Colonel, USAF Commander I .., A' .................................. . I ................. .... ... ..... . .. . D~ISIOUlONH/AVAYAMIT4Y CQDE3. I' SECURtITY CLASSIFICATION OF' THIS PAGE MIS9en Dlata Intoer.,. __________________ Rc'REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE BEOECMLEIGPR REOR 116B2. GL-OVATC CESSION NO. 5.RECIPIENT'S CATALOG NUMEERM EPORT DOVERED TTRA1NN4GEINN;-37 S. PERFORMING ORG. REPORT NU S1. CONTRACT OR GRANT NUMEER(s) 0 ar S anuhI Norman g8 F46 C, 28~ I.IFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS to . PROGRAM ELEMt TROET TASK ,.in'jVeromac ~/,> W-4-~ ARE A a WORAK UN IT NPUMMUERS1 1., CONITROLLING OFFICE NAME AN ADDRESS~i S2l eenR ErPnU RIT CLASSTE hi eot HQA ir Force Human ResourcesL aboratory (FC a P7 Williams Air Force base, Arizona 85224 Ti-6 DECLASSI FICATION/ DOWNGRAD~ING IS. DISTRINUTION STATEMENT (of this Report) Approved for public release; diatribution unlimited. 1I7T IUINSTATEMENT (of the abstract entered in Block 20, If diffetrent from Report) IS. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES * Is. KEY WORDS (Continuea n reverse aide It necessary end Identify by block number) catecholanilne epinephrine h noreplLaphruin stress pilot training 20., AUISTRACT (Continue oi reverse aide it necessary and Identify by block number) Catecholanilne excretion was determined for USAF student pilots (N r- 8) during three basal and four T-37' triig conditions. When viewed as the dependent variable, catecholamin, excretion patterns support the conclusion that the Basic Cockpit Training Emergency Procedures unit was not stiressfl. The remaining lemon units, icuigPower-on Stall and Spin-recovery, Pirst Solo, and Instrumnent Check lesson units, resulted in a pronounced *stress, response. -When catecholamdine excretion data were interpreted for psychological significance, it was concluded that the lesoam unit which included Power-on Stalls and Spin-recoveries created the highest arousal, anxiety, and apprehension. Student pilot observations support this interpretation. The relative production of epinephrine and noreplnephrine showed changes accompanying pilot training, which may be Interpreted as demonstrative of FOR 147 EDITION OPil NOV 65 IS OBSOLETE nlssfe Unclassified SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAOElT*ham Dale Entered) ._(cid:127)succeoful coping behavior. When compared with Inferior students, pilot trainees rated as superior appe~urd to be ' under lower strem during nearly all phases of the T-37 Undergraduate Training Program. Interestingy, the Increase in epinephrine excretion over basal levels during the three most stressful conditions wa strongly related (r i +.934) to the neurotism. scale of the Eysenck Personality Inventory. Unclassified Table of Contents Introuction ......... . ........ ...................... . * .... . Rationale ............................................................. 5 Objectives ................. . . ..................... 6 Methodology .............-........ ...................... 7 Results and Discussion ................................... 9 Summary .......... . . ............ ...................... , .... 23 References ......... ................................... 25 List of Illustrations Figure Page I Comparison of Previously Reported Catecholamine Excre- tion Data with Data from this Investigation ......... 14 2 Catecholamine Excretion of Superior and Inferior Groups 15 3 Epinephrine Percentage of Total Catecholamine During BASAL and Prior to the Various Test Conditions...... 18 4 Comparison of Previously Reported Epinephrine Excre- tion Data with Data from the Current Investigation.. 19 5 Epinephrine Excretion of Superior and Inferior Groups. 20 "6 Relative Deviation from Control (Inactivity) of Epinephrine and Norepinephrine During Selected T-37 •UPT Units ........................................... 21 List of Tables Table Page 1 Catecholamine Excretion Summary ...................... 10 2 Summary Table of ANOVA for Catecholamine Excretion .... 11 3 Summary Table of Catecholamine Excretion Differences Using the Scheffe Multiple Comparison Method ........ 12 4 Descriptive Personality Data .......................... 16 Stress atid Performance in T-37 Pilot Training Introduction Stress is believed to play an important role in human sensing, perception, and learning (Mathis, 1967). Moderate levels of stress contribute greatly to behavioral effectiveness and stability (Levine, 1971). The learning of complex tasks, however, is inhibited by high levels of stress (Bergstrom, 1967; Horowitz,.1964; Spence & Spence, 1966). The stress of pilot training might be thought of as the sum of all physical and psychological disturbances in the student's environ- ment. Studies on student pilots have led to the conclusion thdt flight training is quite stressful (Mefford, Hale, Shannon, Prigmore, & Ellis, 1971; Melton, Hoffmann, & Delafield, 1969; Melton, McKenzie, Kelln, Hoffmann, & Saldivar, 1975; Melton & Wicks, 1967), though there appears to be considerable variation from student to student (Melton et al., 1969; Melton et al., 1975). Ineffective learning would increase the total training hours and expense of pilot training (Melton et al., 1975), Over-responsive- ness to anticipated or actual problems in training may, at the extreme, result in the loss of property and life (Mefford et al., 1971). This continuum also includes the problem of student elimination from the pilot training program, where one of the most important causes of failure appears to be stress (King, personal communication, 1974). Catecholamine excretion is believed to be a physiological expression of the general stress responses, quantifying total stress as experienced by the individual (Euler, 1954). Excretion rates are believed to accurately reflect the relative intensity of stress as percivedby the subject rather than the absolute intensity (Smith, Flight of even short duration is enough to produce ani increase in the liberation of catecholamines and their excretion into the urine (Euler, 1954; Hale, Duffy, Ellis, & Williams, 1965). The excretion of norepinephrine is related to physical stress (Sarviharju, Huikk, Jouppila, & Kaerki, 1971) and mental work (Frankenhaeuser & Patkai, 1964). The excretion of epinephrine clearly relates to psychic stress (Mason, 1968) and is believed to be a sensitive index of emotional arousal (Frankenhaeuser, 1971). The physical demands of a given undergraduate pilot training ! (UPT) lesson unit are similar for all students, Stress research has shown, however, that individuals vary considerably in their emotional response to the same stressor (Pltts, 1969). This marked variation 3 has also been noted for student pilots (Melton et al., 1975). The reaction is believed to be influenced by the subject's percep ton of the probability, proximity, and degree of unpleasantness of the event, which is viewed as undesirable (Curran & Wherry, 1965). Psychological items -hich are potentially stressful in vary- ing degrees include the fearý oi illure and embarrassment (Melton et al,, 1969), responsibility (Hartman, 1973', the instructor pilot and his approach to teaching (Melton & Wicks, 1967), and fear of physical harm of death (Melton & Wicks, 1967). Certain personality traits may correlate with perceived stress as indicated by physiological vari- ables that reflect activation levels (Fysenck & Eysenck, 1964; Roessler, Burch, & Mefford, 1967; Sadler, Mefford, & Houck, 1971). High neuroticism leads to an overproductton of epinephrine with accom- panying mental excitability (Pitts, 1969). Anxious individuals, per- haps because of a lack of central nervous system inhibition, react sooner, more vigorously, and to less intense stimuli than normal Individuals (Malmo, 1970). Eysenck, whose personality scale is based on physiological theory (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1964), suggests that when stress is a factor, stable extroverts will learn and perform difficult tasks better than Individuals that are more introverted and less stable. Clearly, adaptability and emotional stability represent personality variables that influence performance as much as intelligence (Mefford et al., 1971). Rationale Catecholamine excretion is of interest because it is an accurate Index of stress and because epinephrine and norepinephrine hold physio- logical and behavioral significance for learning and performance (Frankenhaeuser, 1975). At low- and moderate-levels, epinephrine and norepinephrine are related to successful performance (Frankenhaeuser, 1971). At high levels of stress the relationship may still hold for norepinephrine (Frankenhaeiser & Patkai, 1964), but may be inversqly related for epinephrine (r ankenhaeuser, 1971). This is probably because norepinephrine seems to accompany appropriate mental and physical responses (Frankenhaeuser & Patkai, 1964), while high levels of epinephrine result in apprehension (Vogt, 1975), confusion (Frankenhaeuser, 1975),* and muscle tremor (Frankenhaeuser, Jarpe, & Matell,.1961; Tomita, 1975,. Not surprisingly, epinephrine excretion is highest under environmental conditions which are disturbing due to uncertainty, change, and lack of control (Frankenhaeuser, 1971). This response appears to be moderated by learning, which should reduce feelings of uncertainty and result in lower arousal. A decrease in the epinephrine/norepinephrine ,oxcretion ratio may indicate adaptation to the psychic stress which accompanies the UPT learning exp6rience (Sarviharju et al., 1971). "4 Many authors (Bergstrom, 1967; Christy, 1975; Curran & Wherry, 1965; Hartman, 1973; Kuroda, Fujiwara, Okamura, & Utsuki, 1976; Mefford et al., 1971; Melton et al., 1975) have proposed the need for study of human learning and performance in the aerospace environment and their relation to stress. Since catecholamine excretion is a reli- able (Smith, 1966) index of stress, it seemed appropriate to measure and analyze excretion data for significance in the exploration of student failure in UPT. Objecti yes There were three objectives in this investigation. Most basic was the collection of preliminary data to validate the use of catecho- lamine analysis procedures for investigating UPT stress. The second objective was to establish the catecholamine analytic technique as a research tool that could be used to objectively assess the process and effects of'training-related stress. Finally, it was anticipated that the excretion data would improve the understanding of degradation of student performance in UPT relative to levels of apprehension. Methodology The subjects were ten USAF T-37 pilot trainee volunteers. Informed consent was obtained and the research was conducted in con- formance with the principles embodied in the Declaration of Helsinki. Two of the subjects were dropped from the study, one because of academic difficulty, the other because of low urine excretion volumes which are known to adversely affect validity. The Eysenck Personality Inventory (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1964) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger, Gorsuch, & Lushene, 1970) were administered to provide descriptive baseline measures of the individuals' stress response susceptitility. The State Anxiety Scale (Short Form) was completed by the subjects following each of the data collection conditions. Baseline excretion data (BASAL) were gathered on three non, flying days. These inactivity days were selected to avoid academic, physical training and Link trainer requirements so as to involve low- stress conditions. Urine collections were also gathered during four syllabus (ATC, 1975) lesson units; namely, B 1601, the Basic Cockpit Training Emergency Procedures (EP TRAINER); C 2201, First Power-on Stall and Spin (SPIN); C 2401, First Solo (SOLO); and I 2590, Instru- ment Check (CHECK) Rides. 5 The subjects' normal training regime was maintained except for minor scheduling adjustments dictated by the desire to monitor subjects as close to midday as possible, so as to control for diurnal variation in catecholamine excretion. The flight scheduler was successful in providing time slots between 1000 and 1500 hours for a majority of the lesson unit sessions., The realities of flight-line operation pre- cluded 16 percent of the monitored sessions from being executed during the desired period. This was probably not a significant problem since the magnitude of diurnal change is quite small when compared with the excretion levels which were evidenced. All BASAL measurements were gathered during the desired time period. Approximately 30 minutes prior to each flight training condi- tion selected for study, a preflight urine specimen was collected. These samples were analyzed to determine the preflight epinephrine percentage of total catecholamine. Postflight collections covered the time period starting immediately after the preflight voiding, continuous through the training session, and closing prior to the post-lesson debriefing. The exact length of the collection period was noted and recorded. Each specimen was then stabilized and refrigerated. All specimens were analyzed within 48 hours of collection, using the Weil- Malherbe technique (Weil-Malherbe, 1968). Standard solutions of catecholamine and aliquots of standard pools were included as a check of validity. Duplicate determinations were calculated as a check of rel i ab l1 i ty. Results and Discussion "Catecholamine excretion is believed to be a physiological expression of the general stress response, quantifying total stress as experienced by the individual (Euler, 1964). Table 1 displays the catecholamine excretion patterns revealed in the current investigation. Significant mean differences in excretion pattern rates among the five treatment conditions occurred for epinephrine, norepinephrine, and total catecholamine (Table 2). The Scheffe multiple comparison method was employed to explore the contrasts responsible for the significant trial effects. This method was selected because it is known tobe affected very Tittle by violations of the assumptions of normality and equal variance. In addition, the Scheffe method is more rigorous than other multiple comparison methods with regard to Type I error (Ferguson, 1966). Table 3 depicts the paired mean comparisons for the various treatment conditions. The catecholamine excretions values suggest that the B 1601 lesson unit was not significantly different from BASAL 6 N~ tD Im 9-: CO P- M. r4% Ll 04 +1 ~ +1 +1~ ~ L ) OC ' P-Z oL r- - CA.'. 00 dii C~ 9-.I Ul L - NrW to C0 UC 0 1 0C 0 Q' 9- 92 F-