ABSTRACT

Objective: The aim of this study was to test the effects of visual and vestibular spatial disorientation on the cognitive performance of military aviators while they were piloting a flight simulator.

Background: Spatial disorientation (SD), the inability to correctly determine the position and orientation of the aircraft in relation to the ground, poses a serious threat in aviation and can impair the cognitive performance of pilots while flying. More evidence is needed on the effects of visual and vestibular SD on cognition in flight simulators.

Method: Pilots performed an auditory selective attention (duration discrimination) task (Experiment 1, N = 16) or an auditory working memory (N-back) task (Experiment 2, N = 16) while completing 6 different flight profiles in the disorientation and control conditions in the GYRO-IPT flight simulator. The flight scenarios included 3 visual illusions (false horizon, shape constancy, size constancy) and 3 vestibular illusions (somatogyral illusion, Coriolis effect, the leans).

Results: In both experiments the cognitive performance (task accuracy) decreased for flight profiles with the leans illusion. Also, the flight performance (measured as the number of control reversal errors) was worse for the false horizon illusion and for the somatogyral illusion in both experiments.

Conclusion: The results suggest that SD, particularly the vestibular illusion of the leans, can impair selective attention and working memory processes.

摘要

目的：本研究的目的是测试视觉和前庭空间迷失对军用飞行员在飞行模拟器上的认知表现的影响。

背景：空间迷失方向（SD）无法正确确定飞机相对于地面的位置和方向，对航空业构成了严重威胁，并可能损害飞行员在飞行中的认知能力。在飞行模拟器中，视觉和前庭标清对认知的影响还需要更多的证据。

方法：飞行员在迷失方向和方向上完成6个不同的飞行过程时，执行了听觉选择性注意（持续时间歧视）任务（实验1，N  = 16）或听觉工作记忆（N向后）任务（实验2，N  = 16）。 GYRO-IPT飞行模拟器中的控制条件。飞行场景包括3个视觉幻觉（虚假视线，形状恒定，大小恒定）和3个前庭幻觉（体动幻觉，科里奥利效应，倾斜）。

结果：在两个实验中，通过倾斜的幻觉，飞行剖面的认知性能（任务准确性）均下降。同样，在两个实验中，对于虚假视界幻觉和体躯体幻觉，飞行性能（以控制反转误差的数量来衡量）都较差。

结论：结果表明SD，尤其是倾斜的前庭错觉，可能会损害选择性注意力和工作记忆过程。