Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


ucin1300210920.pdf (1.09 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Effects of Anxiety on Change Detection in a Command and Control Task

Panganiban, April Rose
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1300210920

Abstract Details

2011, MA, University of Cincinnati, Arts and Sciences: Psychology.
Air battle management (ABM) operations places high demands on operator attention; operators are required to manage an airspace cluttered with aircraft, identify changes in amity of entities and respond appropriately to these aircraft. Awareness of the severe consequence of errors in detection and the risk of physical harm may contribute to operator stress and anxiety. Anxiety research shows a selective attention bias to threat-related information which, according to attentional control theory, impairs the inhibition and shifting stages of executive functioning related to attention. In the ABM context, task anxiety may increase change blindness by interfering with attentional processes. The current study aimed to observe these effects in dyads performing a simulated ABM task. Participants controlled fighter aircraft to destroy incoming enemy planes and protect their own assets. General aims of the study were to distinguish the impacts of trait and state anxiety on detection of target aircraft differing in threat, and to test the role of anxiety produced by a mood induction. Forty-six individuals were pre-screened for inclusion based on low and high trait anxiety such that teams of low, mixed and high trait anxiety might be compared. All teams performed the task in both neutral and anxious mood conditions. This experiment utilized a 3 × 3 × 2 × 2 mixed-model design. The between-groups factor was team composition (low anxious, mixed anxious, high anxious). Within-groups factors included trial mood state (Neutral-1/Anxious/Neutral-2), time, and target amity (neutral, low-threat, high-threat). The dependent measures collected in this experiment included measures of offensive and defensive performance in the air battle management task, measures of change detection, and three subjective state measures including the Dundee Stress State Questionnaire (DSSQ), State-Trait Personality Inventory (STPI) and the NASA Task Load Index (TLX). Team × Time mixed-model analyses of variance (ANOVA) were run on all subjective state measures, i.e. state anxiety, stress state, and workload. Multiple 3 × 3 × 3 (Team × Mood State × Target Amity) mixed-model ANOVAs were performed for change detection frequency and reaction time, number of enemies killed, time to prosecution, and attacks sustained. Additionally, correlational analyses were conducted for all subjective and objective dependent variables. As predicted, state anxiety was elevated by the anxious mood induction with increases in state anxiety accompanied by changes in distress. Also, higher state anxiety in high anxious teams provided partial support for the hypothesis that trait anxiety would elevate state anxiety. The hypothesis that threat level of change events would influence detection was supported. Offensive performance of ABM task improved with time, and defensive performance was poorer in low trait anxious teams. Understanding the effects of trait and state anxiety on change blindness and performance in ABM operations are complicated by the presence of multiple sources of stress inherent to the task. The results of this study suggest that there may be a benefit to trait anxiety in ABM operations. Team selection should consider optimizing the performance advantages associated with high trait anxiety.
Gerald Matthews, PhD (Committee Chair)
Chung-Yiu Chiu, PhD (Committee Member)
Gregory Funke, PhD (Committee Member)
Benjamin Knott, PhD (Committee Member)
Michael Riley, PhD (Committee Member)
93 p.
Cognitive Psychology; Experimental Psychology; Military Studies; Personality Psychology; Psychology
Personality; Anxiety; Attention; Teams; Change Blindness; Command and Control

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Panganiban, A. R. (2011). Effects of Anxiety on Change Detection in a Command and Control Task [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1300210920

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Panganiban, April Rose. Effects of Anxiety on Change Detection in a Command and Control Task. 2011. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1300210920.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Panganiban, April Rose. "Effects of Anxiety on Change Detection in a Command and Control Task." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1300210920

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1300210920
1,344
© 2011, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.