The Application of a Computerized Cognitive Screening Tool in Naval Aviators

ABSTRACT Introduction The CogScreen-Aeromedical Edition (CogScreen-AE) is a computerized neurocognitive assessment screening tool developed for the Federal Aviation Administration as a rapid, reliable means of measuring neurocognitive deficiency in civilian airline pilots. This has potential use and assessment of military aviators flying high performance aircraft under extreme conditions; however, no data exist on how the dynamic flight environment affects CogScreen-AE scores. The objectives of this study were to determine what changes in performance on CogScreen-AE scores are seen post-flight in Naval Aviators flying high performance aircraft and to determine the potential for use of CogScreen-AE as a screening tool to evaluate degree of impairment, recovery from neurological illness, and return to duty status of a military aviator. Materials and Methods Repeated measures, within-subjects experimental design with three CogScreen-AE administrations—introduction session, preflight session, and postflight session. An experimental study group was exposed to dynamic flight between preflight and postflight sessions, while a control group flew a desktop computer flight simulator between sessions. Data were analyzed by mixed model ANOVA using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences to compare CogScreen-AE pre- and postflight performance on 5 composite scores of variables that account for 45% of the variance in predicting flight performance. Results Preflight versus postflight scores demonstrated no significant differences in performance attributable to flight in high performance aircraft. Conclusions The CogScreen-AE performance is shown to be consistent preflight to post-flight. These data show that CogScreen-AE may be a reliable clinical instrument for assessing aviators’ cognitive function with regard to return to flight duty decision-making. We anticipate future work in determining how CogScreen-AE can be utilized in the operational environment and documenting recovery from neurologic illness.

The use of non-spatial strategies in the Direction Orientation Task

Spatial ability has been identified as one of the skills needed to be a pilot. However, the test used by the military to measure this ability, the Direction Orientation Task (DOT), has a number of problems. The DOT2, was developed to address issues such as a ceiling effect and the limited number of possible trials. The initial DOT2 validation was done with a group of Naval Aviators, however the current study sought to collect further evidence, within a more variable population. A group of students completed the new DOT2 task, along with a survey on strategy use. We found that the percentage of time participants reported using a math strategy on the task was highly correlated with accuracy whereas the use of a spatial strategy was negatively correlated with accuracy. A similar mathematical solution can be applied to the original DOT, suggesting neither tests may be measuring spatial ability.

Efficacy of Dry Electroencephalography and Cognitive Assessment in Identifying Normobaric Hypoxia in Designated Aviators

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of EEG and cognitive functioning assessments to identify hypoxia in naval aviators. Naval aviators were brought slowly to a 6,096 m exposure to induce normobaric hypoxia while completing a cognitive assessment and a simulated flight task. There were significant reductions in cognitive performance at 6,096 m when compared to sea level. There were no significant changes in EEG-recorded brainwave activity during the 6,096 m exposure compared to sea level. There were also no significant decrements in flight performance at 6,096 m. Additional research is needed to better understand the impact of hypoxia on brainwave activity and pilot performance.

Updating the Direction Orientation Task: An Aviation Selection Tool

Military branches rely on selection and placement testing to help identify individuals who will be well-suited for jobs that they likely have little exposure to or experience with. The goal for this research was to update the Direction Orientation Task (DOT), which is used by both the United States Navy and Air Force as part of their aviation selection batteries. The current version of DOT has limitations such as ceiling effects in some populations and a restriction of range within test scores. We created a new version (DOT2) that attempted to increase the difficulty and variance of the test (among other things discussed in the paper). Ninety-five student Naval Aviators completed an experiment where they completed DOT1, DOT2, and the operation span. Results showed that DOT2 was significantly more difficult and had increased variance compared to DOT1. Scores on DOT1 were highly related to scores on DOT2, both were similarly unrelated to scores the operation span, and both were similarly related to the number of math errors made on the operation span. These preliminary data suggest that DOT2 may be a viable upgrade to DOT1.

The Crew Resource Management Attitudes of U.S. Naval Aviators

The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of, and findings from, a survey designed to measure the Crew Resource Management (CRM) attitudes of U.S. Naval aviators. An attitude questionnaire based upon the Flight Management Attitude Questionnaire (FMAQ) was used. A total of 364 responses were received from U.S. Naval aviators. To obtain acceptable Cronbach's Alpha levels it was necessary to drop nine items from the questionnaire. A comparison of the responses to the questionnaire suggested that tactical jet squadrons may benefit from training on recognizing, and addressing, the effects of stress in other aviators. A more important finding, and counter to expectations, was that senior aviators were significantly more supportive of an open cockpit climate than junior aviators.