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A summary of research on psychological factors that cause substantial changes in the reliability indicators of an operators work is followed by a conclusion that strong moral-volitional qualities are the basic factors that make the human behavior under conditions of stress effective; emotional subcortical subdominants affect a person's conscious organization and self control in a man machine environment.
Muscle hardness measurements in a squeezing dynamometer test are interpreted for expressions of adjustment effects of the central nervous system in rapid response to a starting signal. It is shown that preliminary muscle tension leads to the transmission of inhibiting proprioceptive impulses to the nervous system centers and that the degree of pre-working changes depends on the individual's typological personality characteristics. Concentration of attention during the pre-working adjustment is considered the primary emotional factor that controls sensorimotor performance.
Weightlessness, hypokinesia and intense activity of crew members caused changes in human physiological functions during prolonged space flight as expressed in unusual diurnal rhythms. Microclimate, radiation and the nervous emotional state were not of significance in emergence of human body response reactions.
Fecal bile acid patterns for the Apollo 17 flight were studied to determine the cause of diarrhea on the mission. The fecal sterol analysis gave no indication of an infectious diarrhea, or specific, or nonspecific etiology occurring during the entire flight. It is assumed that the gastrointestinal problems encountered are the consequences of altered physiology, perhaps secondary to physical or emotional stress of flight.
New methodologies were utilized to study the influence of the hypothalamus on the cardiovascular system. The regulation of myocardial activity was investigated in monkeys with hypothalamic lesions that eliminate cardiovascular responses. Observations showed that a specific part of the hypothalamus regulates changes in myocardial contractility that accompanies emotion. Studies of the hypothalamus control of renal blood flow showed the powerful potential control of this organ over renal circulation.
Man's response to exposure to spaceflight and weightlessness is expressed in physiological adjustments which involve his health and ability to function. The amplitude and periodicity of fluctuations in biological processes affect various functions and responses to provocative stimuli. Primates and other species are subjected to tests to determine the consequences of an altered biorhythm on work and performance, emotional stability, biomedical evaluation in space, the ability to cope with the unexpected, and susceptibility to infection, toxicity, radiation, drugs, and stress. Factors in the environment or operational setup which can change the physiological baseline must be determined and controlled.
The emotional effect of different applications of electrodes and the fixation for cariographic examination was investigated using guinea pigs. The effect of the stress is discussed in terms of heart rhythm and behavior.
A comparative study was performed on the reports of community reactions to aircraft noise. The direct and immediate reactions to aircraft noise such as perceived noisiness, interference with conversations, etc. and various emotional influences were most remarkable; indirect and long term influences such as disturbance of mental work and physical symptoms were less remarkable.
Fixation stress was used as a model of emotional disturbance. The effect of previous restrictions on mobility on the local redistribution of blood resulting from fixation stress was examined. Disturbances in carbohydrate which result from prolonged hypokinesia was studied. Radioactivity was used to determine the local redistribution of blood. Modified factor analysis was used to study the results of the experiment.
A semiautomatic module for two monkeys was designed. The module shelters two Rhesus monkeys seated side by side in a compartment, reducing the emotional stresses caused by isolation. Food pellets, water, and air are supplied and body wastes are automatically removed. Physiological and environmental parameters are continually monitored, making possible the performance of experiments concerning the pathophysiological mechanisms of the disorders of weightlessness. A ten day flight of the module in Spacelab was simulated.
Human annoyance response to aircraft noise is studied. Subject matter covered includes: emotional response to acoustic noise; loudness differences and scaling techniques.
Continued exposure to noise in real life can be a source of physiological stress possibly capable of causing health disorders beyond that of direct damage to the auditory receptor system. Some theorists hold that some of these effects occur because of innate, reflexive responses to noise that cannot be prevented or, when suppressed, that require some effort that may itself become somewhat debilitting in time. An alternative theory is that the truly nonhabituating reflexive responses to noise are not sufficient in character to cause any ill health, and that those responses to noise that are or could be significant in this regard are not directly the result of exposure to noise but are responses to the emotional meanings conveyed by the sounds. Obviously, the degree to which noise can lead to harm to nonauditory physiological systems of the body are questions of utmost importance for the assessment of the need for noise control.
Space Station crews will encounter new problems, many derived from the social interaction of groups working in space for extended durations. Solutions to these problems must focus on the structure of groups and the interaction of individuals. A model of intervention is proposed to address problems of interpersonal relationships and emotional stress, and improve the morale, cohesiveness, and productivity of astronaut teams.
A model for the quantitative assessment of human spatial habitability is presented in the space station context. The visual aspect assesses how interior spaces appear to the inhabitants. This aspect concerns criteria such as sensed spaciousness and the affective (emotional) connotations of settings' appearances. The kinesthetic aspect evaluates the available space in terms of its suitability to accommodate human movement patterns, as well as the postural and anthrometric changes due to microgravity. Finally, social logic concerns how the volume and geometry of available space either affirms or contravenes established social and organizational expectations for spatial arrangements. Here, the criteria include privacy, status, social power, and proxemics (the uses of space as a medium of social communication).
The crucial importance of a thorough understanding of the psychological and interpersonal dimensions of Mars flights is indicated. This is necessary both to reduce the chances that psychological problems or interpersonal frictions will threaten the success of Mars missions and to enhance the quality of life of the people involved. Adaptation to interplanetary flight will depend on an interplay of the psychological stresses imposed by the missions and the psychological strengths and vulnerabilities of the crewmembers involved. Stresses may be reduced through environmental engineering, manipulating crew composition, and the structuring of situations and tasks. Vulnerabilities may be reduced through improving personnel selection procedures, training personnel in psychological and group dynamics, and providing mechanisms for emotional support. It is essential to supplement anecdotal evidence regarding the human side of space travel with the results of carefully conducted scientific research.
Changes in the immunoresponsiveness of 'T' lymphocytes following space flight have been reported previously. Additional data collected before and after 11 Shuttle space flights show that absolute lymphocyte numbers, lymphocyte blastogenic capability, and eosinophil percent in the peripheral blood of crewmembers are generally depressed postflight. These responses resemble those associated with physical and emotional stress and may not be related to flight per se. Additional data from Space Shuttle flights 41B and 41D, involving 11 crewmembers, indicate a postflight decrease in cells reacting with 'B' lymphocyte and monocyte monoclonal antibody tags. Further, the loss of 'T' lymphocyte blast capability correlates with the decreased monocyte count (correlation coefficient = 0.697). This finding implies that the previously reported loss of blastogenic capability may be a function of decreased monocyte control, as noted in several nonspaceflight related studies.
The literature on environmental color to enhance habitability in the design of Space Station interiors is reviewed. Some 200 studies were examined to determine the relative contributions of the three dimensions of color (hue, saturation, and brightness or lightness) to responses to environmental colorations. Implications of the study for color usage in novel settings and locales include: (1) There are no hard-wired linkages between environmental colors and particular judgmental or emotional states; (2) Perceptual impressions of color applications can, however, affect experiences and performances in settings; (3) Color behavior studies cannot yet specify an optimal color scheme, but instead must consider differing objectives, the relative importance of each, and design features such as the coordination of geometry, color, texture, etc.; (4) Some color-behavior effects are governed by low-level retinal and limbal mechanisms as well as by cognitive processes; and (5) Colors should first be specified in terms of what they are to do instead of what they are. Some exercise of choice is therefore needed to establish a sense of personal competence in the setting, since color must be ultimately be accepted by the people who are to live with it.
The applicability of conventional mathematical analysis (based on the combination of two-valued logic and probability theory) to problems in which human judgment, perception, or emotions play significant roles is considered theoretically. It is shown that dispositional logic, a branch of fuzzy logic, has particular relevance to the common-sense reasoning typical of human decision-making. The concepts of dispositionality and usuality are defined analytically, and a dispositional conjunctive rule and dispositional modus ponens are derived.