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Measuring mental workload and physiological reactions in marine pilots: building bridges towards redlines of performance

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-19, 15:05 authored by Orlandi, L, Benjamin BrooksBenjamin Brooks
This paper investigates the effects of shiphandling manoeuvres on mental workload and physiological reactions in ten marine pilots. Each pilot performed four berthings in a ship simulator. Those berthings were differentiated by two factors, level of difficulty and familiarity with the port. Each berthing could also be divided into five phases, three during the execution and two resting periods, one before and one after the execution (dedicated to baseline physiological data collection). Mental workload was measured through two self assessment scales: the NASA TLX and a Likert scale. Power spectral densities on Beta bands 1 and 2 were obtained from EEG. Heart rate and heart rate variability were obtained from ECG. Pupil dilation was obtained from eye tracking. Workload levels were higher as berthings increased in difficulty level and/or the pilots completed the berthings in unfamiliar ports. Responses differed across specific phases of the berthings. Physiological responses could indirectly monitor levels of mental workload, and could be adopted in future applications to evaluate training improvements and performance. This study provides an example of an applied methodology aiming to define an upper redline of task demands in the context of marine pilotage.

Funding

Australasian Marine Pilots Institute

History

Publication title

Applied Ergonomics

Volume

69

Pagination

74-92

ISSN

0003-6870

Department/School

Australian Maritime College

Publisher

Elsevier Sci Ltd

Place of publication

United Kingdom

Rights statement

Copyright 2018 Elsevier Ltd.

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Domestic passenger water transport (e.g. ferries)

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