The Use of a Poisson Regression to Evaluate Antihistamines and Fatal Aircraft Mishaps in Instrument Meteorological Conditions.

Background: Research indicates that first-generation antihistamine usage may impair pilot performance by increasing the likelihood of vestibular illusions, spatial disorientation, and/or cognitive impairment. Second- and third-generation antihistamines generally have fewer impairing side effects and are approved for pilot use. We hypothesized that toxicological findings positive for second- and third-generation antihistamines are less likely to be associated with pilots involved in fatal mishaps than first-generation antihistamines.

Open-source products for a lighting experiment device.

The capabilities of open-source software and microcontrollers were used to construct a device for controlled lighting experiments. The device was designed to ascertain whether individuals with certain color vision deficiencies were able to discriminate between the red and white lights in fielded systems on the basis of luminous intensity. The device provided the ability to control the timing and duration of light-emitting diode (LED) and incandescent light stimulus presentations, to present the experimental sequence and verbal instructions automatically, to adjust LED and incandescent luminous intensity, and to display LED and incandescent lights with various spectral emissions.

Stress appraisals and training performance on a complex laboratory task.

Objective: We investigated whether training performance on a complex laboratory task differs for trainees whose stress appraisals denote challenge or threat.

Background: Past research outside a training context found better performance on tasks when stress appraisals denoted challenge (in which perceived situational demands are commensurate with perceived resources) as opposed to threat (in which perceived coping resources fall short of the demands of the stressor).

Method: College students performed Space Fortress during 80 3-min practice trials, 20 tests, and posttests (retention, transfer, secondary task interference).

Revised Space Fortress: a validation study.

We describe briefly the redevelopment of Space Fortress (SF), a research tool widely used to study training of complex tasks involving both cognitive and motor skills, to be executed on current-generation systems with significantly extended capabilities, and then compare the performance of human participants on an original PC version of Space Fortress (SF) with the revised Space Fortress (RSF). Participants trained on SF or RSF for 10 sets of eight 3-min practice trials and two 3-min test trials. They then took tests involving retention, resistance to secondary task interference, and transfer to a different control system.