Twelve experienced divers repeatedly performed several representative underwater work tasks for 90-min. sessions at water temperatures of 50°, 60°, and 70° F. Time to complete the task was the primary performance measure; choice reaction time, with mental arithmetic as loading task, and four physiological measurements were also recorded. The subjects worked in 6 1/2 ft. of water wearing full 3/16-in.-thick wet suits and SCUBA equipment. Performance on all tasks except mental arithmetic tended to decrease as water temperature decreased. Most performance measures also showed a significant decrement over time and a significant time-by-temperature interaction. The general trend in performance measures was also reflected in several of the physiological measurements.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BaddeleyA. D.Influence of depth on the manual dexterity of free divers: A comparison between open sea and pressure chamber testing. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1966, 50, 81–85. (a).
2.
BaddeleyA. D.Nitrogen narcosis and the working diver. Triton, 1966, Jan.-Feb., 24–26. (b).
3.
BaddeleyA. D.DeFigueredoJ. W.CurtisJ. W. H.WilliamsA. N.Nitrogen narcosis and performance under water. Ergonomics, 1968, 11, 157–164.
BennettP. B.PoultonE. C.CarpenterA.CattonM. J.Efficiency at sorting cards in air and a 20 per cent oxygen-helium mixture at depths down to 100 feet and in enriched air. Ergonomics, 1967, 10, 53–62.
6.
BowenH. M.AndersonB.PromiselD.Studies of divers' performance during the Sealab II Project. Human Factors, 1966, 8, 183–199.
7.
BowenH. M.MillerJ. W.Man as an undersea inhabitant and worker. Ergonomics, 1967, 10, 611–615.
8.
BowenH. M.PeplerR. D.Studies of the performance capabilities of divers: The effects of cold, Technical Report SSD No. 67-399. Office of Naval Research, Washington, D.C.: 1967.
9.
ClarkR. E.The limiting hand skin temperature for unaffected manual performance in the cold. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1961, 45, 193–194.
10.
ClarkR. E.CohenA.Manual performance as function of rate of change in hand skin temperature. Journal of Applied Physiology, 1960, 15, 496–498.
11.
ClarkeR. S. J.HellonR. F.Hyperaemia following sustained and rhythmic exercise in the human forearm at various temperatures. Journal of Physiology, 1959, 145, 447–498.
12.
CousteauJ.-Y.Working for weeks on the sea floor. National Geographic, 1966, 129, 498–537.
13.
FoxW. F.Human performance in the cold. Human Factors, 1967, 9, 203–220.
14.
GaydosH. F.Effect on complex manual performance of cooling the body while maintaining the hands at normal temperature. Journal of Applied Physiology, 1958, 12, 373–376.
15.
GaydosH. F.DusekE. R.Effect of localized hand cooling versus total body cooling on manual performance. Journal of Applied Physiology, 1958, 12, 377–380.
16.
GlickmanN.MitchellH. H.KeetonR. W.LambertE. H.Shivering and heat production in men exposed to intense cold. Journal of Applied Physiology, 1967, 22, 1–8.
17.
HongS. K.RahnH.The diving women of Korea and Japan. Scientific American, 1967, 216, 34–43.
18.
HorvathS. M.FreedmanA.The influence of cold upon the efficiency of man. Journal of Aviation Medicine, 1947, 18, 158–164.
19.
Le BlancJ. E.Impairment of manual dexterity in the cold. Journal of Applied Physiology, 1956, 9, 62–64.
20.
LockhartJ. M.Effects of body and hand cooling on complex manual performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1966, 50, 57–59.
21.
LockhartJ. M.Extreme body cooling and psychomotor performance. Ergonomics, 1968, 11, 249–260.
22.
MackworthN. H.Finger numbness in very cold winds. Journal of Applied Physiology, 1953, 5, 533–543.
23.
MacInnisJ. B.The medical and human performance problems of living under the sea. Journal of the Canadian Medical Association, 1966, 95, 191–200.
24.
PauliD. C.ClapperG. P. (Ed.) Project Sealab report: an experimental 45-day undersea saturation dive at 205 ft. Report ACR-124. Office of Naval Research, Washington, D.C.: 1967, 187–271.
25.
ProvinsK. A.ClarkeR. S. J.The effect of cold on manual performance. Journal of Occupational Medicine, 1960, 2, 169–176.
26.
ProvinsK. A.MortonR.Tactile discrimination and skin temperature. Journal of Applied Physiology, 1960, 15, 155–160.
27.
RubinL. S.Manual dexterity of the gloved and bare hand as a function of the ambient temperature and duration of exposure. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1957, 41, 377–383.
28.
TeichnerW. H.Manual dexterity in the cold. Journal of Applied Physiology, 1957, 11, 333–338.
29.
TeichnerW. H.Reaction time in the cold. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1958, 42, 54–59.
30.
WaiteC. L.The human mechanism in a hyperbaric environment. Unpublished document, M.I.T. Special summer program: Engineering aspects of the oceanic environment, Cambridge, Mass., 1966.
31.
WeltmanG.EgstromG. H.Perceptual narrowing in novice divers. Human Factors, 1966, 8, 499–506.
