An Information-Processing Interpretation of Air Traffic Control Stress

Abstract

The air traffic controller's job is inherently stressful, resulting in a variety of stress-related symptoms and illnesses. Unusually high information-processing demands are placed upon controllers for extended periods of time, so that they often must work close to the limits of their channel capacity. The effort required to process information, maintain continuous concentration, and render timely and reasonable decisions is likely to be very stressful. Although stress-related performance decrements would not be acceptable in the typical air traffic control situation, the effects of stress may manifest themselves in social and family relationships and in physical and mental health. It is possible that laboratory measures of information processing (such as the delayed digit recall subsidiary task) could be used to evaluate reserve capacity and thereby predict the ability to cope with stress. Air traffic controllers with higher channel capacities may be less likely to make errors under conditions of stress and less likely to suffer the physiological consequences associated with high information-processing demands.