Experimental analysis of cockpit noise environment effects on flight trainees’ cognitive performance

Abstract

The cockpit of a civilian aircraft is filled with noise sources with high noise intensity. Noise not only causes the most direct physiological damage to flight trainees, but also adversely affects their cognitive abilities. In order to clarify the specific changes in cognitive function of flight trainees in the noise environment, this paper investigates the impact of cockpit noise intensity (quantified by sound pressure level, SPL) on the cognitive ability of flight trainees. While the study primarily focuses on SPL as the key variable, future research could extend this work by incorporating time-frequency characteristics to further elucidate the mechanisms of noise effects. Healthy male flight trainees aged 18-24 were selected to conduct repeated controlled experiments in different sound pressure level noise environments, and the changes of human cognitive ability indexes in different noise environments were measured by the Neurobehavioral Evaluation System (NES). The experimental results showed that visual retention, visual attention span, and spatial perception were significantly affected by noise, while the visual complexity response showed stability. There was a significant correlation between the indexes of visual retention, visual attention span, and spatial perception. The effects of noise on cognitive ability are not independent, and there are interactions. Increased noise intensity negatively affected flight trainees” memory, allocation of attentional resources, and perceptual abilities.