HUMAN GROUP PERFORMANCE DURING CONFINEMENT

Abstract
Six Air Force Academy cadets were confined for 15 days in a simulated advanced-system crew compartment while following a schedule of 4-hours on duty and 2-hours off, and two 5-man crews of USAF pilots were confined for 30 days while alternating shifts on a schedule of 4-hours on duty and 4-hours off. While on duty the opera tors were tested with a battery of 6 performance tasks, 2 of which required interactions among crewmembers in the form of exchanges of information, cooperation, and temporal coordination. In addition, the data of the present studies were compared with those of two previous 15-day tests of two crews who worked the 4-2 schedule while being tested with a battery of 5 individual performance tasks. The data suggest that with proper control of selection and motivational fac tors, crews can work effectively for periods of at least 2 weeks and probably longer using a schedule of 4-hours on duty and 2-hours off. Crews can work even more effectively for periods of at least a month and quite probably for 2 or 3 months using a schedule of 4-hours on duty and 4-hours off, and with this schedule less demand ing controls of selection and motivational fac tors are required.

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