The influence of different work shifts on the decision-making performance of military flight controllers

• Grant number: 07/04566-8
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: November 01, 2007
• End date: October 31, 2009
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Physiological Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Marco Túlio de Mello
• Grantee: Marco Túlio de Mello
• Host Institution: Departamento de Psicobiologia. Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The main objectives of this project are evaluate the influence of work shift on the decision-making performance of flight controllers and compare his decision-making performance under regular working conditions and under rest. 15 military flight controllers will participate in the study. They are all male, stationed in the Naval Base of São Pedro da Aldeia (RJ), work in different shifts and have a minimum experience of five years as flight controllers. The flight controllers will be organized into five groups and will be evaluated in five experimental situations (Morning shift – 07:00 to 13:00; Afternoon shift – 13:00 to 19:00; Night shift– 19:00 to 07:00; Off duty and after vacation). We’ll be used for the data collection the sleep, chronotype, personality and POMS questionnaires. The controllers will submit to decision-making battery for Vienna Test System and will be monitored by actigraphy and polysomnography. The study will be carried out in three major phases. In the first phase they will fill out the questionnaires on sleep, determination of chronotype and Eysenck’s personality test. In the second phase, the decision-making processes of the volunteers will be monitored before and after the shift by the battery of tests of the Vienna System in three shifts for us to evaluate the effects of shift on the decision-making processes. The volunteers will answer the questionnaire of profile of mood states before and after the work shift for us to analyze the effects of shift on mood. They will also undergo a polysomnography at the end of each work shift. The actigraphy and the sleep log will be randomly performed for one week in the shift of the controller. In the third phase, the decision-making processes will be evaluated after a vacation period so that we can determine a state of optimal rest. They will fill out the POMS, answer the battery of the Vienna System and undergo a polysomnography before the first work shift. The flight controllers will be monitored by an actigraphy and fill out the sleep log in their last 15 days of vacation. We’ll expect that the decision-making performance of flight controllers will be significantly better after his return from a period of vacation or break. (AU)