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The Impact of Environmental Stress on Cognitive Performance: A Systematic Review
Kristy Martin1, Emily McLeod1, Julien Périard1
1University of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
Human Factors
|April 20, 2019
Summary
Environmental stressors like heat, cold, and altitude significantly impair cognitive and military task performance. Strategies such as acclimatization and task familiarity can mitigate these negative effects.
Area of Science:
- Environmental physiology
- Cognitive science
- Military performance science
Background:
- Military personnel operate in diverse and extreme environments, facing challenges like heat, cold, and altitude.
- Sustaining high cognitive and operational performance under these conditions is critical.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the impact of environmental stress on cognitive and military task performance.
- To identify individual characteristics and interventions that mitigate negative effects.
Main Methods:
- A systematic review of four major electronic databases (Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Web of Science) was conducted.
- Studies included healthy human cohorts assessing cognition or military task performance under environmental stress.
Main Results:
- 124 studies were included, examining heat stress (31), cold stress (20), altitude exposure (59), and below-sea-level conditions (18).
- The severity and duration of stress, task complexity, and individual skill level influence performance impairment.
Conclusions:
- Environmental stressors significantly impact cognitive and military task performance.
- Mitigation strategies should focus on reducing physiological and perceptual disturbances.
- Effective strategies include acclimatization, task habituation, and thermal stress reduction techniques like cooling.
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