Does exposure to moderate cold affect performance of psychomotor and cognitive tasks?
Exposure to moderate cold negatively impacts performance on complex psychomotor and cognitive tasks requiring sustained attention.
Two experiments were performed to study the effects of exposure to moderate cold ( + 5°C) on psychomotor and cognitive tasks requiring sustained attention. Twelve male and 12 female subjects participated. Skin and core temperatures, heart rate and subjective ratings were recorded. Considerable decrements in manual dexterity were found during exposure, but no effects on simple reaction time or speed of correct response were observed. The effects of cold on the performance of complex tasks were demonstrated as an increase in the number of errors and the speed of incorrect response and as an increase in the number of false alarms on two computerized performance tests. The results, indicating a negative effect of moderate cold exposure on tasks which require speed and which encourage erroneous responses, are discussed in terms of theories of arousal and distraction.
Ann Enander (Thu,) studied this question.
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