Effects of Cold Air Stress on the Performance of a Command and Control Task

Performance on a simulated command and control warfare task was examined as a function of cold-air-induced adrenergic stress. Twenty participants who were experienced with naval war fighting systems completed a scripted 54-min scenario task while exposed to room temperatures of either 22°C or 4°C. The combined task and cold-exposure paradigm significantly elevated heart rate and catecholamine levels. Task performance was nearly identical for both groups for the scenario as a whole. During a 12-min portion of the scenario when hostilities were simulated, stressed participants were more liberal with missile fire and more conservative in their responses to commands requiring greater knowledge of the tactical situation. The responses to commands requiring participants to identify symbols with particular attributes were equivalent for both groups during the hostilities phase. The study demonstrates the utility of the task-independent stressor paradigm for the examination of complex task performance under stress.