A study of methods of recuperation from impairment of performance as a result of previous activity

89 Pages·03.919 MB·English

by  Prange, Elizabeth M

A STUDY OF METHODS OF RECUPERATION FRCM IMPAIRMENT OF PERFORMANCE
AS A RESULT OF PREVIOUS ACTIVITY
A Dissertation
Presented to
the Faculty of the Graduate School
The University of Southern California
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
by
Elizabeth M« Prange
June 1950
UMI Number: DP29689
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This dissertation, written by
.............ELIZ1BETH..1L..EHANGE.....................................
under the guidance of h.^r— Faculty Committee
on Studies, and approved by all its members, has
bee*n presented to and accepted by the Council
on Graduate Study and Research, in partial ful­
fillment of requirements for the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
1ean
Date. AUGUST _.!95Q
Committee on Studies
\trman
ii
TABIE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. INTRODUCTION......................................................................... 1
The problem .........................................................................* 2
Statement of the problem...................................... 2
Organization of remainder of the dissertation 3
II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE..................... 4
Fatigue and impairment • ....................................... 5
Physiologists* concept ♦ • . . • .................. 5
Psychologists* concept........................................... 8
The special problem of flight fatigue. . . . . 10
Summary of viewpoints on fatig u e .....................• • 13
Studies of the recovery period * • • • • • • • 14
Physiology of recovery from w ork..................... 14
Studies of recuperative aids • • • • • • • • 16
Effect of exercise and recovery upon certain
physiologioal measures ..................... 27
The use of ergographs for studies of fatigue
and recovery • • • • « . . .................................. 31
III. METHODS AND PROCEDURES ................................... 34
The pursuit-meter ergograph................................... 34
The end point of w o rk ........................................... 36
Recuperative m easures........................................... 37
Measurements tak en .................................................... 38
iii
CHAPTER PAGE
Subjects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Indoctrination • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • 39
Experimental procedure • • • • • • • • • • • « 40
Order of experiments • • . • • • • . . . . • • 42
XV. ANALYSIS OF DATA........................... ........................« . . . 43
The analysis of variance technique..................... 43
Analysis of work time. • • • • • • • • • • • • 44
Analysis of physiological data • • • • • • • • 47
Correlation Work I and Work I I ..................... 50
V. INTERPRETATION AND DISCUSSION OF RESULTS.................. 51
Work Period II • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 53
Physiological measures • • • • • • • • • • • • 54
Subjective comments . • • • • • • • • • • • • 55
VI. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS..................... 60
Conclusions • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • 63
Implications for further study . . • • • • • • • 64
BIBLIOGRAPHY.......................................................................................... 66
APPENDIX................................................................................................... 74
iv
LIST OP TABLES
table: page
I AGE* HEIGHT, WEIGHT..................................................... 74
II SITTING (1) RECUPERATION............................................. 75
III MILD EXERCISE ................................................. 76
IV COLD PACK ....................................... 77
V HOT SHOWER.......................................................................... 78
VI WHISKEY............................................................ 79
VII SITTING (S )...................................................................... 80
VIII MEANS, WORK I AND I I . ................................................ 81
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Tasks which are fatiguing and which cannot be made easier by
adjustments in work rate or load are often arranged in multiple work
periods separated by periods of rest* During the periods of rest
some recovery from fatigue is made* The amount of recovery during
the rest period is a factor in the performance in the subsequent work
periods* Thus, procedures which increase the amount of recovery
would directly improve the performance of the subsequent work* Fur­
thermore, the cumulative effect of such reductions in post-exposure
intensity and duration of fatigue may well reduce deterioration of
v ital functions observed in men in stressful occupations*
M ilitary flying missions frequently follow the pattern of al­
ternating stress and rest* Periods of flight may be alternated with
periods of rest, during which time the aircraft is on the ground for
refueling, rearming or reloading* /While the aircraft is on the ground,
the flyer has the opportunity of gaining some measure of reoovery
from the fatigue of the previous flight* Greater reduction of fatigue
in such situations may increase the flyer*s tolerance to successive
stressful missions, reduce flying accident rates and contribute to
the prolongation of active flying careers*
The question of the proper care of the flyer between flights
is of great concern to the flig h t surgeon. Several different
procedures have been suggested to hasten the flyer*s recovery from
fatigue, and a few of them have been administered* An objective as­
sessment of these procedures in terms of improvement of performance in
subsequent flight tasks has not been made*
The objective assessment of several varieties of recuperative
procedures of potential use by flyers in m ilitary aircraft is the sub-
jeot of the study reported in this paper*
THE PROBLEM
Statement of the problem. The purpose of this investigation was
to differentiate between various recuperative procedures as to their ef-
fectiveness in facilitating recovery from stress resulting from a simu­
lated flight task*
There were three primary aspects of the investigation, each of
which contributes to the study of the effectiveness of the recuperative
procedures (l) to design and construct ah apparatus which would simu­
late some of the' components present in the operation of aircraft, such
as coordination, visual response, decision and submaximal muscular ef­
fort; (2) to determine an end point of measurement for each task since
the stress experienced by pilots is acknowledged to be a state less than
physical exhaustion; and (3) to determine the relative recuperative ef­
fects of certain procedures which might be used by flyers of m ilitary
aircraft in the brief periods between suooessive tasks.
ORGANIZATION OF REMAINDER OF TEE DISSERTATION
The remainder of the dissertation is organized in an effort to
acquaint the reader with literature pertinent to the problem (Ghapter II)
to present a systematic discussion of the methods and procedures used
(Chapter III); and to convey a clear understanding of the analytical
treatment of the data with ensuing results (Chapter IV)• A discussion
and interpretation of results obtained follows in Chapter V* A summary,
conclusions and recommendations for further study appear in Chapter VI.
Complete tables of data are found in the Appendix.
4
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
* A review of scientific literature revealed much research on mus­
cular work performed in response to external stim uli. These research
workers were concerned primarily with maximum effort* its effect on the
human organism and the measurement of changes which occur when work -
ceases* Litble and inconclusive evidenoe appears in the literature con­
cerning the effects of various agents upon the recovery from previous
activity* Effects of recuperative aids* when mentioned* have been in­
cidental to the research* the primary concern having been with the adap­
tation of the organism to alteration of homeostasis*
Further, those studies most prevalent in the literature concerned
with impairment of performance were focused upon small muscle groups and
the ** localized fatigue11 syndrome. Rot until the last decade has atten­
tion been sharply focused upon the generalized1* concept of impairment
and fatigue* Increased pressure of industrial production and the strains
and stresses of war upon members of the armed forces and civilians brought
forth the need to study and investigate the vague and generally unknown
area of fatigue resulting not from maximal physical effort but from the
demands made upon the organism by an array of complex stim uli.
As a result of the war-time impetus given to these problems, a
variety of concepts has been forthcoming concerning the nature of