Understanding the Relationship Between Flying Performance and Emotions in an Aviation Training Task

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Sixteen
  In Roundtable Session: Simulation and the Enhancement of Performance (Table 14)

Abstract

Human error and flying performance have been linked to pilots’ affect in complex situations (Martins, 2016). This study aims to contribute to aviation training by understanding the link between emotions and performance in a simulated flying task, X-Plane. A k-cluster analysis grouped trainees according to performance: high-performers (n=10) had lower variance in precision (compared to themselves) and error (compared to target metric), with an antagonist pattern for low-performers (n=9). The groups differed in emotional responses. High-performers reported higher control, experienced more physiological arousal, and expressed more anger and disgust during flying tasks, whereas low-performers expressed more fear and surprise. These findings demonstrate that accounting for emotions in flight training can influence performance, consequently these results have implications for aviation training.

Authors

• Alejandra Ruiz-Segura, McGill University
  Presenting Author

• Tingting Wang, McGill University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Xiaoshan Huang, McGill University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Chengyi Tan, McGill University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Yimei Zhang, McGill University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Tianshu Li, McGill University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Susanne P. Lajoie, McGill University
  Non-Presenting Author