EVOKED-POTENTIAL, CARDIAC, BLINK, AND RESPIRATION MEASURES OF PILOT WORKLOAD IN AIR-TO-GROUND MISSIONS

Brain evoked potentials were successfully recorded from F-4 pilots dur ing air-to-ground training missions. They were recorded during two fli ght segments. During one the pilot was flying, and during the other, t he weapon systems officer was flying the aircraft. The P2 component of the brain-evoked potential evidenced reduced amplitude during the pil ot-flying segment, while the Nl component was reduced during both flig ht tasks compared to ground-based tasks. These data indicate that the P2 amplitude is sensitive to the level of pilot workload. These result s were further substantiated using simultaneously recorded physiologic al data and subjective workload measures. For example, cardiac inter-b eat intervals decreased during flight segments relative to those recor ded when performing a tracking task, and further reduced for the pilot -flying vs. the weapon systems officer-flying segment. Eye blink measu res were sensitive to the visual demands of the various tasks. These d ata show that evoked potentials can be recorded during flight, and tha t, together with cardiac and eye blink data, they provide a composite picture of operator state.