COGNITIVE AND PSYCHOMOTOR PERFORMANCE TESTS AND EXPERIMENT DESIGN IN MULTIPLE CHEMICAL-SENSITIVITY

People suffering from multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) complain of a variety of symptoms that could impair cognitive and psychomotor func tion either directly or indirectly. This paper discusses the use of co gnitive and psychomotor performance tests together with some experimen t designs that could be considered for use to assess fitness of MCS su fferers for work or the efficacy of diagnostic, preventative, or thera peutic measures. The tests could also contribute to the body of object ive information on MCS and help sway the opinion of those who are dubi ous of its authenticity. The credentials of cognitive and psychomotor performance tests are derived from their successful use in studying th e effects of drugs, and the types of tests are illustrated by describi ng those used by the United Kingdom Defence Evaluation and Research Ag ency Chemical and Biological Defence Human Studies Group, which has be en involved in the assessment of drugs and chemicals on work performan ce for many years. The tests include mathematical, verbal and spatial processing, tracking, reaction time, attention and vigilance, and memo ry tests. The discussion of experiment designs includes both repeated measures and parallel groups designs together with their advantages an d disadvantages and some suggested modifications to accommodate the pa rticular problems posed by MCS.