Predictors of behavior and performance in extreme environments: The Antarctic space analogue program

Background: To determine which, if any, characteristics should be incorpora ted into a select-in approach to screening personnel for longduration space flight, we examined the influence of crewmember social/demographic characte ristics, personality traits, interpersonal needs, and characteristics of st ation physical environments on performance measures in 657 American men who spent an austral winter in Antarctica between 1963 and 1974. Methods: Duri ng screening, subjects completed a Personal History Questionnaire which obt ained information on social and demographic characteristics, the Deep Freez e Opinion Survey which assessed 5 different personality traits, and the Fun damental interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior (FIRO-B) Scale which measured 6 dimensions of interpersonal needs. Station environment included measures of crew size and severity of physical environment. Performance was assessed on the basis of combined peer-supervisor evaluations of overall p erformance, peer nominations of fellow crewmembers who made ideal winter-ov er candidates, and self-reported depressive symptoms. Results: Social/demog raphic characteristics, personality traits, interpersonal needs, and charac teristics of station environments collectively accounted for 9-17% of the v ariance in performance measures. The following characteristics were signifi cant independent predictors of more than one performance measure: military service, low levels Of neuroticism, extraversion and conscientiousness, and a low desire for affection from others. Conclusions: These results represe nt an important first step in the development of select-in criteria for per sonnel on long-duration missions in space and other extreme environments. T hese criteria must take into consideration the characteristics of the envir onment and the limitations they place on meeting needs for interpersonal re lations and task performance, as well as the characteristics of the individ uals and groups who live and work in these environments.