| Title | The effects of simulated sonic booms on tracking performance and autonomic response. |
|---|---|
| Record ID | 39163 |
| Personal Name Creator |
Thackray, Richard I.; Touchstone, Mark; Jones, Karen N. |
| Corporate Creator | Civil Aeromedical Institute |
| Corporate Contributor |
United States. Office of Aviation Medicine |
| Publisher | Civil Aerospace Medical Institute |
| Publication Date | 19710600 |
| Language | English |
| Abstract | Subjects were exposed to four simulated 'indoor' sonic booms over an approximate thirty-minute period. The overpressure levels were 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 psf (as measured 'outdoors') with durations of 295 milliseconds. Subjects performed a two-dimensional compensatory tracking task during the exposure period and continuous recordings were obtained of heart rate and skin conductance. No evidence of performance impairment was found for any of the overpressure levels. Rather, performance improved significantly following boom stimulation along with heart-rate deceleration and skin conductance increase. The obtained pattern suggests that the simulated booms may have elicited more of an orienting or alerting response than a startle reflex. The results are discussed in terms of the possible importance of rise time as a determinant of the physiological and performance effects which may be produced by sonic booms. Since faster rise times of the simulated booms might have increased loudness sufficiently to change these results considerably, care should be taken to avoid drawing unwarranted conclusions, relative to general sonic boom effects, on the basis of these findings alone. |
| Rosap ID | dot:20966 |
| Rosap URL | https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/20966 |
| TRT Terms | Sonic boom; Sonic tests; Task analysis; Heart rate; Galvanic skin response; Attention; Alertness; Performance measurement; Motor reactions; Laboratory studies; Motor skills; Automatic tracking; Human subject testing; Distraction; Oscilloscopes; Galvanometers; Noise generators; Testing |
| General Subjects | Sonic boom--Testing; Heart beat; Galvanic skin response; Attention; Reaction time; Motor ability; Automatic tracking; Distraction (Psychology); Oscilloscopes; Noise generators (Electronics) |
| Classification | NTL - AVIATION - AVIATION; NTL - PLANNING AND POLICY - Aviation Planning and Policy |
| Geographical Coverage |
United States |
| Report Number | FAA-AM-71-29; DOT/FAA/AM-71/29 |
| Resource type | Tech Report |
| URL | https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/39000/39100/39163/AM71-29.pdf |
| Format | |
| Database | NTL Digital Repository |