Fear-Potentiated Startle: A Review from an Aviation Perspective

Martin, Wayne; Murray, Patrick Stuart; Bates, Paul Raymond; Lee, Paul S. Y.

doi:10.1080/10508414.2015.1128293

Cited by 30 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Or should training scenarios primarily involve unexpectedness ( Bürki-Cohen, 2010 )? To answer these questions, some authors have focused on the causes and effects of surprise (e.g., Kochan et al, 2004 ; Rankin, Woltjer, & Field, 2016 ), and others have described those of startle ( Martin et al, 2015 ). In the current paper, we present a conceptual model ( Figure 1 ) that brings the existing knowledge about startle and surprise together.…”

Section: A Conceptual Model Of Startle and Surprisementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, several authors have pointed out that startle and surprise are different responses, with different causes and effects (e.g., Bürki-Cohen, 2010 ; Martin, Murray, Bates, & Lee, 2015 ; Rivera et al, 2014 ). A startle is a brief, fast, and highly physiological reaction to a sudden, intense, or threatening stimulus, such as the sound of a pistol shot ( Ekman, Friesen, & Simons, 1985 ; Martin et al, 2015 ; Thackray, 1988 ). Measurable aspects of startle include eye blinks, contraction of facial and neck muscles, arrest of ongoing behaviors, increased physiological arousal, and reports of fear or anger.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dealing With Unexpected Events on the Flight Deck: A Conceptual Model of Startle and Surprise

Landman

Groen²,

Paassen

et al. 2017

Hum Factors

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Objective:A conceptual model is proposed in order to explain pilot performance in surprising and startling situations.Background:Today’s debate around loss of control following in-flight events and the implementation of upset prevention and recovery training has highlighted the importance of pilots’ ability to deal with unexpected events. Unexpected events, such as technical malfunctions or automation surprises, potentially induce a “startle factor” that may significantly impair performance.Method:Literature on surprise, startle, resilience, and decision making is reviewed, and findings are combined into a conceptual model. A number of recent flight incident and accident cases are then used to illustrate elements of the model.Results:Pilot perception and actions are conceptualized as being guided by “frames,” or mental knowledge structures that were previously learned. Performance issues in unexpected situations can often be traced back to insufficient adaptation of one’s frame to the situation. It is argued that such sensemaking or reframing processes are especially vulnerable to issues caused by startle or acute stress.Conclusion:Interventions should focus on (a) increasing the supply and quality of pilot frames (e.g., though practicing a variety of situations), (b) increasing pilot reframing skills (e.g., through the use of unpredictability in training scenarios), and (c) improving pilot metacognitive skills, so that inappropriate automatic responses to startle and surprise can be avoided.Application:The model can be used to explain pilot behavior in accident cases, to design experiments and training simulations, to teach pilots metacognitive skills, and to identify intervention methods.

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Section: A Conceptual Model Of Startle and Surprisementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dealing With Unexpected Events on the Flight Deck: A Conceptual Model of Startle and Surprise

Landman

Groen²,

Paassen

et al. 2017

Hum Factors

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Rivera et al 2014) and on the more general effects of acute stress on aircrew performance (Dismukes et al 2015). There are only a limited number of studies but these have shown individual variation in response and recovery patterns, as well as pilots' awareness of this effect (Martin et al 2015(Martin et al , 2016. And of course, startle effects are not peculiar to pilots.…”

Section: Startle Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing Safety Performance: Non-technical Skills and a Modicum of Chronic Unease

Flin

2017

Beyond Safety Training

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Current debates on professionalism and safety cover a range of interpretative challenges and theoretical perspectives, as the workshop organized by FonCSI in 2015 revealed. One avenue for consideration was to address the question of the role of professionalism in the job with regard to safety. For example, should safety training just be part of normal job training or should it have a separate and distinctive position in the training curriculum? In this paper, I consider two ways in which safety training and safety thinking are being integrated into routine managerial and technical work. The first of these is behavioural, namely to focus on the non-technical skills (NTS) for a given job, as evidenced by the airlines' Crew Resource Management training and assessment programmes. This approach is now being adopted in other safety-critical sectors, such as acute medicine and offshore oil and gas operations. The second direction is more attitudinal in nature: it examines the relatively novel concept of chronic unease, derived from the High Reliability Organisation literature. These two approaches show that addressing both workplace behaviours (non-technical skills) and underlying attitudes to operational risks (chronic unease), can help to build protective skills for safety into the professional job repertoire.

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“…The negative consequences of startle involve an acute increase in stress (Martin, Murray, Bates, & Lee, 2015, which could negatively affect cognitive functioning as well as perceptual-motor control (Eysenck, Derakshan, Santos, & Calvo, 2007). The negative consequences of surprise include the need for mentally taxing efforts, or "sensemaking activities," to solve the existing cognitive mismatch (Klein, Phillips, Rall, & Peluso, 2007) before one can take appropriate actions.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Surprise on Upset Recovery Performance in Airline Pilots

Landman

Groen²,

Paassen

et al. 2017

The International Journal of Aerospace Psychology

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Objective: The aim of this study was to test if performance of airline pilots, in performing an aerodynamic stall recovery procedure, decreases when they are surprised, compared to when they anticipate a stall event.Background: New flight-safety regulations for commercial aviation recommend the introduction of surprise and startle in upset prevention and recovery training. This calls for more evidence on the effects of surprise on pilot performance, as well as methods to effectively induce surprise in training simulators.Method: The study took place in a motion-base simulator with a poststall aerodynamic model. Using a within-subjects design, the recovery performance of 20 pilots was tested in 2 conditions: 1 anticipated condition, and 1 surprise condition. In addition to flight parameters, subjective and physiological data relating to surprise and startle were measured.Results: Pilots had significantly more difficulties with adhering to the recovery procedure in the surprise condition compared to the anticipation condition. The subjective and physiological measures confirmed that the manipulation mainly increased surprise, and to a lesser extent also startle.Conclusion: The results suggest that pilots have more difficulty in managing an upset situation (i.e., an aerodynamic stall) when this situation is presented unexpectedly, underlining that upset prevention and recovery training should include elements of surprise.

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Fear-Potentiated Startle: A Review from an Aviation Perspective

Cited by 30 publications

References 28 publications

Dealing With Unexpected Events on the Flight Deck: A Conceptual Model of Startle and Surprise

Dealing With Unexpected Events on the Flight Deck: A Conceptual Model of Startle and Surprise

Enhancing Safety Performance: Non-technical Skills and a Modicum of Chronic Unease

The Influence of Surprise on Upset Recovery Performance in Airline Pilots

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