1. Physiological and psychophysiological
methods for assessment of efficiency
and fatigue
Efficiency is the ability of the person to
perform work with certain capacity for certain
period of time (working shift).
Efficiency could be physical and
neuropsychological.
2. Fatigue is a physiological condition,
condition
expressed in temporary reduction of
human’s capacity to perform physical,
mental or psychological activity.
Fatigue is an important protective
phenomenon of organism.
Fatigue could be expressed as a feeling
of lack of energy and motivation.
It could be physical, mental or both.
3. Several groups of methods are available for
psychophysiological assessment of efficiency and fatigue
Assessment of the concentration of attention
Such studies can be performed with the help of
different tests in the form of characters (letters,
shapes) or computer programs. The investigated
person have to struck a sign or combination of
characters in a consistent view of lines.
4. A test of this kind is the one of Anfifmov, using
letters. The test consists of 40 lines with 40
characters for line, situated in different
sequence. The test should be performed for
3 minutes.
The results are reported as the number of signs
crossed correctly, the omited ones or redundand
ones.
The attention’s concentration is evaluated by the
rate of the productivity factor and by the factor
of accuracy, using special formulas.
5. Schultze sample provides information about the
volume, flexibility and allocation of the attention.
In the test are used tables with 49 enumerated squares
– from 1 to 25 are colored in black, and from 1 to 24
– colored in red, located in random order. The
investigated person is asked to indicate and name the
black and red squares consistently – the black ones in
ascending order (from 1 to 25), and the red ones – in
descending order (from 24 to 1).
The test is performed for 2-3 min. and the number of
errors and the time for discovery of numbers are
reported, which increase with appearance of fatigue.
6. Determination of the volume, accuracy
and speed of received information
The test below (using tables, consisting of
the rings of Landolt or other symbols) is
performed to evaluate the vision, as well as
the speed and accuracy when processing
visual information.
The ring of Landolt has a hole opening in
different clockwise. The test consists of 32
rows by 32 characters.
7. Should be conducted for 2-3 min. and is
used to measure the speed recorded by
the ring reading. The results are
converted into bits per second.
As a result of the fatigue onset the speed
of revising the information have been
reduced and the number of errors
increased.
8. The test enables to assess rescuers,
firefighters, soldiers, policeman and
other demanding occupations,
requiring control and, for example,
could be performed before and after
training process at polygon.
The results correlate particularly with
the results of assessment of prolonged
attention concentricity.
9. Tremometry
A method revealed for assessment of
accuracy and coordination of
movements. The test is conducted with a
special apparatus called tremometer
supplied with coordination curves, on a
sheet of paper with drawn coordination
curve, or with special computer programs.
The test allows to investigate static and
dynamic tremor.
10. To examine the static tremor the person puts a
needle in a metal hole with diameter of 2 mm for
30 sec with an elbow stretched and tries not to
touch the walls of the hole.
In examination of dynamic tremor the tested
person pushes the needle in the canal of the
apparatus (or the pen is passed between the
gutters of the curve) as quickly as possible
without touching the walls. The hand should not
be supported.
The execution time and the number of wall
touches are taken into account in the test.
11. Evaluation of visual function and fatigue
An important indicator of visual function is
the stability of clear vision.
For this evaluation is used the stereoscopic
cube of Korotkov. Clear vision is when the
examined person sees 1 cube at the top row
and 2 cubes at the bottom. The illusory
reversal of the image – a view of 2 cubes at
the top and 1 cube at the bottom is called
unclear vision.
12. The test is performed for 3 minutes
and the person reports the times of
change of clear and unclear vision.
The stability of clear vision is given by
a formula.
The stability of clear vision is LOW
when the result is under 58%.
13. Mental chronometry
Evaluation of the latent period of senso-
motor reaction
Mental chronometry is the use of response
time in perceptual-motor tasks to infer the
content, duration, and temporal sequencing
of cognitive operations.
Mental chronometry is studied using the
measurements of reaction time (RT).
14. Reaction time is the elapsed time between
the presentation of a sensory stimulus and the
subsequent behavioral response.
In psychometric psychology it is considered
to be an index of speed of processing. That
processing
is, it indicates how fast the thinker can
execute the mental operations needed by the
task at hand.
In turn, speed of processing is considered an
index of processing efficiency.
efficiency
15. The behavioral response is typically a button
press but can also be an eye movement, a vocal
response, or some other observable behavior.
Response time is the sum of reaction
time plus movement time.
Simple reaction time is the time required for
an observer to respond to the presence of a
stimulus. In simple reaction time experiments
there is only one stimulus and one response.
For example, a subject might be asked to press
a button as soon as a light or sound appears.
16. Mean RT for college-age individuals is about
160 ms to detect an auditory stimulus, and
approximately 190 ms to detect visual stimulus.
Recognition or Go/No-Go reaction time tasks
require that the subject press a button when one
stimulus type appears and withhold a response
when another stimulus type appears.
For example, the subject may have to press the
button when a green light appears and not
respond when a blue light appears.
17. In choice reaction time (CRT) tasks there
are multiple stimuli and multiple responses
and distinct responses are required for each
possible class of stimuli. The reaction should
correspond to the correct stimulus.
For example, the subject might be asked to
press one button if a red light appears and a
different button if a yellow light appears.
Performers may receive stimuli by the eyes,
the ears and kinestetic sense.
18. Discrimination reaction time involves
comparing pairs of simultaneously presented
visual displays and then pressing one of two
buttons according to which display appears
brighter, longer, heavier, or greater in magnitude
on some dimension of interest.
Reaction time could be influenced by many
factors, such as age, gender, physical fitness,
personal type, whether the stimulus is auditory
or visual etc.
The onset of fatigue extends the reaction
time.
