Exposure to Mild Hypoxia and Implications for Decision Making

Eight healthy male subjects were required to make speeded responses to the Manikin task and to complete a flight simulation instrument landing task during prolonged exposure to a partially oxygen-deficient environment (mild hypoxic hypoxia). The subjects were exposed, in a hypobaric chamber, to experimental conditions at altitudes of Sea Level, 6,000ft, 8,000ft, 10,000ft, and 14,000 ft. All subjects served as their own controls. The individual variability of physiological responses to the hypoxic insult, reported by other researchers, was confirmed. Accuracy on the Manikin was adversely affected by decreasing blood oxygen saturation. Changes in blood oxygen saturation were not correlated with reaction time on the Manikin task or any dependent variables on the Flight Simulator task. Implications for skill-based and rule-based decisionmaking in gliding and the use of supplementary oxygen are discussed. EXPOSURE TO MILD HYPOXIA AND IMPLICATIONS FOR DECISION MAKING Bob Henderson M.Sc. October 2001