Working together can help battle effects of fatigue

August 17, 2011 in Psychology & Psychiatry

Fatigue can lead to dangerous errors by doctors, pilots and others in high-risk professions, but individuals who work together as a team display better problem-solving skills than those who face their fatigue alone, new research shows.

"Teams appear to be more highly motivated to perform well, and team members can compare solutions to reach the best decision when they are fatigued. This appears to allow teams to avoid the inflexible thinking experienced by fatigued individuals," said Daniel Frings, PhD, a senior lecturer in at London South Bank University. His study was published online this week in the American Psychological Association's : Applied. The work was supported by a grant from the Economic and Social Research Council, a government-funded organization serving the United Kingdom.

The study examined the problem-solving skills of 171 army officer cadets during a weekend training exercise. Individual cadets and teams of four cadets from the University of London Officers' Training Corps worked on a series of . Some cadets were tested at the beginning of the training when they were rested, while others were tested at the end when they were exhausted from military drills, night watch duty, and a . The results showed that individual soldiers who were fatigued performed significantly worse on the tests than alert soldiers. However, teams of cadets performed just as well when they were tired as when they were alert.

Many studies have shown how affects individuals, but little research has explored how teams cope with fatigue. The cadets, who ranged in age from 18 to 24, completed math tests that measured the "Einstellung effect," a type of inflexible thinking where individuals rely on previous solutions to problems rather than adapting to new situations that may require a different approach.

"Flexible thinking during problem solving is vital in many fields," Frings said. "Failing to adapt quickly to new situations can be very dangerous in constantly changing environments, such as hospitals and battlefields. A doctor may misdiagnose a patient if he always connects one group of symptoms with a certain condition rather than considering other possibilities. Military leaders also may overlook potential risks to soldiers if they don't adapt their thinking to changes on the ground."

The cadets completed 10 problems involving hypothetical water jugs that had to be filled to certain levels by pouring the jugs into one another. Some problems had multiple solutions so cadets had to show flexible thinking as they worked through the test. Teams may handle fatigue better than individuals because some team members may be less susceptible to fatigue and still able to perform at a high level, the study found.

In situations where fatigue is a factor, decisions should be made by teams rather than individuals when possible, the study concluded. If that isn't practical, then organizations should train their employees to identify the inflexible thinking that can result from fatigue and possibly delay crucial decisions.

More information: "The Effects of Group Monitoring on Fatigue-Related Einstellung During Mathematical Problem Solving," Daniel Frings, PhD, London South Bank University; Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, Online First, August 17, 2011.

Provided by American Psychological Association search and more info website

not rated yet  

Rank not rated yet
Related Stories
Relevant PhysicsForums posts
  • Potential Breakthrough in Seizure Control
    createdMay 26, 2012
  • Popping/Cracked sternum.
    createdMay 25, 2012
  • Which Mental Illness Encompasses This Problem?
    createdMay 25, 2012
  • A question about drug tolerance
    createdMay 23, 2012
  • Poor nutrition leading to overeating?
    createdMay 23, 2012
  • Math and dyslexia?
    createdMay 21, 2012
  • More from Physics Forums - Medical Sciences

More news stories

More mental health care urged for kids who self-harm

(HealthDay) -- Doctors have long known that some kids suffering severe emotional turmoil find relief in physical pain -- cutting or burning or sticking themselves with pins to achieve a form of release.

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 25, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Questionable research practices surprisingly common

(Medical Xpress) -- Not all scientific misconduct is flat-out fraud. Much falls into the murkier realm of “questionable research practices.” A new study finds that in one field, psychology, these practices are surprisingly ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 25, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Feeling strong emotions makes peoples' brains 'tick together'

Experiencing strong emotions synchronises brain activity across individuals, research team at Aalto University and Turku PET Centre in Finland has revealed.

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 24, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Formal recognition of PMDD will lift stigma for women

A decision to recognise premenstrual dysphoric disorder as a genuine psychiatric condition will finally provide “validation for this awful and poorly understood” syndrome and alleviate the stigma ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 24, 2012 | popularity 2 / 5 (1) | comments 1

Long-term meditation leads to different brain organization

(Medical Xpress) -- People who practice mindfulness meditation learn to accept their feelings, emotions, and states of mind without judging or resisting them. They simply live in the moment.

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 24, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (8) | comments 0 | with audio podcast


Keep food safety in mind this memorial day weekend

(HealthDay) -- Picnics, parades and cookouts are as much a part of Memorial Day weekend as tributes to the United States' war veterans.

Color-changing contact lenses to help diabetics (w/ Video)

For the millions of Americans with diabetes, the inconvenient and often painful method of testing blood sugar levels is a way of life. But research and innovative product design by scientists at The University of Akron may ...

Missouri opts for untested drug for executions

(AP) -- The same anesthetic that caused the overdose death of pop star Michael Jackson is now the drug of choice for executions in Missouri, causing a stir among critics who question how the state can guarantee ...

Thioridazine kills cancer stem cells in human while avoiding toxic side-effects of conventional cancer treatments

A team of scientists at McMaster University has discovered a drug, thioridazine, successfully kills cancer stem cells in the human while avoiding the toxic side-effects of conventional cancer treatments.

Of mice and mental models: Neuroscientific implications of risk-optimized behavior in the mouse

(Medical Xpress) -- Regardless of an organism’s biological complexity, every encephalized animal continuously makes under-informed behavioral choices that can have serious consequences. Despite its ubiquity, ...

Like curry? New biological role identified for compound used in ancient medicine

Scientists have just identified a new reason why some curry dishes, made with spices humans have used for thousands of years, might be good for you.