United States Department of Transportation
i
Alcohol and disorientation-related responses. III, Effects of alcohol ingestion on tracking performance during angular acceleration.
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1971-04-01
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[PDF-2.20 MB]
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Edition:OAM report.
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Abstract:Most studies of the effects of alcohol on human performance involve static (absence of motion) situations. However, the addition of motion, involved in such activities as piloting an aircraft, might well produce impairments not usually obtained in static situations.
The present study examined some of the effects of alcohol ingestion on visual tracking performance (eye-hand coordination) during angular acceleration. Following practice and base-line tests of tracking performance in both static (stationary) and dynamic (whole body angular acceleration) conditions, 10 subjects received orange juice which contained 2.0 ml of 100-proof vodka per kg of subject weight; another 10 drank orange juice with a few drops of rum extract added. Tests, conducted 1, 2, 4, 8, and 10 hours after drinking, were in total darkness with the exception of the visual display which was illuminated to recommended levels for cockpit instruments.
Static tracking errors for Alcohol subjects were significantly higher than those of Control subjects only at the 4-hour session. However, Alcohol subjects made significantly more dynamic tracking errors than Controls during the 1-, 2-, and 4-hour sessions.
These data suggest that eye-hand coordination may show little or no impairment following alcohol ingestion in static situations, yet may be seriously degraded during motion.
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