Intuition of Flying and Action Competence in Pilot Novices

Introduction: Richard Jung has a famous „son“, who still has enormous influence in the philosophy of mind: H.H. Kornhuber with his detection of the „Bereitschaftspotential“. A great challence for neurophysiology and for contemporary philosophy are still later experiments such as B. Libet's investigations of „mind time“. Aviation Medicin made it possible to distinguish between physiologic mental states of free will and pathologic physical states of regression and somatoform disturbances of coriolis kinetosis.

Material and Methods: In a „Flight Orientation Trainer (FOT)“ in the German Air Force Institut of Aviation Medicine (GAF IAM) a system of FOT-profiles were established to provoke illusionary states in pilots [somatogravic illusion, somatogyral illusion etc. modified by Scherb and Ramerth to a Situation Awareness Paradigm (SAP)]. Fig. 1 shows the Flight Orientation Trainer (FOT) of the GAF. Fig. 2 shows the Situation-Awareness-Paradigm. It was made the systematic approach (Scherb and Ramerth 1996) of putting FOT-profiles to induce mental states in 10 right-handed GAF Novices (aged 20–23 years) to perform three types of illusory states: State I: Situation Awareness. State II: Spatial Disorientation with: SD-Type I, unrecognized (Situation Unawareness) SD-Type II, recognized SD-Type III, incapacitating State III: Coriolis Kinetosis. A set of typical defensive responses of the organism with pallor, epigastric awareness, sweating, headache, dizziness, vertigo, nausea and vomiting differed with individual intensity, but could theoretically induced in each participant. We tried to avoid nausea by breaking off the trials before. Task-related slow potential (SP) shifts, heart-rate and respiration rate were monitored with a Neuro-Scan-Program (Neuro-Scan Inc.). The epochs of brain function of the pilot were separated in three steps: Anticipation - Task - Feedback. Anticipation: The FOT-gondola was moved simultaneously around the planetary, pitch and roll axis.Task: Fade-in of the attitude indicator. Feedback: Evolution by an instructor pilot. Successive increasing planetary motion (5,10 and 15 rpm) induced decreasing situation awareness and increasing intuition of flying followed by spatial disorientation and coriolis kinetosis.

Results: Grand means of DC-potential-shifts reflect similar reactions to task demands between subjects.Successful adaptation corresponds to negative DC-shift while unpleasant sensations and unsuccessful performance correspond with positive DC-shift.

Conclusion: Experimental design of different states of situation awareness can show, that physiologic mental states make it possible that human beings have the possibility to act free. To decide if a decision is free or not you need both the according experimental design and the mental and physical corresponding measurements.

References:

Jung R., Hassler, R. (1960) The extrapyramidal motor system. In: Field, J. et al. (Eds.): Handbook of Physiology

Kornhuber, H.H. (1978) Geist und Freiheit als biologische Probleme. In R.A.Stamm & H.Zeier (Hrsg.), Die Psychologie des 20.Jahrhunderts (Bd.6). Zürich:Kindler

Libet, B. (2004) MIND TIME. Harvard University press. Cambridge,Massachusetts; London, England

Fig. 1

Fig. 2