The Effects of Sustained Operations on Female Soldiers Performance.

Abstract

Many studies have evaluated male soldiers from combat arms occupations during sustained operations. However, it is not known to what extent these findings can be applied to female soldiers for determining whether Army training and doctrine ensure their military effectiveness. Therefore, the major objective of this study was to compare the effects of sustained operations of male and female soldiers in a field environment. The field study examined cognitive performance; subjective mood, fatigue, and environmental ratings; and physiological measurements. Sleep deprivation and time-of-testing factors were evaluated for these measures. The study's secondary objective was to describe changes in the soldier's activity levels and performance assessments of field work. A total of 26 soldiers (13 females and 13 males) from the 180th Transportation Battalion, stationed at Ford Hood, Texas, participated in this study. One of the main objectives of this study was to determine if sustained operations affected women and men differently. With the exceptions of oral temperature and logical reasoning, gender differences during sleep deprivation were not found. Results indicate there would be minimum impact on extended military operations involving women participants.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1997
Accession Number
ADA332956

Entities

People

  • Teresa A. Treadwell

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Applied Psychology
  • Army Personnel
  • Cognitive Workload
  • Digestive System Processes
  • Human Factors Engineering
  • Measurement
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military Operations
  • Military Research
  • Motor Skills
  • Performance Tests
  • Psychology
  • Psychophysiology
  • Reasoning
  • Sleep Deprivation
  • Training

Readers

  • Brain and Cognitive Science; Experimental Psychology; Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Gender and Food Studies
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies