TY - JOUR
T1 - The effect of a helmet on cognitive performance is, at worst, marginal
T2 - A controlled laboratory study
AU - Bogerd, Cornelis P.
AU - Walker, Ian
AU - Brühwiler, Paul A.
AU - Rossi, Rene M.
PY - 2014/5/1
Y1 - 2014/5/1
N2 - The present study looked at the effect of a helmet on cognitive performance under demanding conditions, so that small effects would become more detectible. Nineteen participants underwent 30 min of continuous visual vigilance, tracking, and auditory vigilance (VTT + AVT), while seated in a warm environment (27.2 (±0.6) °C, humidity 41 (±1)%, and 0.5 (±0.1) m s wind speed). The participants wore a helmet in one session and no helmet in the other, in random order. Comfort and temperature perception were measured at the end of each session. Helmet-wearing was associated with reduced comfort (p = 0.001) and increased temperature perception (p <0.001), compared to not wearing a helmet. Just one out of nine cognitive parameters showed a significant effect of helmet-wearing (p = .032), disappearing in a post-hoc comparison. These results resolve previous disparate studies to suggest that, although helmets can be uncomfortable, any effect of wearing a helmet on cognitive performance is at worst marginal.
AB - The present study looked at the effect of a helmet on cognitive performance under demanding conditions, so that small effects would become more detectible. Nineteen participants underwent 30 min of continuous visual vigilance, tracking, and auditory vigilance (VTT + AVT), while seated in a warm environment (27.2 (±0.6) °C, humidity 41 (±1)%, and 0.5 (±0.1) m s wind speed). The participants wore a helmet in one session and no helmet in the other, in random order. Comfort and temperature perception were measured at the end of each session. Helmet-wearing was associated with reduced comfort (p = 0.001) and increased temperature perception (p <0.001), compared to not wearing a helmet. Just one out of nine cognitive parameters showed a significant effect of helmet-wearing (p = .032), disappearing in a post-hoc comparison. These results resolve previous disparate studies to suggest that, although helmets can be uncomfortable, any effect of wearing a helmet on cognitive performance is at worst marginal.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84885535089&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.apergo.2013.09.009
DO - 10.1016/j.apergo.2013.09.009
M3 - Article
SN - 0003-6870
VL - 45
SP - 671
EP - 676
JO - Applied Ergonomics
JF - Applied Ergonomics
IS - 3
ER -