Effects of simulated ship motion on the performance of underway officer of the deck

Abstract

The objectives of this study were twofold: to identify those cognitive skills required by the shipboard officer of the deck (00D), and to determine if these skills are affected by simulated ship motion. The Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) was used to analyze the duties of the 00D, and the important areas so identified were tested using the Automated Portable Test System (APTS) and a ship motion simulator. Analysis of the results revealed statistically significant effects on 00D performance due to motion in the areas of visual search and reasoning. In addition, there is some graphical indication that either higher or lower error rates are associated with motion, depending on the nature of the task.