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Biomedical subjects

B G Kanki

Publications and source records attributed to B G Kanki.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Speech production and cognitive deficits on Mt. Everest.

Deficits in speech motor control and in the comprehension of syntax were observed as five members of the 1993 American Sagarmatha Expedition ascended Mt. Everest. We analyzed speech recordings and cognitive test scores of the climbers at different altitudes. The mean "voice onset time" interval that differentiates "voiced" stop consonants from their "unvoiced" counterparts (e.g., a [b] from a [p]) decreased from 24.0 ms at Base Camp to 5.4 ms at Camp Three. The time needed to comprehend simple spoken English sentences increased by 50% at higher altitudes, and was correlated with speech motor deterioration. This pattern of deficits is similar to that noted for Parkinson's disease and may reflect disruption of subcortical pathways to prefrontal cortex. Similar procedures could be used to remotely assess cognitive impairments caused by hypoxia, carbon monoxide or alcohol intoxication, or drugs, in order to monitor crew behavior in aeronautics and spaceflight operations, or to evaluate the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Communication as group process media of aircrew performance.

This study of group process was motivated by a high-fidelity flight simulator project in which aircrew performance was found to be better when the crew had recently flown together. Considering recent operating experience as a group-level input factor, aspects of the communication process between crewmembers (Captain and First Officer), were explored as a possible mediator to performance. Communication patterns were defined by a speech act typology adapted for the flightdeck setting and distinguished crews that had previously flown together (FT) from those that had not flown together (NFT). A more open communication channel with respect to information exchange and validation and greater First Officer participation in task-related topics was shown by FT crews while NFT crews engaged in more non-task discourse, a speech mode less structured by roles and probably serving a more interpersonal function. Relationships between the speech categories themselves, representing linguistic, and role-related interdependencies provide guidelines for interpreting the primary findings.

Aviation↗
PubMed1989

Communication indices of crew coordination.

The relationship between communication patterns and performance in 10 two-person flightcrews is explored with the aim of identifying speech variations which differentiate low- and high-error full mission simulator flights. Verbal data, transcribed from the videotaped performances, are treated as interactive sequences of speech events in which statements spoken by one crewmember are considered within the context of the other crewmember's prior and subsequent speech. Specific speech patterns characterized each crew, but the overriding findings included: a) marked homogeneity of patterns characterizing low-error crews, interpreted as the adoption of a standard form of communicating, and b) heterogeneity of patterns characterizing high-error crews, interpreted as the relative absence of a conventionalized form. Because conventions are regularities which confirm the expectations of those involved, predictability of crewmember behavior should be greater when standard conventions are followed. We conclude that such a practice can facilitate the coordination process and enhance crew performance.

Aerospace Medicine↗