I bring you a weekly bite-sized chunk of the science behind helicopter human factors and CRM in practice, simplifying the complex and distilling a helicopter related study into a summary of less than 500 words.
TITLE:
Affect and performance in simulated flying tasks: A systematic literature review.
WHAT?
Study examining how pilots’ affective states (their emotional responses to events, including stress, anxiety, fear, confidence, or surprise) influence performance during simulated flight training. Unlike cognitive workload, which describes how mentally demanding a task is, affective states describe how a pilot feels while performing the task, and how those feelings influence attention, decision-making and performance. The review synthesises evidence from 29 empirical studies to determine whether emotional responses help or hinder flying performance and how simulation-based training can better prepare pilots to manage them.
WHERE?
McGill University, Canada. Reviews studies from multiple countries using high-fidelity simulators, virtual reality, computer-based training and in-flight simulations.
WHEN?
Published in The International Journal of Aerospace Psychology in 2025, analysing research published between 1968 and 2024, with over 85% of studies conducted since 2000, reflecting growing interest in the emotional aspects of pilot performance.
WHY?
While cognition and workload relating to human performance have been extensively studied , emotions have received comparatively little attention despite their influence on attention, decision-making and error management. The review addresses this gap by examining how emotional responses affect pilot performance during realistic simulation training.
HOW?
From 441 initial records, 29 studies met the inclusion criteria. They examined relationships between affect, physiological measures (e.g., heart rate variability, electrodermal activity, eye tracking), self-reported emotions and objective flight performance across simulator-based training. Five overarching themes emerged:
- Affect and performance are continuous processes requiring continuous measurement.
- Stress and anxiety generally reduce flying performance.
- Pilot–copilot and instructor interactions influence emotional responses.
- Unexpected or abnormal scenarios increase negative emotions and reduce performance.
- Training interventions can improve emotional regulation and performance.
FINDINGS:
The study found strong evidence that emotional state significantly influences flight performance.
- Stress and anxiety generally impair performance when they become excessive, although moderate levels of stress may enhance focus.
- Unexpected events such as emergencies, startle and surprise consistently reduce performance accuracy by disrupting attention and decision-making.
- Social interactions matter: constructive instructor feedback reduces stress, while cockpit communication and crew dynamics can either improve or impair performance depending on how they influence attention.
- Continuous physiological monitoring (heart rate variability, electrodermal activity, eye tracking, facial expression and pupillometry) provides useful real-time indicators of pilot affect without interrupting training.
- Interventions work. Scenario repetition, instructor guidance, verbalisation strategies and simple emotion-regulation techniques (such as the COOL mnemonic: Calm down, Observe, Outline, Lead) improve both emotional control and flight performance.
SO WHAT?
This review reinforces that pilot performance is also shaped by how effectively pilots recognise and regulate their emotional responses.
The findings support current approaches within Crew Resource Management (CRM), Threat and Error Management (TEM) and Evidence-Based Training (EBT), where emotional resilience is treated as a trainable competency alongside technical proficiency.
The review also highlights opportunities for future training by incorporating biometric monitoring and adaptive simulation scenarios that respond to a pilot’s emotional state in real time.
REFERENCE:
Ruiz-Segura, A., & Lajoie, S. P. (2025). Affect and Performance in Simulated Flying Tasks: A Systematic Literature Review. The International Journal of Aerospace Psychology, 35(2), 85–105. https://doi.org/10.1080/24721840.2024.2425856
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