Stress, Operator Error, and Transportation Accidents

Abstract

Psychological and physiological stress impacts information processing at many levels, from attention and perceptual processes to reasoning and decision-making to motor execution. These effects can be highly adaptive, resulting in optimal performance. However, these effects can also result in serious degradation of performance, leading to human errors that often contribute to accidents. In this paper we review the variety of detrimental effects stress can have on different stages of information processing and provide examples of how these deficits can lead to accidents in motor vehicle operation and aviation.