Domain-Specific Interference Tests on Navigational Working Memory in Military Pilots.

INTRODUCTION: Human navigation is a very complex ability that encompasses all four stages of human information processing (sensory input, perception/cognition, selection, and execution of an action), involving both cognitive and physical requirements. During fl ight, the pilot uses all of these stages and one of the most critical aspect is interference. In fact, spatial tasks competing for the same cognitive resource cause greater distraction from a concurrent task than another task that uses diff erent resource modalities. METHODS: Here we compared and contrasted the performance of pilots and nonpilots of both genders performing increasingly complex navigational memory tasks while exposed to various forms of interference. We investigated the eff ects of four diff erent sources of interference: motor, spatial motor, verbal, and spatial environment, focusing on gender diff erences. RESULTS: We found that fl ight experts perform better than controls (Pilots : 6.50 6 1.29; Nonpilots : 5.45 6 1.41). Furthermore, in the general population, navigational working memory is compromised only by spatial environmental interference (Nonpilots : 4.52 6 1.50 ) ; female nonpilots were less able than male nonpilots. Also, the fl ight expert group showed the same interference, even if reduced (Pilots: 5.24 6 0.92); moreover, we highlighted a complete absence of gender-related eff ects. DISCUSSION: Spatial environmental interference is the only interference producing a decrease in performance. Nevertheless, pilots are less aff ected than the general population. This is probably a consequence of the need to commit substantial cognitive resources to process spatial information during fl ight.