Psychosomatic Medicine Faster Service from Outside North America
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Henderson, P. R.
Right arrow Articles by Dunn, B. E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Henderson, P. R.
Right arrow Articles by Dunn, B. E.

Psychosomatic Medicine, Vol 52, Issue 1 27-41, Copyright © 1990 by American Psychosomatic Society

ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Cardiovascular response patterns and speech: a study of air traffic controllers

PR Henderson, DA Bakal and BE Dunn
Department of Psychology, Rehabilitation Center, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

The present study examined the relationship between cardiovascular (CVS) response and speech among air traffic controllers (ATCs). During two one-hour work sessions continuous EKG, ear pulse, and audio recordings were obtained individually from 24 male ATCs. In one session the controller actively controlled aircraft, while in the other he worked in a support/coordinator position. Session time in both conditions was partitioned on the basis of audio recordings into four mutually exclusive activities: Radio/Phone Talk, Radio/Phone Listening, Casual Talk, and Silence. Change in cardiovascular response pattern as a function of these activities, as well as the influence of a series of moderator variables on cardiovascular response, was assessed by examining heart rate (HR) and the EKG R-wave to ear pulse interval (RPI) relative to a pre-session baseline. The RPI index was employed as a means of unobtrusively tracking blood pressure on a beat-by-beat basis. Although reliable, the overall changes in CVS response were modest. Speech-associated reactivity was expressed exclusively by the RPI index. HR changes were not evident in response to speech, rather, the HR index appeared to be most sensitive to situational demand. Discrepancies between the present pattern and magnitude of speech-associated CVS response and those reported previously are discussed in terms of the nature of speech in laboratory versus field settings and measurement methodologies.




HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1990 by the American Psychosomatic Society