PROCEEDINGS of the HUMAN FACTORS SOCIETY-28th ANNUAL MEETlNG-1984 DmBADATION (F PEBFOBHAHCE DUE 10 SLEEP DEPRIVATION: A FnI.D TEST

During a 72 h field test, two groups of elite, "ranger type " soldiers were evaluted five times (during the first 8 h, after 30 h of continuous field duty, after a rest period, after 30 more h of continuous field duty, and after a second rest). One group (7 soldiers) received two rests of 3 h each. The second group (6 soldiers) received two rests of 6 h each. Five military tasks (map reading, decoding messages, vehicle/aircraft recognition, assembly and disassembly of the M-16 rifle, and preparation of an AN/PRC radio for opera-tion) were used. These tasks were considered by the commander to be repre-sentative of duties that the soldiers would do and were considered to be completely familiar to the soldiers. In addition, a peg into pegboard task and a subjective evaluation of fatigue questionnaire were given. There was no significant effect of time or difference between the two groups. The soldiers completed these tasks of short duration (less than 3 min) without decreasing performance--even after extended periods of sleep loss. These performance results occurred even though subjectively the soldiers reported they were tired. IRTRODUCIIOI Sleep deprivation has been studied for many years. For some reviews, see Klei tman (1963)