FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute

Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-78/16

Title and Subtitle: Psychophysiological effects of aging: Developing a functional age index for pilots: II. Taxonomy of psychological factors

Report Date: April 1978

Authors: Gerathewohl SJ

Abstract: One of the major objectives of gerontological aviation psychology is to determine the psychological variables, functions, abilities, skills, and factors that underlie, constitute or are associated with pilot performance and proficiency. They must be identified, analyzed, and measured if functional age is to be substituted for chronological age as a criterion for terminating an aviator's career.

The approaches use consist of (a) the analysis of successful pilot behavior as displayed under simulated and operational conditions, (b) the analysis of unsuccessful pilot behavior (pilot error) as related to aircraft accidents, (c) the evaluation of pilot performance during the selection and training procedures as reported in the literature. By means of factor analyses, logical deductions, and clinical interpretations of the results obtained by various investigators, 14 factors are identified and described, namely

1. perception,
2. attention,
3. reaction,
4. orientation,
5. sensorimotor,
6. stamina,
7. cognition/mentation,
8. interpersonal relations,
9. decision making,
10. experience,
11. learning,
12. personality,
13. mechanical ability, and
14. motivation.

Key Words: Pilot aging, Functional age index, Psychophysiological age effects, Assessment of Performance

No. of Pages: 74