Underwater Work Performance and Work Tolerance.

The objective of the study was the classification of the relationships between selected parameters of diver performance and intervening variables such as cold, narcosis and immersion. Findings indicate that for given amounts of thermal protection, performance decrements varied as a function of water temperature, exposure time and task complexity. Performance decrements using hyperbaric air are modified by task difficulty, training and environmental factors. The interaction of stress producing variables and cognitive function is highly state dependent and is modified by factors such as training adaptation, length of exposure and temperature. A number of these interactions are documented in the report. Modified author abstract