Experiment one aimed to measure the effects of heat on basic cognitive functions that are required for most tasks. These cognitive functions support higher-level thinking, such as decision-making and problem-solving (skills that are critical in firefighting) and in our second study we aimed to measure how heat affects decision-making.
For this study we have again been lucky enough to collect data at Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service in Chorley, making use of the different training activities. Participation in this experiment is slightly less onerous than experiment one as participants are asked to complete two short tasks, one on the computer and a paper-based task and they only take the tests once.
Our computer-based task is called the Iowa Gambling Task, and this has been designed to measure the use of logic and intuition (are decisions made logically based on the information available, or are they made automatically based on instinct?). Significant efforts have been made to explore decision-making in firefighters and improve training to ensure focus is given to making decisions in a logical way (for interesting research in this area see this paper by Cohen-Hatton and Honey (2015)). Experiment two will show whether heat affects the ability to use logic.
In this study we are currently testing two groups, one group of firefighters will complete the two cognitive tests ‘at rest’ (so not after having completed any training activities) and a second group completes the two cognitive tests after a live-fire training exercise. This will allow us to compare between the two groups to see if heat impairs decision-making. If we find an effect of heat, we will test a third group who will complete the tests after a training exercise that does not involve extreme temperatures. That will mean we can separate the effects of heat stress from any impact of physical activity.
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