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Cited by 25Thermoregulation and physiological responsesSleep and Work-Related FatigueThermal Regulation in Medicine

Mild body cooling impairs attention via distraction from skin cooling

Cheung, Stephen S., Westwood, David A., Knox, Matthew K.·2007·Ergonomics
DOI 10.1080/00140130601068683
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Abstract

Many contemporary workers are routinely exposed to mild cold stress, which may compromise mental function and lead to accidents. A study investigated the effect of mild body cooling of 1.0 degree C rectal temperature (Tre) on vigilance (i.e. sustained attention) and the orienting of spatial attention (i.e. spatially selective processing of visual information). Vigilance and spatial attention tests were administered to 14 healthy males and six females at four stages (pre-immersion, deltaTre = 0, -0.5 and - 1.0 degree C ) of a gradual, head-out immersion cooling session (18-25 deltaC water), and in four time-matched stages of a contrast session, in which participants sat in an empty tub and no cooling took place. In the spatial attention test, target discrimination times were similar for all stages of the contrast session, but increased significantly in the cooling phase upon immersion (deltaTre = 0 degrees C), with no further increases at deltaTre = -0.5 and - 1.0 degree C. Despite global response slowing, cooling did not affect the normal pattern of spatial orienting. In the vigilance test, the variability of detection time was adversely affected in the cooling but not the contrast trials: variability increased at immersion but did not increase further with additional cooling. These findings suggest that attentional impairments are more closely linked to the distracting effects of cold skin temperature than decreases in body core temperature.

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  • Cheung et al. administered vigilance and spatial attention tests while subjects were immersed in a cool water bath and reported that all disruptive effects on performance occurred immediately with skin cooling, while performance did not get any worse with the much slower developing decline in core body temperature.

    “For example, Cheung et al. [17] administered vigilance and spatial attention tests while subjects were immersed in a cool water bath and reported that all disruptive effects on performance occurred immediately with skin cooling, while performance did not get any worse with the much slower developing decline in core body temperature.”

    From Sleep, vigilance, and thermosensitivity (2012) · cites this paper as [17]

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Authors
Cheung, S. S., Westwood, D. A., & Knox, M. K.
Affiliations
Dalhousie University (CA)
Corresponding author
Cheung, Stephen S.
ORCID
Venue
Ergonomics
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2007-02
Volume
50
Issue
2
Pages
275-288
ISSN
  • 0014-0139 (ISSN-L)
  • 1366-5847
DOI
10.1080/00140130601068683
OpenAlex
W2094177944
Cited by
25
References
21
Citations by year
2025: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 1
FWCI
0.44
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Ergonomics (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Thermoregulation and physiological responses
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine › Thermal Regulation in Medicine
Keywords
body cooling, sustained attention, spatial attention, orienting, skin cooling, rectal temperature, attentional impairment, response variability, cold exposure
MeSH terms
Adult, Attention, Body Temperature, Cold Temperature, Female, Humans, Immersion, Male, Skin Temperature, Task Performance and Analysis

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