Do extreme temperatures affect cognition? A short review of the impact of acute heat stress on cognitive performance of firefighters
Open accessAbstract
Research shows that exposure to high environmental temperatures can affect task performance. Theoretical explanations outline that heat is a source of stress that competes for limited-capacity resources, therefore if a task is resource-intensive, and/or if heat stress is extreme, performance will suffer. One occupation in which individuals complete demanding tasks and make difficult decisions, often in temperatures exceeding 200°C, is firefighting. Yet very little is currently known about the impact of heat stress on the cognitive functioning of firefighters. This short review summarizes the limited research in this area, focusing on studies that measured cognition of firefighters following a realistic training exercise. The findings are mixed with evidence that heat stress improves, impairs, and has no impact on cognitive functioning. While there are differences in the firefighting activities utilized, and the temperatures that participants were exposed to, it is argued that the varied findings can be attributed to the tasks used to assess cognitive processing, and the cognitive functions being measured. In accordance with the wider field of research, it is concluded that complex functioning, such as sustained attention, vigilance, and working memory is negatively impacted by acute exposure to extreme heat. Greater understanding of factors affecting cognition would inform safety practices and more research is needed to understand how and when heat stress may influence cognition in firefighting scenarios.
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Firefighters exposed to high temperatures show a decline in vigilance and cognitive flexibility, and soldiers in hot desert environment (42-43 °C) show reduced sustained attention and executive function.
“Additionally, other studies have reported a decline in vigilance and cognitive flexibility in firefighters exposed to high temperatures,12 and reduced sustained attention and executive function in soldiers in hot desert environment (42–43 °C).13”
From Influence of habitual physical activity on cognitive performance of healthy young adults after passive heat exposure (2026) · cites this paper as [12]
The review’s “Extreme heat impairs cognition” section reports impaired firefighter performance on continuous performance tests, which assess attention, after a live-fire exercise. It does not report a decline in cognitive flexibility, and the Discussion says firefighter findings are mixed. The soldiers claim has a separate citation in the citing sentence and is not assessed here; page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.85)
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Cited by
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Zhuo, F., Gaurani, R. J., Low, I. C. C., Deshayes, T. A., Lee, J. K. W., Cheung, S. S., Choo, P. L., & Tan, X. R. (2026) · Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness · doi:10.1016/j.jesf.2025.200436 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
- Authors
- Thompson, C., Ferrie, L., Pearson, S. J., Highlands, B., & Matthews, M. J.
- Affiliations
- Liverpool Hope University (GB)
- University of Manchester (GB)
- University of Salford (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Thompson, Catherine
- Venue
- Frontiers in Psychology
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2024-01-11
- Volume
- 14
- Pages
- 1270898-1270898
- ISSN
- 1664-1078 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC10808688
- OpenAlex
- W4390743056
- Cited by
- 22
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 3
- FWCI
- 1.15
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Frontiers in Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Hope's Institutional Research Archive (Liverpool Hope University) (acceptedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Thermoregulation and physiological responses
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Performance
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue
- Keywords
- heat stress, temperature extremes, cognitive performance, firefighters, occupational heat exposure, sustained attention, working memory, task performance, occupational safety
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