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Abstract
The most common lethal accidents in General Aviation are caused by improperly executed landing approaches in which a pilot descends below the minimum safe altitude without proper visual references. To understand how expertise might reduce such erroneous decision-making, we examined relevant neural processes in pilots performing a simulated landing approach inside a functional MRI scanner. Pilots (aged 20–66) were asked to “fly” a series of simulated “cockpit view” instrument landing scenarios in an MRI scanner. The scenarios were either high risk (heavy fog–legally unsafe to land) or low risk (medium fog–legally safe to land). Pilots with one of two levels of expertise participated: Moderate Expertise (Instrument Flight Rules pilots, n = 8) or High Expertise (Certified Instrument Flight Instructors or Air-Transport Pilots, n = 12). High Expertise pilots were more accurate than Moderate Expertise pilots in making a “land” versus “do not land” decision (CFII: d′ = 3.62±2.52; IFR: d′ = 0.98±1.04; p<.01). Brain activity in bilateral caudate nucleus was examined for main effects of expertise during a “land” versus “do not land” decision with the no-decision control condition modeled as baseline. In making landing decisions, High Expertise pilots showed lower activation in the bilateral caudate nucleus (0.97±0.80) compared to Moderate Expertise pilots (1.91±1.16) (p<.05). These findings provide evidence for increased “neural efficiency” in High Expertise pilots relative to Moderate Expertise pilots. During an instrument approach the pilot is engaged in detailed examination of flight instruments while monitoring certain visual references for making landing decisions. The caudate nucleus regulates saccade eye control of gaze, the brain area where the “expertise” effect was observed. These data provide evidence that performing “real world” aviation tasks in an fMRI provide objective data regarding the relative expertise of pilots and brain regions involved in it.
Highlights
Everyday decisions are often made in the presence of risk and uncertainty
There were no significant differences between the expertise groups in the remaining demographic measures
High Expertise pilots were more accurate than Moderate Expertise pilots in making a ‘‘land’’ versus ‘‘do not land’’ decision (CFII/ATP: d953.62¡2.52; IFR: d950.98¡1.04; (t (18) 53.23; p,.01; ES51.37)
Summary
Everyday decisions are often made in the presence of risk and uncertainty. Risk refers to multiple possible outcomes, positive and negative, that could occur with well-defined or estimable probabilities [1]. The neural correlates of financial decision making have been extensively investigated in the field of neuroeconomics where ‘risk’ refers to monitoring monetary outcomes These studies suggest that decision making is a complex process where monetary gains and losses are associated with activity in multiple brain regions, namely, the basal ganglia, ventral prefrontal, insular and cingulate cortices [2]. Individual differences, such as age, brain injury, addiction, or past experience exist in the preference of risk and outcomes. We assessed naturalistic decision making and related brain function in a pilot’s decision to land in bad weather—a decision making task that has obvious real-world consequences
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