The requirement of this project is to develop a non-obtrusive objective means of detecting and mitigating cognitive performance deficits, stress, fatigue, anxiety and depression for the operational setting of spaceflight. One of the greatest challenges in detecting potential decrements as a result of stress is the development of a rich, valid, and unobtrusive measurement system. For example, traditional methods for assessment, such as pen-and-paper instruments, are not practically viable in space, where team members cannot simply sit down and fill out a scale.
The specific aims of this project are to: (1) develop a methodology to assess cognitive and emotional state “at a distance” through spontaneous verbal output in real-time communications and (2) produce a real-time assessment tool to detect cognitive performance deficits, stress, fatigue, anxiety, and depression in the spaceflight operational setting.