Comparative analysis of POMS and content analysis of crew communication during ISS missions
- Paper number
IAC-08.A1.1.4
- Author
Ms. Anna Yusupova, Institute for Biomedical Problems, Russia
- Coauthor
Dr. Vadim Gushin, Institute for Biomedical Problems, Russia
- Coauthor
Prof. Nick Kanas, University of California and Veterans Affairs Medical Center, United States
- Year
2008
- Abstract
During the last seven years, we have content analyzed the communication patterns between ISS crewmembers and mission control personnel and have identified a number of different communication styles between these two groups (Gushin et al., 2005). In this paper, we will report on an external validity check we conducted that compares our findings with those of another study using the same research material. All statements made between crewmembers and mission control personnel during a series of ISS missions were recorded and divided into three groups in terms of their communication function (Lomov, 1981): 1) informative function (e.g., demands for information, requests, professional slang); 2) socio-regulatory function (e.g., rational consent or discord, operational complaint, refusal to cooperate); and 3) affective (emotional) function (e.g., encouragement, sympathy, emotional consent or discord). Our results were compared with the findings from a series of ISS missions that used the well-validated Profile of Mood States, or POMS (Kanas et al, 2007). This instrument consists of 65 adjectives describing mood states, and responses from subjects can be combined to produce 7 subscale scores: Tension-Anxiety, Depression-Dejection, Anger-Hostility, Vigor-Activity, Fatigue-Inertia, Confusion-Bewilderment, and a com¬posite Total Mood Disturbance. We were able to compare the communication and POMS data on six crewmembers from four ISS missions during the same time periods. All 9 most frequently used communication categories except “Informing Without Demand” were significantly correlated with the POMS Tension-Anxiety subscale. The “Informing Without Demands” category was correlated with the Anger-Hostility subscale. Eight out of 9 communication categories (exception: “Encouragement, Sympathy, Gratitude”) negatively correlated with Vigor-Activity. During periods of high negative emotions, the crewmembers became more verbally active and demanding in their communication with mission control, which supports the concept of displacement (Kanas and Manzey, 2003; Kanas et al, 2007). Thus, we conclude that there was a great deal of correlation between our communication data and the POMS data, which supports the validity of the former measure in ISS crews. 1. Gushin., V, Yusupova, A. et al. Crew-ground control communication styles: preliminary results in psychosocial area. // Proceedings of 56th International Astronautical Congress, Fukuoka 2005. 2. Lomov B.F. Problem of communication in psychology. Problem of communication in psychology. Moscow, Nauka, 1981. 3. Kanas, N, Manzey, D Space Psychology and Psychiatry, Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Press, 2003. 4. Kanas, N, Salnitskiy, V. et al. Crewmember and Mission Control Personnel Interactions During International Space Station Missions. Aviat Space Environ Med 2007; 78:601-7.- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
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