Effects of level and rate of body surface cooling on psychomotor performance

Abstract

Tested 24 Ss on 4 psychomotor tasks at 4 levels of mean weighted skin temperature (MWST) attained at 2 different rates while normal hand skin temperatures were maintained. MWSTs employed were: 85–, 78–, 74–, and 70– F attained either 15 or 90 min. of cooling. The lowering of MWST impaired block stringing (BS) and Purdue Pegboard assembly performance but not knot tying or 2 plate tapping performance. Rate of cooling was an effective variable only at lower MWSTs and only for the BS task. Subjective ratings of discomfort and task interference due to cold stress were obtained and related to task performance. Ss tended to overestimate their performance decrements at lower MWSTs. Results suggest that hand warming may preserve psychomotor dexterity despite moderate decrements in MWST. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)