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Chapter 7 Ethological Analysis of Spatial Behavior
Chapter 7
ETHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF SPATIAL BEHAVIOR
Carole Tafforin
I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11. Methodological Aspects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111. Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IV. Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . V. Conclusions and Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
81 83 85
92 93 93 93
1. INTRODUCTION An environment may be analyzed according to different criteria:' (1) the physical or ecological dimensions; (2) the tasks performed and the related behavior; (3) the characteristics of the inhabitants; and (4) the organizational structure. For instance, the microgravity situation to which astronauts are subjected during orbital flight is characterized by a physical phenomenon: the loss of weight as well as the disappearance of gravitational vertical reference. As a result, the motor
Advances in Space Biology and Medicine Vol~me3, pages 81-94 Copyright Q 1993 by JAI Press Inc All rights of reproductionin any form reserved. ISBN: 1-559384107
81
82
CAROLE TAFFORIN
behavior of these subjects during performance of specific space mission tasks is modified. Indeed, observation of astronauts reveals a large variety of flexed postures as well as motor actions which favor mobility of the upper half of the body. These are structured as a function of time.283s475 These motor strategies lead the subject to construct new environmental references based on the internal configurations of the space habitat. Confined environmentstudies, undertaken on the ground, cannot satisfy the laws of these physical characteristics. However, they do reproduce the social isolation as well as the activity of subjects in a reduced space. The living conditions in space are unusual in terms of isolation from the external world, the reduced volume for moving, the increased safety restrictions, the integration in a social group, as well as the significant workload. These conditions create a combination of factors which are likely to modify the general behavior of a crew living in confined conditions over a long period. This has been more specifically studied by psychological testing of attention, vigilance, efficiency, and stress6In some cases this has been correlated with physiological parameters, such as hormonal, cardiovascular, nervous, and other parameters. It is at once apparent that life in a confined environment will result in a drop in intra-individual performance accompanied by an increase of inter-personal conflicts towards the end of the stay. This is attributed to an increase of stress which is manifested in three successive stages: anxiety, depression, and anticipation.’ In the light of these destabilizing factors, there is a close relationship between the length of the confinement and the intensity of the tension factor produced by an unsuitable environment.’ Thus, a stay in space and confinement confronts the individual with extreme conditions to which he has to adapt. The term adaptation covers a set of processes affecting the subject as a whole in the course of time. These processes can be studied by the physiological approach, the psychological approach, and the ethological approach. From the last point of view, the behavioral modifications observed as a result of the relationship of the individual to his surrounding world are considered to be optimizing. In this sense, the purpose of our study is to evaluate by means of an ethological analysis the behavioral manifestations of a group of working individuals,resulting from an experience in a confined and restrictive environment. This involves focusing on the spatial behavior of the crew members. Our proposed hypothesis, within the diachrony of the situation, is that the individual will implement adaptive strategies as a function of the time spent in this place, and expressed by a new organization of personal space. Likewise, the production of certain behavioral units such as collateral activities may be modified. These collateral activities are defined as motor actions which have no obvious specific function in the execution of a task. However they reflect states of fatigue or stress, and more generally a conflictual phenomenon between the functional capacities of the operator and the operations required.’ Their frequency varies as a result.
Spatial Behavior
83
In addition each individual is surrounded by a series of "bubbles", with irregular shapes, which provide specific spacing between the individuals." The behavior of the individuals changes when these spaces, with their fictitious boundaries, start to overlap, thus defining a social organization. In this context, the distances are not rigidly established but are partly determined by the situation." These distances can be divided in four categories of a close or distant mode: intimate ( 0 4 0 cm), personal (45-125 cm), social (12&360cm), and public (>360 cm). They will change when the group of individuals is limited to a space of reduced dimensions for their activities. The particular ways in which space is used during this long-term isolation experiment will be interpreted by reconstructing individual "bubbles" in terms of the reduction of distance scales. Consequently, we shall try to identify certain behavioral strategies for constructing a relational network in the social group studied.
II. METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS The method used in this study is one that is conventionally used in ethological studies. It consists of a descriptive and quantitative study of the spontaneous motor activity of subjects under normal living conditions (work tasks, maintenance activity, etc.). It puts an emphasis on the observation of the subjects, and on the translation of observed data into quantified data. It also enables a rigorous comparison of different moments of experience between situations, between subjects, or for the same subject in the same situation. As a consequence, such an analysis does not only deal with resulting behavior (Len,performance), but also with the motor transformations which lead to it; in other words with behavioral strategies. The data are collected, within the situation, by continuous video recording of the overall activity of the subjects experiencing such conditions. The experimental situation was set in a complex of six hyperbaric chambers of different volumes (Fig. I). The atmosphere in the chambers was maintained at 0.21 bar overpressure.Six subjects were housed in this isolated environmentfor a period of 28 days. The main chamber (No. 4), with a diameter of 3 m and a length of 7.13 m (i.e., 50 m3), was the space for communal activities (meetings, meals, etc.) and individual activities (psychological tests, physiological manipulations, etc.). The other chambers were either maintenance activity modules (sleeping, personal hygiene, etc.) or transfer modules (introduction and removal of materials, waste products, etc.). l b o video cameras were installed at each end of the main chamber, one inside (IC) and one outside (OC).The IC camera recorded meals and meetings, and the OC camera recorded all activities which took place within the habitat, for a period of 10 hours per day. The filmed sequences chosen for our study were taken on day 2, day 9, day 19, and day 28, between the evening hours of 1800 and 2000 (24-hour time). The
CAROLE TAFFORIN
Figure 1. The ISEMSI chamber system. Collective tasks were performed inside chamber 4.
activities of the six subjects were identical at this time of the day for each of the four experimental periods. We identified four activities: meeting (T I), preparing dinner (T 11),dinner (T III), and leisure time (T IV). Behavior was the dependant variable studied, and the independent variable was the time spent in this situation. Studies of the video recordings involved, on the one hand, listing the collateral activities of the six subjects during task TI (example: “scratches his nose”, “scratches his head”, “rubs his hands together”, “manipulates his watch”, etc.), and on the other hand, recording once per minute the spatial position of each subject (without personal identification) during the different evening tasks achieved between 1800 and 2000. The individual displacement trajectories were also traced under the same conditions. These measurements were made by pointing the position of the subject’s head and include 40 cm right across the shoulders.Finally, the time distribution of the different tasks in the time slot studied was also measured. The limited choices are due mainly to the poor quality of the video pictures collected. The data were processed by specific computer-based programs, completed by several software packages already available for a Macintosh microcomputer. The collateral activities were quantified as Occurrence frequencies in proportion to the number of subjects present per minute (= numberlsubjectlminute). The spatial positions of the subjects were digitalized with a data plotter and processed by computing the distances (in cm) of all the combinations of subjects between themselves. The displacementtrajectories were represented by the change in spatial position of a subject, per minute, by sequential linking of one position to another. Finally, the distance intervals were classified into categories.
Spatial Behavior
85
111. RESULTS In the original general protocol, the activities for the six subjects on days 2,9, 19, and 28 were identical. During the experimental period, it was observed that each of the tasks-T 1, T 11, T 111, and T IV-did not take the same amount of time to perform (Fig. 2). The distribution of the activity times varies as a function of the number of days spent in the confined environment. The time for preparing meals, for instance, decreases in the middle of the experiment (days 9 and 19), whereas leisure time increases, occurring very early in the evening. Similarly, meal times grew longer during this intermediary period. Logically, given the significant workload at the beginning and the end of the experiment, meeting times were correspondingly longer on those days, especially on the last day (day 28). 'Ihe first observation was, therefore, that there is a change in timing of the collective tasks within one time slot. The subjects did not manifest precise activity rhythms. The level of inter-personal contacts between the six subjects in the main chamber also varies according to the same distribution (Fig. 3).Indeed a significantdecrease in the percentage of presents was observed on day 19. This marked the dispersal DAY 2
19.05
19.2.5
18.00
20.00
DAY 9 18.00
20.00
18.00
20.00
DAY 28
iY4J
18.00
/YSY
20.00
Task I: meeting
0Task 11: dinner preparation Task 111: dinner
Task IV: leisure time
figure 2. 7iming of tasks within the time slot 18.00 and 20.00, for day 2, day 9, day 19, and day 28 during the ISEMSI experiment.
CAROLE TAFFORIN
86
% of presents
100 93 %
95%
95%
90
79%
80
70
DAY 2
DAY9
DAY19
DAY28
Contingency Table Analysis
I DF:
Total Chi-square:
I
17
1 -
17.647
p-0539
I
f i ure 3. Level of frequenting (% of presents) a confined environment (chamber:40 rn ) on various days of the ISEMSI experiment. The contingency table analysis is calculated on the basis of an absolute theoretical value representing 100% of
4
frequentation.
of the social group during this period, which may be the result of an increased number of solitary activities. This was confirmed by means of a study of the use of space in the main chamber (Fig. 4). On days 2 and 28, dense groupings of subject positions were observed, and these translated in a stability in spatial behavior. In the first case, the consistency of the group was enhanced during meals (distributed around the table), whereas in the second case, it was reinforced during meetings (distribution in a circle). On the other hand, on days 9 and 19, a spatial dispersal was confirmed for all collective activities, and in particular at mealtime.
Spatial Behavior
87
DAY 2
DAY 9
DAY 19
Figure 4. Use of space by the six subjects on various days of the ISEMS1 experiment.
In this respect, the analysis of space use on day 19 for dinner (Task In) is extremely interesting Fig. 5 ) . Only four groupings of subject positions can be identified. This indicates, that at this stage of the experiment it sometimes occurred that meals were not taken together, but were staggered over time. The time spent on meals increased. In addition, it was observed that one subject tended to stay as far away as possible from the other group members during this same meal. In fact, the qualitative analysis of the films showed that he moved away from the common table to finish his solitary meal on a lateral working surface. This intermediary stage of the stay in a confined environment, which is very obvious on day 19, represents a critical stage for the cohesion of the social group. During this stage the interactive network would tend to weaken through more distant spatial behavior.
I DAY 19, Task III (dinner)
I
Figure 5. Use of space by the six subjects during dinner on day 19 of the ISEMSI experiment.
DAY 2
)AY 9
)AY 19
IDAY 28
Figure 6. Tracings of one individual’s displacement trajectories on various days of the ISEMSI experiment. 88
Spatial Behavior
89
The tracing of the displacement trajectories for one individual also demonstrated the necessity of body mobility in a reduced space (Fig. 6). Only at the very beginning of the experiment (day 2) did the subject place himself in a particular space and maintain this position. This determined, in a certain sense, a base point for his activities,defined for him alone. For the rest of the stay, everything happened as if he were trying to use the maximum amount of space available to him. He relinquished this central and personal location and allowed himself a greater and less limited space, which necessarily merged with those of the other crew members. Thus, according to the time spent in a confined environment,the group members place themselves less and less in an intimate space (5%), as defined by Hall,’’ but rather in a social space (58%) on day 19, while reducing this to a personal space (44%)on day 28 (Fig. 7). In this last case, the individual constructs a “protective sphere” or “bubble” to isolate himself from the others.
figure 7. Distribution of Hall‘s categories of distances (% of occurrence)on various days of the ISEMSI experiment.
number of measured distances (%) Beginning: DAY 2
C1
C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 CS C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16
Contingency Table Analysis UP:
Total Chi-square: G Statistic: Conringency Coefficient: Cramer's V:
class of distance inrervals
15 814.432 931.691
p=l.0000E-4
.391
433
number of measured distances (9%) End: DAY 28
I
G Statistic:
1209.581 1415.761
4.0000E-4
Cramer's V:
Figure 8. Distribution in classes of distance intervals (40 cm), between the beginning (day 2) and the end (day 28) of the ISEMSI experiment. The contingency table analysis is calculated on the basis of a mean theoretical value.
90
Spatial Behavior
91
I
Numberlmidsubject
0,40
0,38 -
0,36 -
COLLATERAL ACTIVITIES
0,34 0,32 0,30
I
DAY2
4
1
DAY9
-.477
DAY19
-.928
DAY28
362
At the beginning of the experiment the classification of all the distances into interval classes showed a large range of measured values. However, at the end of the experiment these distances were more uniform, most of them falling between 80 and 160 cm (C3, C4, C5) (Fig. 8). The differences between the classes are significant.Thus an individual placed in a reduced space will reorganize his spatial behavior by showing greater regularity in the choice of distances which he establishes in relation to others. In other words, he adapts himself to the unusual situation by means of these behavioral strategies. This is confirmed by the simultaneous reduction in the number of collateral activities from 0.40 per min per subject to 0.30 per min per subject (Fig. 9). Statistical analysis shows that there is a significant negative correlation between the reduction of the frequency of collateral activities and the duration of the experiment. This reveals a decrease in the state of stress with increasing length of time in confinement.
CAROLE TAFFORIN
92
IV. DISCUSSION These results, which should nevertheless be regarded as preliminary, tend to show an optimization of the motor activity of subjects in a confined environment. This is achieved by means of reducing the behavioral manifestations which are not directly required in the operation, such as collateral activities. This expresses, in addition, a decrease in conflicts which might result from the optimizing relationship of the individual to the situation.’ Consequently, the decrease in collateral activities becomes a behavioral index of the reduction of stress with increasing time spent in these extreme conditions. It should, however, be noted that a disorganization of the social group occurs through spatial dispersal of its members during performance of tasks, which nevertheless require relatively fixed groups, such as for meals. During the intermediary period, the subject will try to find the best distances that he can maintain with the others for an optimal distribution between his intimate, personal, social, and public space, for each day spent in the confined environment. In this way, we may interpret all behavioral transformations,within the proposed time dynamic, in positive terms as an adaptation to the situation; that is, a process brought into play to reduce the constraints to which a social group is subjected in a reduced space. On this basis, we might suggest that the internal design of a reduced dimension habitat, from an hyperbaric chamber to an orbital station, should be designed for personalized, nonuniform spaces, without regular symmetry in the arrangements of equipment necessary for work tasks or daily living. Indeed, the spatial dispersal observed during this experiment may be indicative of the monotony of the visual and motor environment affecting the subjects, which leads them to move more frequently in all directions within the available space in order to diversify their relationship to the world surrounding them. In spite of the poor quality of the video data provided, an ethological approach in this field could be successfully undertaken to confirm the first hypotheses resulting from the psychological and physiological indices obtained in this same experiment. This could contribute to the quantitative evidence for the different interpretations proposed. Obviously, this study needs to be pursued more thoroughly over a longer period of time to obtain a more complete sample of videotaped data that will focus more precisely on overall motor activity. The development of a list of interactive actions and the quantitativedescriptionof their sequential linking would enable a definition of the organizational mles for the relational network. Without strong statistical analyses, the validity of the findings of this study for the application to a long-term orbital mission will have to be considered with caution. However, this preliminary study has allowed to formulate some hypotheses for long-term orbital missions.
Spatial Behavior
93
V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUMMARY The purpose of this study was to evaluate through an ethological approach the behavioral consequences of confinement and isolation in the restricted space of a hyperbaric chamber at low pressure on six subjects for a period of 28 days. The quantitative analysis consisted in tracing the use of space, minute by minute (i.e., groupings of positions and displacement trajectories) and counting the motor activity (i.e., collateral acts) of the crew members while performing various tasks (meeting, preparing dinner, dinner, leisure time) within the main chamber as a function of the time spent in confinement (days 2, 9, 19, 28). The data reveal a change in the timing of collective tasks in the course of the experiment, a dispersal of the social group during the middle period, and a stability of the spatial behavior at the beginning and at the end of the isolation period. Other behavioral strategies observed are the necessity of body mobility in a reduced space, the decrease of an intimate space as defined by Hall," with the predominance of a social space first and a personal space later with increasing time of Confinement. Consequently, the crew members appear to adapt by means of these behavioral strategies. In that way, the reduction in the number of collateral activities can be taken as an index of the adaptation of the subjects to these extreme conditions.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This study was supported by the European Space Agency through contract ESA/MEDES 6921/90/F/BZ.
REFERENCES 1.
2. 3. 4.
5.
6.
7.
Miner, A.C. The Interaction between Personality and the Spaceflight Environment. In: NASA ReJohnson Space Center, Houston, Texxs, 1989. pp. 47-81. Tafforin. C.. Thon. B., Guell, A., Campan. R. Astronaut Behavior in an Orbital Flight Situation: Preliminvy Ethological Observations. Aviution, Space und Envinmmenral Uedicinc, 60:949956. 1989. Taf€orin. C. Etude Compwativc du Componcinent Moteur de I'Astronaute au cours de I'Encrainemnt au Sol (g=l)el pendant le Vol Orbital ( ~ 0 )L'Acnmouriguc . CI I'Astmnaurique.135: 87-96. 1989. Tafforin. C., Campan. R. Etude Ethologique de. 1'Adaptation Cornportementalc de I'Hornmc B I'Impcsantcur. Buffetin d'Ecokope et Efhologic Humcline, 8(112): 2-17. 1989. Tafforin, C. Relationships between Orientation. Movcmcnt and Posture in Weightlessness: Preliminary Ethological Observations.ACIU Asrmnuutica. 21(4): 271-280. 1990. Report NASA. Effects of Confinemcnt. Social Isolation and Diurnal Disruption on Crew Adjucfmcnl and Performance in Long-Duration Space Missions. Johnson Space Center. Houston. Texas,1989. Rohrer. J.H.Interpersonal Relationships in Isolated Small Groups. Symposium on Psychnphysiological Aspects of Spuceflight. Floherty. Columbia 1976. pp. 263-271.
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8. KMS, N. Psychological Factors Affecting Simulated and Actual Space Missions.Aviation, Space and Envimnmentul Medicine, 56: 806-91 I , 1985. 9. DelvolvC,N. Les Activitis Collute'mles:Repires de 1 'Instubiliti de 1 ' H o m e au Travail.These &Em. Toulouse 111, France. 1987. 10. Hall, E.T. La Dimenvion Cachde. Seuil. Paris, 1971.
ETHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF SPATIAL BEHAVIOR
Carole Tafforin
I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11. Methodological Aspects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111. Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IV. Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . V. Conclusions and Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
81 83 85
92 93 93 93
1. INTRODUCTION An environment may be analyzed according to different criteria:' (1) the physical or ecological dimensions; (2) the tasks performed and the related behavior; (3) the characteristics of the inhabitants; and (4) the organizational structure. For instance, the microgravity situation to which astronauts are subjected during orbital flight is characterized by a physical phenomenon: the loss of weight as well as the disappearance of gravitational vertical reference. As a result, the motor
Advances in Space Biology and Medicine Vol~me3, pages 81-94 Copyright Q 1993 by JAI Press Inc All rights of reproductionin any form reserved. ISBN: 1-559384107
81
82
CAROLE TAFFORIN
behavior of these subjects during performance of specific space mission tasks is modified. Indeed, observation of astronauts reveals a large variety of flexed postures as well as motor actions which favor mobility of the upper half of the body. These are structured as a function of time.283s475 These motor strategies lead the subject to construct new environmental references based on the internal configurations of the space habitat. Confined environmentstudies, undertaken on the ground, cannot satisfy the laws of these physical characteristics. However, they do reproduce the social isolation as well as the activity of subjects in a reduced space. The living conditions in space are unusual in terms of isolation from the external world, the reduced volume for moving, the increased safety restrictions, the integration in a social group, as well as the significant workload. These conditions create a combination of factors which are likely to modify the general behavior of a crew living in confined conditions over a long period. This has been more specifically studied by psychological testing of attention, vigilance, efficiency, and stress6In some cases this has been correlated with physiological parameters, such as hormonal, cardiovascular, nervous, and other parameters. It is at once apparent that life in a confined environment will result in a drop in intra-individual performance accompanied by an increase of inter-personal conflicts towards the end of the stay. This is attributed to an increase of stress which is manifested in three successive stages: anxiety, depression, and anticipation.’ In the light of these destabilizing factors, there is a close relationship between the length of the confinement and the intensity of the tension factor produced by an unsuitable environment.’ Thus, a stay in space and confinement confronts the individual with extreme conditions to which he has to adapt. The term adaptation covers a set of processes affecting the subject as a whole in the course of time. These processes can be studied by the physiological approach, the psychological approach, and the ethological approach. From the last point of view, the behavioral modifications observed as a result of the relationship of the individual to his surrounding world are considered to be optimizing. In this sense, the purpose of our study is to evaluate by means of an ethological analysis the behavioral manifestations of a group of working individuals,resulting from an experience in a confined and restrictive environment. This involves focusing on the spatial behavior of the crew members. Our proposed hypothesis, within the diachrony of the situation, is that the individual will implement adaptive strategies as a function of the time spent in this place, and expressed by a new organization of personal space. Likewise, the production of certain behavioral units such as collateral activities may be modified. These collateral activities are defined as motor actions which have no obvious specific function in the execution of a task. However they reflect states of fatigue or stress, and more generally a conflictual phenomenon between the functional capacities of the operator and the operations required.’ Their frequency varies as a result.
Spatial Behavior
83
In addition each individual is surrounded by a series of "bubbles", with irregular shapes, which provide specific spacing between the individuals." The behavior of the individuals changes when these spaces, with their fictitious boundaries, start to overlap, thus defining a social organization. In this context, the distances are not rigidly established but are partly determined by the situation." These distances can be divided in four categories of a close or distant mode: intimate ( 0 4 0 cm), personal (45-125 cm), social (12&360cm), and public (>360 cm). They will change when the group of individuals is limited to a space of reduced dimensions for their activities. The particular ways in which space is used during this long-term isolation experiment will be interpreted by reconstructing individual "bubbles" in terms of the reduction of distance scales. Consequently, we shall try to identify certain behavioral strategies for constructing a relational network in the social group studied.
II. METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS The method used in this study is one that is conventionally used in ethological studies. It consists of a descriptive and quantitative study of the spontaneous motor activity of subjects under normal living conditions (work tasks, maintenance activity, etc.). It puts an emphasis on the observation of the subjects, and on the translation of observed data into quantified data. It also enables a rigorous comparison of different moments of experience between situations, between subjects, or for the same subject in the same situation. As a consequence, such an analysis does not only deal with resulting behavior (Len,performance), but also with the motor transformations which lead to it; in other words with behavioral strategies. The data are collected, within the situation, by continuous video recording of the overall activity of the subjects experiencing such conditions. The experimental situation was set in a complex of six hyperbaric chambers of different volumes (Fig. I). The atmosphere in the chambers was maintained at 0.21 bar overpressure.Six subjects were housed in this isolated environmentfor a period of 28 days. The main chamber (No. 4), with a diameter of 3 m and a length of 7.13 m (i.e., 50 m3), was the space for communal activities (meetings, meals, etc.) and individual activities (psychological tests, physiological manipulations, etc.). The other chambers were either maintenance activity modules (sleeping, personal hygiene, etc.) or transfer modules (introduction and removal of materials, waste products, etc.). l b o video cameras were installed at each end of the main chamber, one inside (IC) and one outside (OC).The IC camera recorded meals and meetings, and the OC camera recorded all activities which took place within the habitat, for a period of 10 hours per day. The filmed sequences chosen for our study were taken on day 2, day 9, day 19, and day 28, between the evening hours of 1800 and 2000 (24-hour time). The
CAROLE TAFFORIN
Figure 1. The ISEMSI chamber system. Collective tasks were performed inside chamber 4.
activities of the six subjects were identical at this time of the day for each of the four experimental periods. We identified four activities: meeting (T I), preparing dinner (T 11),dinner (T III), and leisure time (T IV). Behavior was the dependant variable studied, and the independent variable was the time spent in this situation. Studies of the video recordings involved, on the one hand, listing the collateral activities of the six subjects during task TI (example: “scratches his nose”, “scratches his head”, “rubs his hands together”, “manipulates his watch”, etc.), and on the other hand, recording once per minute the spatial position of each subject (without personal identification) during the different evening tasks achieved between 1800 and 2000. The individual displacement trajectories were also traced under the same conditions. These measurements were made by pointing the position of the subject’s head and include 40 cm right across the shoulders.Finally, the time distribution of the different tasks in the time slot studied was also measured. The limited choices are due mainly to the poor quality of the video pictures collected. The data were processed by specific computer-based programs, completed by several software packages already available for a Macintosh microcomputer. The collateral activities were quantified as Occurrence frequencies in proportion to the number of subjects present per minute (= numberlsubjectlminute). The spatial positions of the subjects were digitalized with a data plotter and processed by computing the distances (in cm) of all the combinations of subjects between themselves. The displacementtrajectories were represented by the change in spatial position of a subject, per minute, by sequential linking of one position to another. Finally, the distance intervals were classified into categories.
Spatial Behavior
85
111. RESULTS In the original general protocol, the activities for the six subjects on days 2,9, 19, and 28 were identical. During the experimental period, it was observed that each of the tasks-T 1, T 11, T 111, and T IV-did not take the same amount of time to perform (Fig. 2). The distribution of the activity times varies as a function of the number of days spent in the confined environment. The time for preparing meals, for instance, decreases in the middle of the experiment (days 9 and 19), whereas leisure time increases, occurring very early in the evening. Similarly, meal times grew longer during this intermediary period. Logically, given the significant workload at the beginning and the end of the experiment, meeting times were correspondingly longer on those days, especially on the last day (day 28). 'Ihe first observation was, therefore, that there is a change in timing of the collective tasks within one time slot. The subjects did not manifest precise activity rhythms. The level of inter-personal contacts between the six subjects in the main chamber also varies according to the same distribution (Fig. 3).Indeed a significantdecrease in the percentage of presents was observed on day 19. This marked the dispersal DAY 2
19.05
19.2.5
18.00
20.00
DAY 9 18.00
20.00
18.00
20.00
DAY 28
iY4J
18.00
/YSY
20.00
Task I: meeting
0Task 11: dinner preparation Task 111: dinner
Task IV: leisure time
figure 2. 7iming of tasks within the time slot 18.00 and 20.00, for day 2, day 9, day 19, and day 28 during the ISEMSI experiment.
CAROLE TAFFORIN
86
% of presents
100 93 %
95%
95%
90
79%
80
70
DAY 2
DAY9
DAY19
DAY28
Contingency Table Analysis
I DF:
Total Chi-square:
I
17
1 -
17.647
p-0539
I
f i ure 3. Level of frequenting (% of presents) a confined environment (chamber:40 rn ) on various days of the ISEMSI experiment. The contingency table analysis is calculated on the basis of an absolute theoretical value representing 100% of
4
frequentation.
of the social group during this period, which may be the result of an increased number of solitary activities. This was confirmed by means of a study of the use of space in the main chamber (Fig. 4). On days 2 and 28, dense groupings of subject positions were observed, and these translated in a stability in spatial behavior. In the first case, the consistency of the group was enhanced during meals (distributed around the table), whereas in the second case, it was reinforced during meetings (distribution in a circle). On the other hand, on days 9 and 19, a spatial dispersal was confirmed for all collective activities, and in particular at mealtime.
Spatial Behavior
87
DAY 2
DAY 9
DAY 19
Figure 4. Use of space by the six subjects on various days of the ISEMS1 experiment.
In this respect, the analysis of space use on day 19 for dinner (Task In) is extremely interesting Fig. 5 ) . Only four groupings of subject positions can be identified. This indicates, that at this stage of the experiment it sometimes occurred that meals were not taken together, but were staggered over time. The time spent on meals increased. In addition, it was observed that one subject tended to stay as far away as possible from the other group members during this same meal. In fact, the qualitative analysis of the films showed that he moved away from the common table to finish his solitary meal on a lateral working surface. This intermediary stage of the stay in a confined environment, which is very obvious on day 19, represents a critical stage for the cohesion of the social group. During this stage the interactive network would tend to weaken through more distant spatial behavior.
I DAY 19, Task III (dinner)
I
Figure 5. Use of space by the six subjects during dinner on day 19 of the ISEMSI experiment.
DAY 2
)AY 9
)AY 19
IDAY 28
Figure 6. Tracings of one individual’s displacement trajectories on various days of the ISEMSI experiment. 88
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The tracing of the displacement trajectories for one individual also demonstrated the necessity of body mobility in a reduced space (Fig. 6). Only at the very beginning of the experiment (day 2) did the subject place himself in a particular space and maintain this position. This determined, in a certain sense, a base point for his activities,defined for him alone. For the rest of the stay, everything happened as if he were trying to use the maximum amount of space available to him. He relinquished this central and personal location and allowed himself a greater and less limited space, which necessarily merged with those of the other crew members. Thus, according to the time spent in a confined environment,the group members place themselves less and less in an intimate space (5%), as defined by Hall,’’ but rather in a social space (58%) on day 19, while reducing this to a personal space (44%)on day 28 (Fig. 7). In this last case, the individual constructs a “protective sphere” or “bubble” to isolate himself from the others.
figure 7. Distribution of Hall‘s categories of distances (% of occurrence)on various days of the ISEMSI experiment.
number of measured distances (%) Beginning: DAY 2
C1
C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 CS C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16
Contingency Table Analysis UP:
Total Chi-square: G Statistic: Conringency Coefficient: Cramer's V:
class of distance inrervals
15 814.432 931.691
p=l.0000E-4
.391
433
number of measured distances (9%) End: DAY 28
I
G Statistic:
1209.581 1415.761
4.0000E-4
Cramer's V:
Figure 8. Distribution in classes of distance intervals (40 cm), between the beginning (day 2) and the end (day 28) of the ISEMSI experiment. The contingency table analysis is calculated on the basis of a mean theoretical value.
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I
Numberlmidsubject
0,40
0,38 -
0,36 -
COLLATERAL ACTIVITIES
0,34 0,32 0,30
I
DAY2
4
1
DAY9
-.477
DAY19
-.928
DAY28
362
At the beginning of the experiment the classification of all the distances into interval classes showed a large range of measured values. However, at the end of the experiment these distances were more uniform, most of them falling between 80 and 160 cm (C3, C4, C5) (Fig. 8). The differences between the classes are significant.Thus an individual placed in a reduced space will reorganize his spatial behavior by showing greater regularity in the choice of distances which he establishes in relation to others. In other words, he adapts himself to the unusual situation by means of these behavioral strategies. This is confirmed by the simultaneous reduction in the number of collateral activities from 0.40 per min per subject to 0.30 per min per subject (Fig. 9). Statistical analysis shows that there is a significant negative correlation between the reduction of the frequency of collateral activities and the duration of the experiment. This reveals a decrease in the state of stress with increasing length of time in confinement.
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IV. DISCUSSION These results, which should nevertheless be regarded as preliminary, tend to show an optimization of the motor activity of subjects in a confined environment. This is achieved by means of reducing the behavioral manifestations which are not directly required in the operation, such as collateral activities. This expresses, in addition, a decrease in conflicts which might result from the optimizing relationship of the individual to the situation.’ Consequently, the decrease in collateral activities becomes a behavioral index of the reduction of stress with increasing time spent in these extreme conditions. It should, however, be noted that a disorganization of the social group occurs through spatial dispersal of its members during performance of tasks, which nevertheless require relatively fixed groups, such as for meals. During the intermediary period, the subject will try to find the best distances that he can maintain with the others for an optimal distribution between his intimate, personal, social, and public space, for each day spent in the confined environment. In this way, we may interpret all behavioral transformations,within the proposed time dynamic, in positive terms as an adaptation to the situation; that is, a process brought into play to reduce the constraints to which a social group is subjected in a reduced space. On this basis, we might suggest that the internal design of a reduced dimension habitat, from an hyperbaric chamber to an orbital station, should be designed for personalized, nonuniform spaces, without regular symmetry in the arrangements of equipment necessary for work tasks or daily living. Indeed, the spatial dispersal observed during this experiment may be indicative of the monotony of the visual and motor environment affecting the subjects, which leads them to move more frequently in all directions within the available space in order to diversify their relationship to the world surrounding them. In spite of the poor quality of the video data provided, an ethological approach in this field could be successfully undertaken to confirm the first hypotheses resulting from the psychological and physiological indices obtained in this same experiment. This could contribute to the quantitative evidence for the different interpretations proposed. Obviously, this study needs to be pursued more thoroughly over a longer period of time to obtain a more complete sample of videotaped data that will focus more precisely on overall motor activity. The development of a list of interactive actions and the quantitativedescriptionof their sequential linking would enable a definition of the organizational mles for the relational network. Without strong statistical analyses, the validity of the findings of this study for the application to a long-term orbital mission will have to be considered with caution. However, this preliminary study has allowed to formulate some hypotheses for long-term orbital missions.
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V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUMMARY The purpose of this study was to evaluate through an ethological approach the behavioral consequences of confinement and isolation in the restricted space of a hyperbaric chamber at low pressure on six subjects for a period of 28 days. The quantitative analysis consisted in tracing the use of space, minute by minute (i.e., groupings of positions and displacement trajectories) and counting the motor activity (i.e., collateral acts) of the crew members while performing various tasks (meeting, preparing dinner, dinner, leisure time) within the main chamber as a function of the time spent in confinement (days 2, 9, 19, 28). The data reveal a change in the timing of collective tasks in the course of the experiment, a dispersal of the social group during the middle period, and a stability of the spatial behavior at the beginning and at the end of the isolation period. Other behavioral strategies observed are the necessity of body mobility in a reduced space, the decrease of an intimate space as defined by Hall," with the predominance of a social space first and a personal space later with increasing time of Confinement. Consequently, the crew members appear to adapt by means of these behavioral strategies. In that way, the reduction in the number of collateral activities can be taken as an index of the adaptation of the subjects to these extreme conditions.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This study was supported by the European Space Agency through contract ESA/MEDES 6921/90/F/BZ.
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