NCRM videos

Nathan Smith: Innovations in psychological data collection and analysis in extreme environments

08-11-2018

Nathan Smith presents at methods@manchester Methods Fair 2018. Abstract: Settings where people have to operate in extreme, demanding, and high-risk environments pose challenges for researchers. Hazardous occupational and recreational environments are not uncommon, and include those experienced by the military, Search and Rescue operators, anti-poaching patrols, deep sea saturation divers, humanitarian response teams, and expeditioners. In these contexts, people are exposed to a combination of environmental, psychological, and interpersonal stressors that are rarely present in mainstream life, including physical danger, inhospitable climates, monotony, lack of privacy, and limited social contact. Studies that examine how people adapt and cope with these stressors are critical for informing evidence-based decisions and understanding how to support the safety, performance and health of personnel. Despite the potential value, researchers have consistently faced obstacles when collecting and analysing psychological data from people in extreme contexts. In this presentation, we will discuss how digital approaches to the collection, analysis and extrapolation of data may help overcome the challenges faced by extreme environment researchers. Examples will be drawn from an existing research programme that applies innovative diary-study methods and contemporary statistical approaches to understand the situational experiences of people exposed to extreme stress.