Cognitive Determinants of Pilots’ Effectiveness Under a False Horizon Illusion

Abstract

This study examined the influence of field dependence on susceptibility to the false horizon illusion. Additionally, it investigated how executive functions might mediate this susceptibility. Sixty-six military pilots performed an experimental task on the Hyperion flight simulator and a number of computerized tasks that assessed their working memory and attentional processes. All pilots succumbed to the false horizon illusion. A sloping cloud had the most impact on the flight profile accuracy in field-dependent pilots. Cognitive predictors of spatial disorientation were different for field-dependent, independent, and intermediate pilots.