The effect of submersion in water and breathing modality (assisted breathing versus apnea) on different stages of the information processing chain.

Abstract

Limited research has explored the impact of working underwater on the cognitive functioning of divers, and even less has focused on the effect of breathing modality (assisted breathing and apnea) underwater. Research on the effect of submersion in water and apnea on cognitive performance is also very limited. As a result, this study aimed to determine the effect of submersion in water and breathing modality on different stages of the information processing chain. This was achieved by testing participants in a laboratory setting under three conditions: on land, underwater with assisted breathing (using SCUBA apparatus) and underwater in apnea (breath hold). Five different tests were used to determine which aspects of cognitive functioning were impaired in which condition. The recognition task results in the assisted breathing condition were significantly faster (p=0.04) but less accurate (p=0.01) than on land. The memory task was significantly slower (p=0.042) in terms of speed in the apnea condition compared to land; however, accuracy was not affected. Performance in the visual detection task was impacted in both underwater conditions compared to land, with speed and accuracy being significantly worse (p<0.01) in the underwater conditions. These results indicate that underwater conditions do not affect response time and tracking performance, whereas more complex tasks are affected. For tasks where an effect was found for only one condition, the effect was attributed to a specific aspect of that condition, either the breath hold or assisted breathing component. The effect was attributed to the actual submersion in water for tasks affected in both underwater conditions. The effect of the different conditions and the nature of the task they impact should be considered for underwater workplaces, as the general equipment used may affect the quality of observations.