Human Performance in Extreme Environments: A Preliminary Taxonomy of Shared Factors

Humans perform in a number of extreme environments (EEs) in which they are not naturally suited to endure. Although scientific and technological advances have allowed humans to exist in settings like space, at the earth's poles, and underwater, further progress is possible if researchers and practitioners recognize that many EEs, and occupations within these settings, share numerous features. Because a majority of human performance research is domain-specific, there is a need to facilitate communication between once solitary scientific fields and disciplines, to promote the sharing of ideas and information, and to bring together academicians with persons in applied settings. To this end, we developed a taxonomy of factors associated with specific EEs by surveying subject matter experts as to the degree and frequency of 28 factors in their respective domains. Results from four settings (space, aviation, polar, and surgery/emergency room operations) reveal major similarities between the EEs on multiple factors, as well as important differences between seemingly similar environments. By illustrating shared features and differences, the taxonomy can serve as a research tool to organize established findings, highlight areas for further study, and provide avenues for cross-domain collaboration.