During NEEMO 12, veteran astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper is shown with a Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) device.

Deliverables for Exploration and Earth Applications

The Neurobehavioral and Psychosocial Factors Team aims to ensure astronaut readiness to perform by developing preflight prevention programs to avoid as many risks as possible to individual and group behavioral health during flight, detecting individual and crew problems as early as possible during flight, and applying effective interventions during flight and postflight.

Anticipated deliverables include:

• Specific selection criteria for optimal crew performance;
• Improved training for group living and optimal communication between the flight crew and ground team;
• Methods to enhance communication relative to crew problem-solving;
• A computer-based system for managing interpersonal conflicts and for self-diagnosis and self-help treatment for depression;
• Real-time computer-based processing of astronaut speech for detection of neurological impairment;
• Automated computer vision for unobtrusive optical recognition of stress;
• Recommended behavioral and pharmacological treatments for neurobehavioral problems;
• Development of a handheld device for rapid assessment of performance;
• Recommendations for habitability strategies for privacy and work effectiveness, and;
• Techniques to optimize assimilation of crews and families after return.

• For safety-sensitive occupations, workers can benefit from computer-assisted assessment tests and handheld devices for performance assessment;
• People working in remote locations can benefit from improved training and interventions for psychosocial or emotional conflicts, and;
• Techniques for improved individual and group communication, conflict resolution and monitoring for depression and neurocognitive disorders can be used in various settings - the workplace, military operations, team structures, and isolated work environments.