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Journals / Marine Science and Technology Bulletin / 2026 / Volume: 10 Issue: 3

Measuring Mental Workload and Heart Rate Variability of Officers During Different Navigation Conditions

Barış Özsever(Piri Reis University, Maritime Faculty, Department of Maritime Transportation Management Engineering, 34940, Istanbul, Turkey)0000-0003-4926-2477
Leyla Tavacıoğlu(Istanbul Technical University, Maritime Faculty, Department of Basic Sciences, 34940, Istanbul, Turkey)0000-0002-9919-8226
Pages
—
Publication Date
2021-09-22
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

This study provides an example of predicting MWL for routine navigation operations by using physiological measures in maritime transportation.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:Mental workload (MWL) has a negative effect on the functional states of watchkeeping officers that ultimately causes collisions and groundings at sea.
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Key Findings & Data:This study was conducted in a bridge simulator with 11 participants.
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Conclusion & Impact:This study provides an example of predicting MWL for routine navigation operations by using physiological measures in maritime transportation.
🔬Design:Research Article
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Heart rate variability · Mental workload · NASA-TLX

Abstract

Mental workload (MWL) has a negative effect on the functional states of watchkeeping officers that ultimately causes collisions and groundings at sea. The aim of this study is to measure the MWL of officers during different navigation conditions. This study was conducted in a bridge simulator with 11 participants. Heart rate variability (HRV) measurements were taken during the 4 steps which have different difficulty levels and subjective assessments were taken at the end of each step by using NASA-TLX. The results of the measurements showed that different levels of navigation tasks caused significantly different levels of MWL and HRV values and MWL and HRV increased when task difficulty increased. Additionally, the correlation between MWL perceived by the participants and the heart rate variability values of the participants was found statistically significant. This study provides an example of predicting MWL for routine navigation operations by using physiological measures in maritime transportation.

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Cite This Article

Özsever, B., Tavacıoğlu, L. (2021). Measuring Mental Workload and Heart Rate Variability of Officers During Different Navigation Conditions. Marine Science and Technology Bulletin, Volume: 10 Issue: 3. https://doi.org/10.33714/masteb.976409

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