Robert Biersner - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Robert Biersner

Tvp films, "Oxygen Breathing .Apparatus Type A-311 and upatage Control Petty' Officer,.". were de... more Tvp films, "Oxygen Breathing .Apparatus Type A-311 and upatage Control Petty' Officer,.". were developed using an edaoational systems approach and based on 15 behaviofal objectives. The , * Documents acquired by ERIC include many informal unpublished *1 * materials tot available from other sources. ERIC makes every effort * * to obtain the best.copy.available. Nevertheless, items of marginal * *

Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 1972

and the Wechsler Memory Scale while breathing air or 30% nitrous oxide. The results showed that v... more and the Wechsler Memory Scale while breathing air or 30% nitrous oxide. The results showed that visual function, fine and gross motor petformance, and longkterm memory were normal under nitrous oxide, while learning and short-term memory were significantly impaired. The subjective effecto of breath. ing nitrous oxide were similar to th6se experienced during compressed air narcosis. The selective impairment of short-term memory suggists that divers might be able to perform useful work at depths deeper than those currently authorized, provided the tasks were well learned and practiced.

Measurement and Evaluation in Guidance, 1981

Undersea biomedical research, 1981

The validity of self-reported diving experience was assessed among 49 U.S. Navy divers. They were... more The validity of self-reported diving experience was assessed among 49 U.S. Navy divers. They were asked to provide frequency estimates for the following four diving categories: total dives, dives to more than 31 m, night dives, and dives at surface temperatures of less than 10 degrees C. These estimates were then correlated with official Navy diving records. The resulting correlations ranged from nonsignificant to moderate across the four diving categories. The sample was then divided into three groups according to the extent to which they overestimated diving experience-Low, Medium, and High. The Low group made more total dives and more dives greater than 31 m than either the Medium or High groups. The High and Medium groups did not differ from each other. The groups were similar in overall health status (as indicated but sick call visits) but varied in previous diving accidents. The High and Medium groups incurred substantially more diving accidents per number of total dives made ...

: Longitudinal health research has important uses in military medicine including estimation of th... more : Longitudinal health research has important uses in military medicine including estimation of the distribution and relative risks of disease and injury in military populations, discovery of the determinants or causes so that prevention and control can be implemented, and definition of health care needs so that scarce medical resources can be optimally allocated. Three Navy longitudinal research programs are described in some detail and examples of methods and study results are presented. The Thousand Aviator Program, instituted in 1940, was a prospective study designed to determine the etiology of cardiovascular disease among naval aviators. The Submarine/Diver Program was a retrospective study which involved analysis of health effects associated with environmental conditions experienced aboard submarines. The general with environmental conditions experienced aboard submarines. The general epidemiological studies under the Active Duty Enlisted Personnel Program are designed to be e...

Behavioral Treatment of Disease, 1982

Many of the behavioral medicine techniques described in previous chapters of this book are curren... more Many of the behavioral medicine techniques described in previous chapters of this book are currently and routinely used 389 R. S. Surwit et al. (eds.

: The report includes a set of tables to be used primarily by diving activities for rapid determi... more : The report includes a set of tables to be used primarily by diving activities for rapid determination of oxygen partial pressures from known depths and oxygen percents. The procedures and computer techniques used to generate these tables are also described. (Author)

International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 1998

The N ational O ccu p a tio n a l Exposure Survey (NOES) was used to determine probabilities for ... more The N ational O ccu p a tio n a l Exposure Survey (NOES) was used to determine probabilities for 4 potential physical-agent and 10 potential ergonom ic-related exposure hazards am ong a representative sam ple of U.S. industries. Potential physical-agent hazard exposures, principally whole-body and segmental vibration, were highest am ong railroad and heavy co nstruction industries. Several construction industries had high probabilities of potential ergonom ic-related exposure hazards, especially to the back and upper extremities. Establishm ents w ith 100 to 249 employees had the highest p ro b a b ility of potential exposures to the 2 types of hazards. Measures of safety and health clim ate did not differ consistently between high-hazard and low-hazard estab lishments. The a p proach taken in this paper may be used to help identify highrisk industries, evaluate interventions, and develop inspection strategies. exposures hazard analysis o ccu p a tio n a l hazard survey safety and health clim ate vibration This article represents the views, opinions, and interpretation o f the authors only; no support or endorsement by any government department or agency is intended or should be inferred. This article is a com pilation and revision o f two papers presented by the authors at the 10th Annual International Industrial Ergonom ics and Safety Conference held in Seattle, W A, June 13-16, 1995. F.J. Winn also has appointments with the M edical College o f G eorgia (U SA), the North Carolina Agrom edicine Institute (U SA), and the D uke University School o f Nursing (U SA).

Journal of Occupational Psychology, 1987

Measured mental and physical abilities of incumbents in selected US Navy jobs were compared with ... more Measured mental and physical abilities of incumbents in selected US Navy jobs were compared with job requirements predicted using the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ). A significant and meaningful pattern of correlations was found between commercially available PAQ attribute predictions derived from 25 Navy jobs and mental abilities measured using the Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery. Additionally, significant relationships were found between physical strength requirements of 26 Navy jobs and PAQ-based predictions of job requirements. The results support use of the PAQ to establish differences of ability requirements among jobs. Specific applications are discussed, including use of the PAQ in research on environmental stress, derivation of the manpower requirements for equipment systems and personnel placement.

Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 1976

Motor and cognitive tests were administered to four Navy divers under dry baseline conditions, in... more Motor and cognitive tests were administered to four Navy divers under dry baseline conditions, in warm and cold shallow water, and again in cold water at 183 m. It was found that water resistance, cold water, and prolonged exposure to cold water at depth resulted in significant decrements in motor performance. None of these factors, however, consistently or reliably impaired cognitive performance. Those cognitive impairments which were found could probably be accounted for by impaired motor performance. The motor effects of prolonged exposure to cold water at 183 m may be related to either severe heat debt or CO2 retention. These results indicate that present heating techniques are inadequate to protect divers from significant motor impairments after entering cold water at any depth, and from additional decrements after exposure to cold water for an hour at 183 m.

Abstract : The stated purpose of this study was to determine whether or not: (1) Subordinates per... more Abstract : The stated purpose of this study was to determine whether or not: (1) Subordinates perceived leaders altering style to meet different situations; (2) leaders varied leadership style with the nature of the problem, (3) perceived style flexibility was related to performance evaluations of subordinates by superiors, (4) perceived flexibility was related to subordinates satisfaction with superiors, and (5) perceived leadership style flexibility was related to Least-Preferred-Coworker (LPC) scores. Implementation of the methodology took the form of administering to two groups of managers a questionnaire that would provide: (1) Their perceptions of the leadership styles used by their superiors, (2) their satisfaction with leadership received, (3) their opinion of their Least-Preferred-Coworker, and (4) their performance evaluations of subordinate mangers. The study was based on a group of 149 first-level and middle managers located at a Navy laboratory Questionnaires were mailed to all 149 managerial personnel.

Journal of Human Stress, 1981

Page 1. Biochemical Variability In a Team Sports Situation Robert J. Biersner, Ph.D., William B. ... more Page 1. Biochemical Variability In a Team Sports Situation Robert J. Biersner, Ph.D., William B. McHugh, MD, Ph.D. and Richard H. Rahe, MD Using 13 members of an amateur softball team during the last seven games of the ...

PsycEXTRA Dataset

Measures of six self-reported moods (assessed using the Mood Questionnaire), serum cholesterol le... more Measures of six self-reported moods (assessed using the Mood Questionnaire), serum cholesterol levels, and serum uric acid (SUA) levels were obtained from 26 divers attending the Saturation Diver Training (SDT) course, the most sophisticated and arduous diving course offered by the U.S. Navy. These measures were correlated with various types of diving activity that occurred during the seven years following graduation from the SDT course. Multiple regression analyses showed that two moods, Fear and Happiness, from the Mood Questionnaire, were independently related to years of subsequent diving experience, while mood Fear and cholesterol levels were associated with total number of dives made during this period. The number of dives made to depths of over 100 feet of sea water was related independently to cholesterol levels and mood Happiness. A high frequency of saturation diving (i.e., dives that last for periods in excess of 12 hours) was found for divers with high SUA levels and low scores on mood Fear. Variations in significant mood and biochemical measures across the different types of diving criteria are discussed in terms of the level of stress involved, prior diving experience, psychological traits including perceived control and achievement motivation, and attitudes formed toward diving during the SDT course.

Vocational Guidance Quarterly, 1981

Psychological Reports, 1974

Scales were constructed for a 40-item mood questionnaire administered to a sample of 1140 Navy re... more Scales were constructed for a 40-item mood questionnaire administered to a sample of 1140 Navy recruits. The questionnaire was shown to be similar to others in content and reliabilities. Construct, concurrent and predictive validities of the scales with several criteria in a number of testing situations are also presented. The findings emphasize the usefulness of this questionnaire as a criterion measure or as a predictor of objective behavioral criteria under field-testing conditions.

Personnel Psychology, 1975

Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1980

nonverbal, demographic, and eye.hand laierality measures were administered to a sample of 34 Navy... more nonverbal, demographic, and eye.hand laierality measures were administered to a sample of 34 Navy recruits attending a remedial reading program and 53 recruits who were members of a regular recruit company. Verbal intelligence scores (as determined by the General asssificaton Test) differentiated best between the remediation and non-remediation groups. Race (being non-Caucasian) was also associated positively with the need for reading remediation. Reading achievement within the remedial group was related positively to race (being non-Caucasian). These results indicate that low intelligence and cultural factors may account for deficient readihe performance among Navy recruits. The results also show that, while self-repotted measures of laterality may not be especially useful in screening for remedial readers, these measures may nonetheless serve to identify neuropsychological factors that may underlie the condition. Effective performance in the military, as well as many other occupational 'The opinions and interpretations contained in this artile are those of the authoes oaw* and do not necessarily represent the official views, policies, or endMtsement of the Nan Department. Reprint requests should be sent to Dr. BWenner, Naval Medical Research and Development Command, National Naval Medical Center, Bethcsda, MatTllmll 2W14,