Evaluating the effect of mental fatigue and situational awareness on the cognitive performance of airline pilots: The moderating role of sources of stress

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of mental fatigue and situational awareness on the cognitive performance of Iranian airline pilots according to the moderating role of sources of stress. The method of the present study was correlation and the statistical population of all male civilian pilots working in Iranian airlines in 2019. 320 pilots participated in the analysis using the convenience sampling method as the main sample. Participants responded to a Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, Situational Awareness Rating Technique, and Occupational Stress Inventory, and their cognitive performance was assessed based on simulation environment data. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation, Bootstrap test and interactive effects diagram. The results showed that stress can moderate the effect of mental fatigue on pilot decision-making performance and the effect of situational awareness on executive attention performance. Based on the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that mental fatigue, situational awareness and sources of stress can interact to predict the cognitive performance of Iranian Airlines pilots.