Influence of Mindfulness on Decision Making and Psychological Flexibility among Aircrew

By : Akansha Gautam, Roopa Mathur

Page No: 199-207

Abstract
Despite the high reliability of latest aeronautical technology and flight safety improvements, human factors and error continues to be a potent factor in 60% to 80% of all aviation incidents and accidents. Mindfulness is a positive psychological construct which has a measureable impact on aircrew to make more strategic decisions and avoid information overload. Psychological flexibility can seriously improve decision making and force an aircrew to ‘think outside the box’. The current research explores the existence of the psychological construct of mindfulness and examines how it is effective in improving decision making and strengthens psychological flexibility among aircrew. The data was collected from 130 Aircrew of IAF by using mindfulness scale, decision making questionnaire and psychological flexibility scale. Using a correlational design and regression analysis, study found that mindfulness has a significant positive association with decision making and significant negative association with psychological flexibility. Significant correlations in the predicted directions were found among all Variables of interest. Overall the findings indicate that Mindfulness Training for the aircrew might be a feasible element for the highperformance. Mindful decision makers are more likely to learn to make better decisions as they are more open to feedback and less prone to misapprehend the situations.

Authors :
Akansha Gautam : Scientist ‘D’ – Directorate of Aerospace Safety, Air HQ, Ministry of Defence, R.K. Puram, Delhi.
Roopa Mathur : Professor & HOD – Department of Psychology, The IIS University, Jaipur, Rajasthan.