The relationship between emotional awareness and human error in aviation

Abstract

The general purpose of this study was to determine whether a relationship exists between emotional awareness and human error in aviation. A quantitative analysis approach was used to explore this by means of a cross-sectional survey design. The independent variable emotional awareness and the dependent variable human error were contextualised and operationalised. During the empirical phase, biographical information was collected and the Hartmann Emotional Boundary Questionnaire was administered to a purposive sample consisting of 173 aircrew members within the South African Air Force. Factor analysis revealed an eight-factor structure: involved; exactness; blend; openness; structured; unstructured; flexibility; and imagination. No differentiation was found between the mustering groups in relation to emotional awareness and human error. However, correlations differentiated between aircrew with zero human error and aircrew with “more than ten years’ aviation experience”. The test for differences between human error and the emotional awareness sub-construct "imagination" indicated a medium significance. From this relationship, the researcher deducted that “imaginative aircrew are prone to err”.