Human Performance in the Cold

The literature dealing with human performance in the cold is reviewed. Seven major areas are discussed: a) tactile sensitivity, b) manual performance, c) tracking, d) reaction time, e) complex behaviors, f) maintaining hand skin temperature (HST) as a means of maintaining operator effectiveness, and g) adaptation and acclimatization to low ambient temperatures. Performance decrements at low ambient temperatures appear to result principally from lowered HST and competing stimuli provided by the cold environment.