Pilots’ Perceived Cognitive Functions: The Effect of Mental Workload and Mindfulness on Prospective Memory Performance

Errors related to human factors remain a leading cause of aviation accidents, with many of these incidents being attributed to pilot performance. A key aspect of pilot performance might be prospective memory (PM), the ability to remember and execute future tasks at the appropriate time. The dynamic and high-demand environment of the cockpit presents significant challenges for pilots' PM, particularly due to high mental workload and the constant need for multitasking. This study investigates the impact of perceived mental workload as consisting of cognitive, emotional, temporal, and performance demands dimensions, and mindfulness on pilots' PM performance. A mindfulness scale specific to piloting was developed to assess its impact on the perceived PM performance of pilots and used alongside another frequently used mindfulness scale. Using a sample of 124 civil aviation licensed pilots, the study employed hierarchical regression models to assess the effect of mental workload, mindfulness, and piloting job-specific mindfulness on PM performance. Results reveal that general mindfulness and piloting job-specific mindfulness positively and significantly predict PM performance, explaining a considerable portion of the variance. The only significant mental workload dimension that was found to be a negative predictor of PM performance was cognitive demands. These findings underscore the importance of cognitive demands, general mindfulness, and piloting job-specific mindfulness affecting pilots' PM performance, with implications for training and safety protocols in aviation.