AIP Sperimentale 2025, 31° Congresso annuale

Session

The Psychology of Space Exploration and Extreme Environments

Sep 13, 2025, 3:30 PM

Conveners

The Psychology of Space Exploration and Extreme Environments

• Pierpaolo Zivi

926. Decision-making and stress in Isolated and Confined Environments: findings and insights from systematic investigations in spaceflight analogs

Pierpaolo Zivi (Dipartimento di Psicologia, Sapienza Università di Roma)

9/13/25, 3:30 PM

Reasoning and abstract cognition

Talk in simposio

Background
Long-duration space missions and future settlements on the Moon or Mars raise concerns about how the unique environmental and social conditions of long-term isolation and confinement affect human cognition. Crewmembers in these environments operate under high levels of autonomy, making effective decision-making critical for managing high-stakes situations. However, empirical...

921. The Psychology of Space Exploration and Extreme Environments

Pierpaolo Zivi (Dipartimento di Psicologia, Sapienza Università di Roma), Claudio Zavattaro (University of Turin), Sara Spinabelli (Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna), Raffaella Ricci (Università di Torino, Dipartimento di Psicologia)

9/13/25, 3:30 PM

Abstract complessivo di un simposio

Motivated by the need to support crews on future long-duration space missions, psychological research on extreme environments has significantly increased over the last decade, examining how prolonged isolation affects health, well-being, cognition, and emotion. However, the broader effects on psychological adaptation processes remain unclear.
This symposium presents a multidisciplinary set of...

931. Long-term solo sailing as an analogue for deep-space missions: Insights from the Global Solo Challenge.

Claudio Zavattaro (University of Turin)

9/13/25, 3:50 PM

Talk in simposio

Studies in isolated, confined and extreme (ICE) environments demonstrated that stressors, analogous to those present during spaceflight, induce detrimental effects on human well-being. However, several ground-based models do not replicate the ever changing environmental conditions astronauts will face in deep-space missions, which are similar to the ones experienced by maritime explorers of...

957. COGNITIVE AND PHYSICAL FATIGUE INDUCED BY MILITARY OPERATIONS IN ISOLATED AND COLD ENVIRONMENT (ICE)

Sara Spinabelli (Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna)

9/13/25, 4:10 PM

Talk in simposio

Purpose.The Arctic environment is characterized by extreme stressors which can impair soldiers' cognitive and physical performance, particularly during military operations. This study sought to examine the effects of operating in ICE on cognitive and physical fatigue in alpine soldiers.

Methods.36 Alpine Corps soldiers underwent testing before, during, and after a three-days...

950. Cognitive changes induced by microgravity during parabolic flights

Raffaella Ricci (Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Torino)

9/13/25, 4:30 PM

Talk in simposio

Clarifying the cognitive effects of microgravity is essential for ensuring optimal human performance during future long-duration space and interplanetary missions. Given the limited opportunities for spaceflights, the high cost, and the long-time intervals between launches, terrestrial analogs such as parabolic flight (PF) offer a valuable alternative for controlled experiments.
During four...

1041. Open Discussion

9/13/25, 4:50 PM