HUNGER IN GROUPS: AN ARCTIC EXPERIMENT

A test of underfeeding in the Arctic during the summer of 1960 is presented. The experiment used two replicated cycles, each consisting of a five-day control phase followed by two fiveday experimental phases during which subjects trekked over the Greenland Icecap man-hauling sleds. Variables include...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: SEATON,RICHARD W.
Other Authors: QUARTERMASTER FOOD AND CONTAINER INST FOR THE ARMED FORCES CHICAGO ILL
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 1962
Subjects:
*APPETITE
*GROUP DYNAMICS
MILITARY PSYCHOLOGY
MILITARY RATIONS
POLAR REGIONS
SENSORY DEPRIVATION
STRESS (PHYSIOLOGY)
STRESS (PSYCHOLOGY)
TEAMS
Arctic
Greenland
Greenland Icecap
Online Access:http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD0284922
http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD0284922
Description
Summary:A test of underfeeding in the Arctic during the summer of 1960 is presented. The experiment used two replicated cycles, each consisting of a five-day control phase followed by two fiveday experimental phases during which subjects trekked over the Greenland Icecap man-hauling sleds. Variables included eight sub-groups paired into five-man teams, two feeding conditions, and two work conditions. Reliable confirmation of previous reports was provided for some phenomenological effects: e.g., weakness, sensitivity to minor task increments, and concern about health and hygiene. Alleged sensitivity to cold was unconfirmed, and sexuality appeared to be a concomitant of the general stress situation rather than a specific correlate of hunger. That time passes more slowly for hungry men also was not supported by subjects' reports. Social effects of hunger on groups included reduced talk and humor, and increased complaining about minor strains. Contrast between effects of external demand stress and hunger deprivation stress was notable.

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