title: Emotional energy, work self-efficacy, and perceived similarity during the Mars 520 study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The objective of the present research was to study the dynamics of changes in emotional energy, work self-efficacy and perceived similarity in the crew of the Mars 520 experimental study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study comprised six volunteers, all men, between 27-38 yr of age (M = 32.16; SD = 4.99). The Mars 520 experimental study simulated all the elements of the proposed Mars mission that could be ground simulated, i.e., traveling to Mars, orbiting it, landing, and returning to Earth. During the simulation, measures of emotional energy, work self-efficacy, and perceived similarity were repeated every month. The data were analyzed using linear mixed effect models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Emotional energy, work self-efficacy, and perceived similarity gradually increased in the course of the simulation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was no evidence for a so-called third quarter phenomenon (the most strenuous period of group isolation, psychologically, emotionally, and socially) in our data. On the contrary, work self-efficacy, emotional energy, and group cohesion (indexed here by the subject's perceived similarity to others) increased significantly in the course of the simulation, with the latter two variables showing positive growth in the group functioning.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, The Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic. solcova@praha.psu.cas.cz
authors.forename: Iva
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Solcová
authors.forename: Vadim
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gushin
authors.forename: Alla
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vinokhodova
authors.forename: Jirí
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lukavský
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D020378:Confined Spaces; D018504:Ecological Systems, Closed; D004644:Emotions; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012934:Social Isolation; D013026:Space Flight