One of the best predictors of performance on a particular task is an individual's perception of skill on the task. This perception, called self-efficacy, has been demonstrated to impact performance on a broad range of physical and cognitive tasks via changes in motivation, persistence, and affect. The first systematized implementation of a self-efficacy assessment for a military application was performed for an immersive virtual environment replication of the shiphandling task Underway Replenishment (UNREP). Surface Warfare Officers' (SWO) self-efficacy was assessed via self-report. Self-report items were derived from a cognitive task analysis, observation of experts' performance, and subject matter expert interviews. A final set of self-efficacy assessment items was validated after pilot testing.

The resulting self-efficacy measure for the UNREP was then administered both before and after participation in two trials of a virtual environment UNREP scenario. Participants were moderately skilled UNREP officers. Analyses revealed that participants reported higher self-efficacy for performing the actual at sea UNREP after participating in the UNREP virtual environment training task. The final version of the UNREP Self-Efficacy Scale (URSE) demonstrated excellent reliability with a Chronbach's alpha of .97. Perceptual-motor and cognitive skills have been extensively researched, but self-efficacy appraisals have been overlooked despite the significant impact they have on task performance. Further research in this area is warranted to optimize training interventions, create trainees with resilient personal efficacy for other training domains, and to aid in the development of realistic human cognitive models.