Training an infantry officer to select the proper platoon formation during a military operation traditionally requires a large dedication of training assets. In 2018, a computer-based simulated Platoon Formation Decision Task (PFDT) was created and Cognitive Alignment with Performance Targeted Training Intervention Model (CAPTTIM) was utilized to ascertain which subjects reached optimal decision-making and when it occurred.1 Our study builds upon that work by refining and testing PFDT across two prevalent platforms. Infantry training would benefit from further development of high-capacity training on commonly available platforms. The PFDT includes 32 scenarios, each randomly presented four times for a total of 128 trials. Five factors are manipulated in the scenarios and an SME confirmed the optimal, acceptable, and poor decision responses. Sixty students and instructors at The Basic School in Quantico, VA will complete the PFDT under one of three platforms: tablet, VR, or VR with formations (which provides subjects the ability to depict formations onto virtual backgrounds). A subset of subjects in each condition will complete a secondary auditory task during the PFDT to assess cognitive load. CAPTTIM will be used to determine platform effects on the number of trials needed to reach optimal decision making. We predict participants in the VR formation condition will reach optimal decision-making faster compared to those in the tablet or VR without formations (who must mentally portray the formations). We will explore whether cognitive load differs across the three conditions to determine platform hierarchy. The experiment will be conducted in March and data analysis will be completed by June. These findings may provide a verifiable, repeatable, and reliable method for evaluating human performance through intuitive simulators utilized on commonly-owned digital platforms.
1 Hanley, B. M. (2018). TESTING A COGNITIVE ALIGNMENT-BASED TRAINING MODEL TO ACCELERATE OPTIMAL MILITARY DECISION-MAKING IN A PLATOON-FORMATION TASK. Naval Postgraduate School.