Approach-Avoidance Framework for Differing Levels of Adversarial Motivation Across Multiple Non-Lethal Weapons, Part 1
Abstract
Researchers often investigate how a single type of nonlethal technology affects human performance on a particular task. Unfortunately, few researchers have investigated the combined effects of multiple technologies or considered how an individual's motivation levels affect performance. Thus, we tested if multiple dissuasive technologies are more effective than a single technology at degrading performance and how motivation affects the desire to complete goal-related tasks. The technologies we evaluated were smoke, strobing lights, irritating noise, impulse devices, and malodorant. This undertaking required the careful collaboration of three research institutions (ECBC, Monell, and SwRI) to administer the various dissuasive technologies, such that each institution utilized comparable experimental procedures to evaluate their assigned technologies. A powerful effect was observed when smoke, strobing lights, and irritating noise were combined in which participants were unable to identify the visual stimuli in the test environment. We also discovered using survey methods that avoidance motivation decomposes into the principle factors of "reflective avoidance" and "impulsive avoidance." Reflective avoidance is a rational cognitive assessment of the probability of attaining the goal balanced against the unpleasant experience of the non-lethal weapon. Impulsive avoidance is the rapid emotional assessment of the unpleasant experience. These two avoidance dimensions fully accounted for the effect of dissuasive technologies on how long a person may be willing to spend in the aversive environment. We argue that separating avoidance into these two components is crucial to determine which non-lethal technologies or combinations of technologies are viable candidates to dissuade an adversarial population.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 30, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1088718
Entities
People
- Alan Ashworth
- Andrew J. Mojica
- Christopher D. Maute
- Christopher P. Bartak
- F. D. C. Willard
- Gregg C. Williams
- Joseph N. Mitchell
- Kenneth R. Collins
- Mark A. Tellez
- Pam H. Dalton
- Ronald J. Mathis
Organizations
- Edgewood Chemical Biological Center
- KBR, Inc.
- Southwest Research Institute