Analysis and Prediction of Attrition and Criterion Tasks Performance during Military Training,

Abstract

The present research evaluated aspects of physical work capacity, background, and psychological coping strategies and their relationship to criterion military task performance and attrition from basic training. It attempted to develop a selection instrument that could be utilized as part of a pre-training screening device to optimize both personnel selection and subsequent occupational assignment and training in the U.S. Armed Forces. Thirteen hundred men and women recruits were measured at the beginning of recruit training; subsequent discriminant analysis of graduates and dropouts demonstrated significant differences on five variables, including physical self comparison, reports of physical ailments, ability to cope with situational stress, body composition and age and correctly classified 30% of the dropouts. When these variables were subjected to a stepwise multiple regression, a predictive validity of .50 and .04 was observed for female and male dropouts respectively. The results support the usefulness and efficacy of a multivariate test device for the identification of dropouts and the prediction of selected task performance prior to training.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 10, 1979
Accession Number
ADA111237

Entities

People

  • Dan Sharp
  • Dennis M. Kowal
  • John Patton
  • Joseph J Knapik
  • William Daniels

Organizations

  • United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Attrition
  • Basic Training
  • Body Composition
  • Classification
  • Data Science
  • Databases
  • Discriminant Analysis
  • Enlisted Personnel
  • Information Science
  • Management Personnel
  • Measurement
  • Military Training
  • Personnel Selection
  • Regression Analysis
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Task Performance And Analysis
  • Trainees

Fields of Study

  • Education
  • Psychology

Readers

  • Psychometric Testing or Psychological Assessment.