Assessing the Impact of Mental Category on Simulated Tank Gunnery Performance
Abstract
The research evaluated the effects of mental ability on the gunnery performance of 19K One Station Unit Training (OSUT) soldiers. Five hundred forty-seven soldiers were given a 35-engagement tank gunnery test on the high- fidelity Institutional-Conduct of Fire Trainer (I-COFT). The I-COFT test included offensive and defensive engagements fired in normal and degraded operational modes. The primary analysis compared speed and accuracy performance as a function of mental category as derived from General Technical (GT) scores. The test scores were also used a parameter estimates in a soldier performance model based on Lanchester-type combat attrition models. OSUT soldiers with higher mental ability were faster and more accurate on the I-COFT test than were soldiers with lower mental ability. Mental category I & II soldiers hit 14% more targets than category IV soldiers and were 2 seconds faster. The effects of mental ability were relatively the same for both normal and degraded mode exercises. Analyses based on the soldier performance model indicated that category IV soldiers performed at 73% of category I & II soldiers. Keywords: Armor; Personnel selection; Gunnery prediction; Unit conduct of fire trainer; Performance(human).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA210319
Entities
People
- Scott E. Graham
Organizations
- U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences