Soldiers' Psychological Responses to Tactical Nuclear Warfare
Abstract
This report describes the conduct and results of the Psychological Response Study, the purpose of which was to further the understanding of the likely responses of troops involved in a tactical nuclear war (TNW). The goals of the study were to estimate the most likely types of psychological responses to a TNW and the relationship between various psychological responses and performance in combat in terms of battlefield fatigue casualties (BFC). Subjects of this study were three hundred fifty-nine US Army troops who received one of six treatments (battlefield scenarios) in which three types of combat were crossed with two distances to the battle. Data were collected immediately from the subjects after they were read a description of one of the six battlefield scenarios and asked to visualize themselves in the described battlefield. Also collected were data from 1 1 experts in the field of TNW, again using a questionnaire. Results from the troops indicate that there was an interaction between Type of Combat and Soldier Type (infantry vs. armor). Infantrymen in the TNW scenario were significantly more extreme in their expectations about the behavior and performance of themselves and their compatriots. Also, unit and soldier-related variables such as cohesion and commitment were found to be significantly related to performance. Results of analyses of experts' data Nuclear Warfare, Psychological Reaction, Military Training, Military Doctrine, Combat Effectiveness, Nuclear Battlefield, Casualty Rates, Human Performance Stress.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA247106
Entities
People
- Joseph A. Conroy
- Michael L. Fineberg
- Reuven Gal
- Stephen P. Masterson