An Overview of Automaticity and Implications For Training the Thinking Process

Abstract

This report examines the relationship between automaticity and thinking processes. Issues pertaining to the development of automaticity within the thinking process are discussed. A literature review was conducted to examine how automaticity has been developed in various tasks of all types (e.g., visual search to battlefield thinking). The results of this examination suggest that automaticity can be developed using consistent rules and extensive practice that vary depending on the type of task. The results also suggest that the more complex the task is the more difficult it will be to train to automatic performance. Principles are presented that are used to guide the development of automaticity. Using these principles, along with previous methodologies for developing automaticity, this report discusses training methods for developing automaticity in the thinking process.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2002
Accession Number
ADA402420

Entities

People

  • Brian J. Holt
  • Shawn J. Rainey

Organizations

  • U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Applied Psychology
  • Army Personnel
  • Cognition
  • Cognitive Workload
  • Collision Avoidance
  • Computers
  • Human Behavior
  • Human Factors Engineering
  • Mental Processes
  • Motor Skills
  • Operating Systems
  • Psychology
  • Social Sciences
  • Students
  • Task Performance And Analysis
  • Thinking
  • Training

Readers

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Systems Analysis and Design