Cognitive Readiness: Preparing for the Unexpected

Abstract

The most predictable characteristic of military operations is their unpredictability. Anticipated operational requirements can be decomposed into specific tasks, conditions, and standards, but how should individuals, teams, and units prepare for the unexpected, which, by definition, cannot be anticipated? This matter is viewed as an aspect of cognitive readiness. Situation awareness, memory, transfer, meta-cognition, automaticity, problem solving, decision-making, mental flexibility and creativity, leadership, and emotion are considered as bases for ways in which we can prepare operational personnel to deal with the unexpected. Science and Technology (S&T) developments in cognitive theory, cognitive readiness assessment, training for cognitive readiness, and assessing the military value of training are needed to devise reliable techniques for ensuring cognitive readiness in this area.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 2004
Accession Number
ADA458683

Entities

People

  • John Dexter Fletcher

Organizations

  • Institute for Defense Analyses

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Cyber
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Cognition
  • Cognitive Workload
  • Education
  • Human Behavior
  • Leadership
  • Mental Processes
  • Military Operations
  • Military Personnel
  • Personality
  • Psychological Phenomena And Processes
  • Psychology
  • Resilience
  • Situational Awareness
  • Standards
  • Students
  • Training

Readers

  • Instructional Design and Training Evaluation.
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • Team-Based Human-Centered Cognitive Task Decision Making and Information Performance.