Assessing the Impact of Ability-Based Pairing Strategies in Team Training of a Complex Skill

Abstract

In this study, we created homogeneous and heterogeneous dyadic training teams on the basis of g to examine how team composition affects the acquisition and performance of a complex skill at both team and individual levels. Specifically, 176 young adult males completed 10 hours of training on a complex skill involving strong cognitive and psychomotor demands. Participants practiced in pairs and completed tests of both team and individual performance. We found a strong additive influence of ability on team performance. Uniformly high-ability teams outperformed mixed-ability teams, who in turn outperformed uniformly low-ability teams. At the individual level, high-ability trainees acquired significantly more skill when paired with other high-ability partners instead of low-ability partners; however, low-ability trainees benefited only slightly from being paired with high-ability partners.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2005
Accession Number
ADA472611

Entities

People

  • Bryan D. Edwards
  • Eric A. Day
  • Jorge L. Mendoza
  • Suzanne T. Bell
  • Travis C. Tubre
  • Winfred Arthur Jr.
  • Winston Bennett Jr.

Organizations

  • University of Oklahoma

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Air Force
  • Air Force Research Laboratories
  • Applied Psychology
  • Attrition
  • Cognitive Science
  • Computers
  • Educational Psychology
  • Human Factors Engineering
  • Information Processing
  • Psychological Phenomena And Processes
  • Psychology
  • Social Psychology
  • Students
  • Trainees
  • Training
  • Video Games

Readers

  • Brain and Cognitive Science; Experimental Psychology; Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Team-Based Human-Centered Cognitive Task Decision Making and Information Performance.