OPERATOR STATUS AND CAPABILITY

THE GOAL OF THIS EFFORT IS TO PRODUCE AN INTEGRATED BEHAVIORAL/ PHYSIOLOGICAL TEST BATTER USABLE IN COMBAT SYSTEMS, AND LINKED THEORETICLLY TO THE TASK DEMANDS OF THE SYSTEM. A BASIC THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK INCORPORATING RELEVANT ASPECTS OF SEVERAL CURRENT THEORIES (PERFORMANCE RESOURCES, DECISION MAKING, MANUAL CONTROL, ETC.) WILL BE FORMULATED TO PROVIDE A BASIS FOR BEHAVIORAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL TEST SELECTION. A SET OF NON-INVASIVE, NON-OBTRUSIVE MEASURES WILL BE UTILIZED, INCLUDING EMBEDDED SECONDARY TASKS AND CORTICAL EVOKED RESPONSE, AMONG OTHERS. A PILOT STUDY TESTING THE PREDICTIVE VALIDITYOF THESE MEASURES IN IDENTIFYING DEGRADED PERFORMANCE CAPABILITY WILL BE CARRIED OUT. IN THIS STUDY, A SIMULATED OPERATIONAL TASK WILL BE ANALYZED FOR PERFORMANCE DEMANDS, AND THE MOMENT-TO-MOMENT STATUS OF THE OPERATOR WILL BE ASSESSED BY THE BEHAVIORAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL PREDICTOR TESTS. THESE WILL BE COMPARED TO THE SET OF TASK DEMANDS. THIS STUDY WILL ESTABLISH THE FEASIBILITY OF THE APPROACH AND PROVIDE PRELIMINARY DATA ON THE SPECIFIC TASKS OF GREATER VALUE.