A Cognitive Analysis of Armor Procedural Task Training. Technical Report 605 [microform] / John E. Morrison and Stephen L. Goldberg

Traditional and performance-oriented approaches to procedural training were compared, and the deficiencies were identified. A cognitive interpretation of procedural learning was advanced, and training implications were considered. Representative armor procedures were analyzed to derive the underlying memory structures required for recall. Findings indicated that memory for armor procedural tasks can be represented as hierarchical structures of task goals, that the hierarchical structures have implications for procedural training, and that further research should be addressed to verification of the structures using actual soldier performance. Training applications of the memory structures that were suggested included a "part-task" training strategy that allows soldiers to organize procedural elements into appropriate subgoal units and training of soldiers to associate subgoal names with the appropriate subprocedures. (Hierarchical structures for armor tasks are appended.) (YLB)