TRANSLATION AND APPLICATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH.

The processes involved in translating the findings of laboratory research in psychology into forms that would be meaningful and useful in operational settings are examined in detail. Particular attention is directed toward the psychology of learning and its apparently limited impact on educational and training technology. The viewpoints of academically and practically oriented psychologists toward various problems related to the translation and application of research are described and discussed 1 the limited amount of effort being directed toward applications 2 the detachment of many researchers from operational problems 3 the narrowness of problem definition characteristic of theory-oriented research 4 the problems involved in identifying theoretical and laboratory variables in the operational setting 5 the effect of the choice of experimental stimulus and task conditions on the translatability of research 6 the specificity of research results in relation to experimental, task and subject variables 7 the need for short, synoptic summaries of research studies as an aid to collation, interpretation and translation and 8 the need for the development of learning engineers as a link between the research and educational communities. A number of specific recommendations are made in the interest of increasing the relevance and applicability of psychological research sponsored by mission-oriented agencies in the Navy. Author