Modeling for Human Performance Assessment.

This final report describes research performed during Fiscal Years 1990 and 1991 at the Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory. One research line involved developing a generic model of human performance tests, such as those in the Unified Tri-service Cognitive Performance Assessment Battery. Several performance-test models were developed using the plan of the generic task. A second research line focused on a risk identification study of 31 Navy and Marine combat occupations. The purpose was to examine whether knowledge of a stressors effects on abilities might be used to predict the combat jobs most likely to be affected by the stressor. The results identified certain perceptual-motor, and cognitive abilities that may vary substantially in importance among the occupations. Examples included far vision, spatial orientation, flexibility of closure, rate control and several others. Analyses of stressors for their effects on these abilities may suggest ways to optimize the use of resources by distributing backup personnel, countermeasures, and other risk-mitigating factors among jobs in part according to relative threat magnitudes. A third line of research focused on the development of a MicroSAINT model of an aircraft carrier landing. Although this line of research was interrupted a year early, due to reductions in research funds, a preliminary model was developed and is described in this report. A fourth line of research focused on issues in laboratory-test design and analysis. Studies in this line included 1 an examination of factors contributing to the potential sensitivities of tests to the effects of environmental stressors and 2 an examination of the use of iterated bootstrap resampling in the calculation of Monte Carlo estimates of the precision and significance levels of psychological tests.