Cognitive and Personality Characteristics of Experienced and Inexperienced Sonar Operators

摘要

Groups of Navy personnel with high, little, or no sonar experience were described and compared on a battery of a cognitive and personality measures. The experienced operator group was significantly stronger in visual-perceptual skills, high in positive life experiences, and low in negative life experiences and anxiety. The less experienced sonar trainees performed average or above average on all measures and had significantly high anxiety scores. Discriminant analyses using personality variables were more successful than using cognitive variables, yet classification of subjects into groups, further analyses revealed no meaningful difference between submarine and surface ship sonar operators. The results suggest that visual perceptual skills and certain personality characteristics which are distinctive in expert sonarmen may well have some predictive significance in sonar and warrant further research.