Development and Evaluation of an Automated Series of Single-and Multiple-Dichotic Listening and Psychomotor Tasks

摘要

Attrition in undergraduate naval aviation training represents a costly problem. An average of 25% of student naval aviators fails to complete training. This study reports an effort to develop automated single- and multiple-dichotic listening and psychomotor task, which have the potential to reduce aviator attrition through improved selection and may also be useful in initial pipeline classification. Statistical analysis of Study I, comparing a forward and backward series of automated dichotic listening (DLT) and psychomotor (PMT) tasks, indicated that a backward-direction orientation associated with the psychomotor tests resulted in increased difficulty for all PMT measures and two of three multitask DLT measures. The correlational estimates of test-retest reliability for the multitask DLT and PMT measures were adequate for both series of automated tasks but slightly higher (r = .80 DLT, r = .90 PMT) for the backward series. The relation between such seemingly different tasks is difficult to understand since the DLT is an auditory cognitive processing task, and the PMT is an eye, hand, foot coordination task. However, the significant correlations were both smaller and fewer in number for the backward series of automated tests. Study II was a correlational evaluation between the new automated multitask measures and old nonautomated tasks with demonstrated validity for the prediction of primary flight performance. The results of Study III indicated that certain automated DLT and PMT measures were significantly related to primary flight grades (PFG) in Navy flight training. (aw)