Applications of Simulator Freeze to Carrier Glideslope Tracking Instruction

摘要

Twenty-five experienced F-4 and F-16 Air Force pilots were instructed in carrier landings in the Visual Technology Research Simulator (VTRS). The training was conducted under three instructional conditions, two of which employed the simulator's 'freeze' feature. Additionally, two methods of defining errors for carrier glideslope tracking were examined. These experimental training techniques were compared to a conventional training approach where no 'freezes' were imposed during the training sequence. While pilots who were trained under the 'freeze' condition developed control strategies that distinguished them from pilots trained by Conventional measures, no differences were found between these groups on rate of extent of learning. In response to a post experimental questionnaire, pilots who were trained under 'freeze' conditions indicated that the simulator 'freeze' was frustrating and added to the overall difficulty of the task. These pilots further reported being more motivated to avoid the 'freeze' than to perform the task correctly during training. A probe technique was used to examine differential transfer in lieu of the more traditional transfer-of-training technique. Although this experimental use of the probe technique was a preliminary effort, it does appear to hold promise for transfer-of-training experiments of this type. (Author)