Distributed Mission Operations Within-Simulator Training Effectiveness Baseline Study. Volume 5. Using the Pathfinder Methodology to Assess Pilot Knowledge Structure Changes

摘要

To provide an indirect assessment of learning for the overall Distributed Mission Operations (DMO) Within Simulator Training Effectiveness Baseline Study as described in Volume I, Summary Report, of AFRL-HE-AZ-TR-2006- 0015, the current work examined pilots who participated in a Pathfinder data collection methodology both before and after five days of DMO training. The Pathfinder methodology is a qualitative/quantitative method that can be used to assess if the pilots' underlying knowledge structures (i.e., their understanding) of air combat may have changed significantly as a function of DMO training. A total of 144 F-16 pilots rated the relatedness of 105 pairs of air combat concepts. Analyzing the before/after DMO training Pathfinder results by flight qualification or Viper flight position revealed remarkably similar results across all matrices. The most remarkable attribute of these networks is their stability; the pilots, regardless of demographic classification or before/after DMO training, view the relationships between the air combat concepts in very similar ways. We postulate that the stability of the networks most likely indicates that the 15 chosen concepts are at a high level of abstraction and reflect the shared knowledge in the general F-16 pilot population. As such, the concepts are likely not sensitive enough (i.e., detailed enough) to reflect differences in understanding resulting from five days of DMO training.