Pioneer UAV Selection Battery Validation

1. Pioneer UAV Selection Battery Validation LT Henry PhillipsNaval Aerospace Medical Institute

2. Background No standardized personnel selection procedure for Pioneer crews Students are often junior enlisted who have attrited from other C schools UAV training community has unnecessarily high attrition and poor performance

3. Mid-90s, NAMRL developed a psychomotor test (PMT) as a potential selection tool Began data collection, but funding was subsequently discontinued In 2002, contacted NAMTRAGRUDET Milton about UAV research Background

4. Discovered that PMT data collection had continued after NAMRL funding ran out Obtained PMT and training data for 48 students 39 of these were part of the Internal Pilot (IP) curriculum Analyzed validity of PMT for predicting training performance attrition among IPs and GCSOs(who also receive IP training) Background

5. Pioneer Crew Requirements Minimum crew consists of an external pilot (EP), internal pilot (IP), and a mission commander/ payload specialist (MC) EP responsible for take-offs, landings, and control of the vehicle when it is within visual range IP responsible for control of the aircraft when it is beyond visual range MC responsible for planning and execution of the mission, operation of the payload, and for information gathering during the mission

6. Psychomotor Test (PMT) Overview

7. Psychomotor Test Components Psychomotor Tasks Stick, Rudder, & Throttle Horizontal Tracking Dichotic Listening Digit Cancellation Manikin

8. Psychomotor Tasks:Stick, Rudder, and Throttle Three tasks assessing eye-hand and foot coordination All scored via accumulated pixel errors over test duration Administered separately and in combination;Stick & Rudder alsoadministered withDLT

9. Horizontal Tracking Task Goal is to keep a square cursor centered in a rectangle Cursor driven by a function which accelerates as distance from center increases �ball on a see-saw� Requires constant inputs to �balance� the cursor on the center point

10. Dichotic Listening Test Subjects presented a unique string of numbers and letters in each ear simultaneously Asked to focus on the NUMBERS heard in a designated ear Designated ear changes 4 times Test preceded by practice sessions Score depends solely on accuracy

11. Stick, Rudder, & Dichotic Listening Test

12. Digit Cancellation A different number between 1 and 4 is displayed on the screen Using a numeric keypad, examinees enter the number displayed A new value is displayed immediately upon keystroke Score depends upon speed and accuracy

13. Manikin Test Test of mental rotation 48 drawings of a human figure holding a square in one hand Depicted right-side up or upside-down, facing toward or away from the viewer Objective is to determine which hand is holding the square Score based on speed and accuracy

14. Score Components Combinations of these subtests used to generate four broad score components and one index score: Psychomotor ability � hand-eye coordination Multitasking calculation � calculation under multitasking requirement conditions Multitasking psychomotor � psychomotor performance under under multitasking requirement conditions Visuospatial ability � ability to perform mental rotations and reversals Unit-weighted total

15. Results and Discussion

16. Results and Discussion Correlations with training performance Psychomotor r: .43; p < .01 Multitasking-calculation r: .42; p < .01 Multitasking-psychomotor r: .51; p < .01 Manikin r: .54; p < .01 Index score r: .59; p < .01

17. ScatterplotTraining Performance by Index Score and Attrite Status

18. Results and Discussion Predicting Attrition Sample attrition rate 15.8% or 6 of 39 Attrite-complete index scores differedt38 = 2.91, p < .01 Mean attrite index score: -.77 Mean complete index score : .13 Existing PMT and its components have demonstrated predictive validity Implementation will increase trainee performance and reduce training attrition

19. Future Work

20. Options: Update & implement existing PMT components at one or more sites PMT almost 10 years old PMT technology is outdated & needs revision Field similar prototype, the Automated Spatial & Cognitive Abilities Test (ASCAT) Developed by NAMRL ASCAT uses more current technology than PMT ASCAT needs some updating and transitioning to web-based administration Web-based platform already in place; adapted test content is all that is needed

21. Automated Spatial & Cognitive Abilities Test (ASCAT) Subtests include Dichotic listening test (identical to PMT) Digit cancellation test (improved over PMT) Block rotation test Direction identifying test Control reversal test

22. Task is to rotate the right figure on all 3 axes until its orientation matches the left figure Block Rotation Task

23. Direction Identifying Test

24. Direction Identifying Test

25. Direction Identifying Test

26. Goal: Negate pitch and roll as UAV rotates Captures ability to manipulate a UAV in different orientations relative to the controller Similar to Manikin test Control Reversal Test

27. Contact Information NAMRL LT Philip Fatolitis, MSC, USNR 850-452-3287 x1073 pfatolitis@namrl.navy.mil NAMI LT Henry L. Phillips, MSC, USNR 850-452-2257 x1090 (DSN 922-) hlphillips@nomi.med.navy.mil