A Dyadic Protocol for Training Complex Skills: A Replication Using Female Participants

Abstract

The effectiveness and efficiency of the active interlocked modeling (AIM) dyadic protocol in training complex skills has been extensively demonstrated. However, past evaluation studies have all used male participants exclusively. Consequently, the present study investigated the generalizability of the effectiveness and efficiency gains to women. We randomly assigned 108 female participants to either the AIM-dyad condition or a standard individual control training condition. The results supported the robustness and viability of the AIM protocol. Although their overall performance was lower than that obtained for men in previous studies, women trained in the AIM-dyad condition performed as well as those trained in the individual condition. Thus, the efficiency gains associated with the AIM-dyad protocol, which result from the ability to train two people simultaneously to reach the same performance level as a single person with no increase in training time or machine cost, are generalizable to female participants. The applied and basic research implications of the present study are discussed within the context of well-documented male/female differences in the performance of complex psychomotor tasks. For instance, given the number of women entering the workforce and the significant proportion of women in professions previously deemed to be male-dominated (e.g., air navigation), it is reassuring to know that sex differences in task performance do not necessarily imply sex differences in the effectiveness of training protocols.

Traumatic amputation: Psychosocial adjustment of six Army women to loss of one or more limbs

“…In dyad training, participants alternate between observing the other learner and physically practicing the task themselves. Despite undertaking only half the physical practice over the same time period, dyad training has been shown to result in equivalent or superior motor learning to that following physical practice alone [58][59][60]. Upon delivery of the prosthesis, clinicians might consider initiating dyad training.…”

Assessing the Impact of Ability-Based Pairing Strategies in Team Training of a Complex Skill

“…Firmer conclusions regarding generalizability of our results to a broader adult population require replications from field studies with older samples consisting of left-and right-handed males and females (cf. Sanchez-Ku & Arthur, 2000). Second, we used a normative mean to create teams of different ability compositions that was based entirely on a college sample and we restricted participation to only high-and low-ability individuals.…”

The effect of dyad versus individual simulation‐based ultrasound training on skills transfer

“…Training in pairs – also known as dyad practice – may allow an increased learner‐to‐simulator ratio and thereby improve training efficiency. The effectiveness of dyad practice has been explored in the motor skills learning literature, which demonstrates that learners perform as well or better than those who practise alone despite decreased hands‐on experience 3, 4, 5, 6. Dyad practice may therefore be an attractive method of reducing the costs of simulation‐based medical education without compromising learning.…”