Understanding the Impact of Training on Performance

Abstract

This research effort was conducted to collect empirical evidence on the effectiveness of different training methods for acquiring and transferring complex cognitive skills. To accomplish this goal, we conducted a series of meta-analyses (and supplemental experiments) examining six training methods (training wheels, scaffolding, part-task training, increasing difficulty, learner control, and exploratory learning), as well as factors that moderate their effectiveness, such as task/skill type being trained (e.g., perceptual, psychomotor, cognitive-declarative), trainee characteristics (e.g., experience, aptitude), and type of training performance outcome (e.g., learning, transfer). Algorithms were developed to quantify the relationships between the training methods, performance, and the various moderating factors. These algorithms can be used to perform tradeoff analyses to determine the effectiveness of different combinations of training method(s), task/skill types, trainee characteristics, and performance outcomes. Finally, to ensure these research findings and algorithms would be easily consumable by training developers and researchers, a training effectiveness tool was developed, called TARGET (which stands for Training Aide: Research and Guidance for Effective Training). This tool can aid training developers and researchers in making evidence-based decisions concerning the most appropriate training method(s) to use depending on their particular training context; thus, helping to maximize effective learning and transfer. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Transfer of training, Training effectiveness, Meta-analyses, Training methods 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 18. NUMBER OF PAGES 19a. NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON

Development of the TARGET Training Effectiveness Tool and Underlying Algorithms Specifying Training Method - Performance Outcome Relationships

“…In summary, the present research was conducted as part of a broader four-year effort to develop evidence-based guidelines for the relative effectiveness of six different training methods for acquiring and transferring cognitive skills involved in complex task domains (see Plott et al, 2014). Several efforts were employed to develop these evidence-based guidelines.…”

“…The present research was conducted as part of a broader four-year effort to develop evidence-based guidelines for the relative effectiveness of different training methods for learning and transferring cognitive skills involved in complex Army-relevant task domains (see Plott et al, 2014). The emphasis was on how to improve not only learning, but also how to improve training transfer -that is, the degree to which trainees are able to apply and use what they learned once back on-the-job or in a new context (see Kraiger, Ford, & Salas, 1993).…”

“…For details on the literature review, meta-analyses and supplemental experiments see publications by Carolan, Wickens, Hutchins and Cumming (in press), Hutchins, Wickens, Carolan, and Cumming (2013), and Wickens, Hutchins, Carolan, and Cumming (2013). Other information can also be gleaned from ARI technical reports (McDermott, Carolan, Fisher, Gronowski, & Gacy, 2013;Plott et al, 2014) and conference proceedings (Carolan, McDermott, Hutchins, Wickens, & Belanich, 2011;McDermott, Carolan, & Gronowski, 2012;McDermott, Carolan, & Wickens, 2012;.…”

Stress-Adaptive Training: An Adaptive Psychomotor Training According to Stress Measured by Grip Force

“…However, performance-based adaptive training does not always capture all the individual’s relevant aspects that impact learning [ 14 ]. In a meta-analysis of 22 studies, performance-adaptive training was found to have a significant benefit of 32% on learning rate and transfer effectiveness was improved compared with fixed or increasing difficulty training methods [ 15 ].…”

“…Self-controlled task difficulty is a simple method of adjusting the training complexity to the state of the trainee. It was found to have a positive effect on training under certain conditions [ 15 ]. In this type of training, the trainee has the option to self-manage the workload related to the process during training, which increases the efficiency of learning.…”