Examining Firefighter Decision-Making: How Experience Influences Speed in Process and Choice

The objectives of this study were to identify relationships among firefighter experience and the decision-making processes, by determining if experienced firefighters singularly review alternatives, review less alternatives, or make more expedient decisions than novice firefighters. Research results, utilizing the highest resolution computerized virtual reality (VR) system in the world, do not support the empirical evidence suggesting that experienced firefighters review and act upon their first alternative and that experienced firefighters review less information in less time

Evaluating the Value of Dynamic Terrain Simulation on Training Quality

Warfighters perform a variety of civilian duties, such as construction. For example, in Iraq, from 2004-2011, the US Army carried out over 5,000 construction projects. Training warfighters on heavy construction equipment is a timeconsuming task that contrasts with shrinking military budgets. Simulation-based training offers improved training for fewer resources. Simulators can decrease time to task proficiency by up to 90%. Identifying the pertinent features needed for a construction equipment trainer is challenging. For example, a critical skill is identifying different soil types. Lifting too much soil can damage equipment while not taking enough can cause significant delays. An experimental study investigated the effectiveness of a virtual excavator trainer with particular attention to the use of a high-fidelity soil simulation and its effect on learning. The experiments included two soil types: clay (hard to handle, high mechanical integrity) and sand (easy to handle, reduced mechanical integrity). Participants used the Dynamic Environments (DE) Testbed with the Construction Equipment Virtual Trainer (CEVT) for the experiments. Randomly assigned participants worked with clay, sand, or both materials as well as using the CEVT or watching video for their training tasks. Participants attended three separate training sessions and completed decision tasks to assess their level of knowledge in identifying different soils and operating a virtual excavator correctly. Results showed that while the high-fidelity simulation did not dramatically improve learning, use of the simulation-based trainer did allow participants to estimate better the time required to conduct tasks based on different terrain types. The authors recommend: (1) designing training scenarios that limit the effect of contamination by prior experience, (2) improved simulator controls, (3) enhanced simulator graphic fidelity, and (4) an increased number of participants provide results with the desired consistency in improving training quality

Examining Firefighter Decision-Making: How Experience Influences Speed in Process and Choice

The objectives of this study were to identify relationships among firefighter experience and the decision-making processes, by determining if experienced firefighters singularly review alternatives, review less alternatives, or make more expedient decisions than novice firefighters. Research results, utilizing the highest resolution computerized virtual reality (VR) system in the world, do not support the empirical evidence suggesting that experienced firefighters review and act upon their first alternative and that experienced firefighters review less information in less time.This article is from International Fire Service Journal of Leadership and Management7 (2013): 51-60. Posted with permission.</p

Utility of Baroreflex Sensitivity as a Marker of Stress

Presently, adaptive systems use various cognitive and cardiovascular measures to evaluate the functional state of the operator. One marker that has been largely ignored as an assessment tool is baroreflex sensitivity (BRS). This study examined the extent to which BRS changed in response to acute psychological and physical stressors. A total of 20 participants underwent 6-min exposures to a psychological stressor and a physical stressor. Baroreceptor sensitivity, blood pressure, heart rate, heart rate variability, stroke volume, cardiac output, mean blood pressure, total peripheral resistance, left ventricular ejection time, and pre-ejection period were continuously measured at rest and throughout the testing period. Compared to rest, BRS significantly decreased during both the psychological and physical stressors. BRS was reduced more with the psychological stressor than the physical stressor. Heart rate and systolic blood pressure significantly increased above rest during the psychological stressor but not during the physical stressor. There were no significant differences from rest or between stressors for the other physiological markers. BRS was more robustly responsive than other cardiovascular measures commonly used to assess the psychophysiological response to stress, suggesting BRS is a useful marker for evaluating operator functional state during psychological and physical tasks.This is a manuscript of an article published as Anderson, Amanda A., Nir Keren, Andrew Lilja, Kevin M. Godby, Stephen B. Gilbert, and Warren D. Franke. "Utility of baroreflex sensitivity as a marker of stress." Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making 10, no. 2 (2016): 167-177. DOI: 10.1177/1555343416653887. Posted with permission.</p

Evaluating the Value of Dynamic Terrain Simulation on Training Quality

Warfighters perform a variety of civilian duties, such as construction. For example, in Iraq, from 2004-2011, the US Army carried out over 5,000 construction projects. Training warfighters on heavy construction equipment is a time-consuming task that contrasts with shrinking military budgets. Simulation-based training offers improved training for fewer resources. Simulators can decrease time to task proficiency by up to 90%. Identifying the pertinent features needed for a construction equipment trainer is challenging. For example, a critical skill is identifying different soil types. Lifting too much soil can damage equipment while not taking enough can cause significant delays. An experimental study investigated the effectiveness of a virtual excavator trainer with particular attention to the use of a high-fidelity soil simulation and its effect on learning. The experiments included two soil types: clay (hard to handle, high mechanical integrity) and sand (easy to handle, reduced mechanical integrity). Participants used the Dynamic Environments (DE) Testbed with the Construction Equipment Virtual Trainer (CEVT) for the experiments. Randomly assigned participants worked with clay, sand, or both materials as well as using the CEVT or watching video for their training tasks. Participants attended three separate training sessions and completed decision tasks to assess their level of knowledge in identifying different soils and operating a virtual excavator correctly. Results showed that while the high-fidelity simulation did not dramatically improve learning, use of the simulation-based trainer did allow participants to estimate better the time required to conduct tasks based on different terrain types. The authors recommend: (1) designing training scenarios that limit the effect of contamination by prior experience, (2) improved simulator controls, (3) enhanced simulator graphic fidelity, and (4) an increased number of participants provide results with the desired consistency in improving training quality.This proceeding is published as Gilbert, Stephen B., Nir Keren, Eliot H. Winer, Warren D. Franke, Kevin Godby, Anastacia MacAllister, Chloe McPherson, Julio de la Cruz, and Jeff Lyons. "Evaluating the Value of Dynamic Terrain Simulation on Training Quality," In Proceedings of the 2016 Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference (I/ITSEC). Volume 2016, Paper no. 16114. Arlington, VA: National Training and Simulation Association.</p

Utility of Baroreflex Sensitivity as a Marker of Stress

Presently, adaptive systems use various cognitive and cardiovascular measures to evaluate the functional state of the operator. One marker that has been largely ignored as an assessment tool is baroreflex sensitivity (BRS). This study examined the extent to which BRS changed in response to acute psychological and physical stressors. A total of 20 participants underwent 6-min exposures to a psychological stressor and a physical stressor. Baroreceptor sensitivity, blood pressure, heart rate, heart rate variability, stroke volume, cardiac output, mean blood pressure, total peripheral resistance, left ventricular ejection time, and pre-ejection period were continuously measured at rest and throughout the testing period. Compared to rest, BRS significantly decreased during both the psychological and physical stressors. BRS was reduced more with the psychological stressor than the physical stressor. Heart rate and systolic blood pressure significantly increased above rest during the psychological stressor but not during the physical stressor. There were no significant differences from rest or between stressors for the other physiological markers. BRS was more robustly responsive than other cardiovascular measures commonly used to assess the psychophysiological response to stress, suggesting BRS is a useful marker for evaluating operator functional state during psychological and physical tasks.This is a manuscript of an article published as Anderson, Amanda A., Nir Keren, Andrew Lilja, Kevin M. Godby, Stephen B. Gilbert, and Warren D. Franke. "Utility of baroreflex sensitivity as a marker of stress." Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making 10, no. 2 (2016): 167-177. DOI: 10.1177/1555343416653887. Posted with permission.</p