Pioneer UAV Selection Battery Validation

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Pioneer UAV Selection Battery Validation

• LT Henry PhillipsNaval Aerospace Medical
  Institute

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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

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Background

• 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

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Background

• 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)

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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

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Psychomotor Test (PMT) Overview
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Psychomotor Test Components

• Psychomotor Tasks
• Stick, Rudder, Throttle
• Horizontal Tracking
• Dichotic Listening
• Digit Cancellation
• Manikin

Apparatus
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Psychomotor TasksStick, Rudder, and Throttle

• Three tasks assessing eye-hand and foot
  coordination
• All scored via accumulated pixel errors over test
  duration
• Administered separately and in
  combinationStick Rudder alsoadministered
  withDLT

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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

• Scored by accumulated pixel errors over test
  duration
• Administered alone and in conjunction with
  Digit Cancellation Test

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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

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Stick, Rudder, Dichotic Listening Test

• DLT administered alone and in
  conjunction with Stick Rudder PMT
  components

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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

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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

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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

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Results and Discussion
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Results and Discussion

• Correlations with training performance
• Psychomotor r .43 p lt .01
• Multitasking-calculation r .42 p lt .01
• Multitasking-psychomotor r .51 p lt .01
• Manikin r .54 p lt .01
• Index score r .59 p lt .01

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ScatterplotTraining Performance by Index Score
and Attrite Status
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Results and Discussion

• Predicting Attrition
• Sample attrition rate 15.8 or 6 of 39
• Attrite-complete index scores differedt38
  2.91, p lt .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

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

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Automated Spatial Abilities Test (ASAT)

• Subtests include
• Dichotic listening test (identical to PMT)
• Digit cancellation test (improved over PMT)
• Block rotation test
• Direction identifying test
• Control reversal test

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Block Rotation Task

• Task is to rotate the right figure on all 3 axes
  until its orientation matches the left figure

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Direction Identifying Test
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Direction Identifying Test
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Direction Identifying Test
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Control Reversal Test

• 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

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Contact Information

• NAMRL
• LTjg Phil Fatolitis, MSC, USNR
• 850-452-3287 x1073
• pfatolitis_at_namrl.navy.mil
• NAMI
• LT Henry L. Phillips, MSC, USNR
• 850-452-2257 x1090 (DSN 922-)
• hlphillips_at_nomi.med.navy.mil