SBIR-STTR Award

Even as military conflict becomes more complex and technologically sophisticated, it is evident that there is a need to focus attention on the individual as both warrior and system controller. DoD is committed to optimizing the warfighter's physical, psychological, and cognitive capabilities to permit him/her to successfully operate in an information-rich and high stress environment. One result of this commitment has been the development of cognitive assessment/readiness test batteries based on a variety of diverse theoretical underpinnings. This has given rise to batteries that often overlap cognitive functions, or worse, fail to consider warfighter cognitive skills that are critical to mission success. In Phase I, NTI will survey current cognitive models and test batteries and will develop a final recommended state-of-the-art battery that will encompass behavioral and physiological measures of skills critical to military and civilian missions. This battery will consider simple cognitive skills, metacognitive skills, and affective states that may modulate performance (e.g., stress measures). A panel of experts from Army, Navy, and Air Force human performance research programs, as well as from other Government and civilian agencies will be assembled to review the test development process. Phase II will include validation and evaluation of this multidimensional automated tool. The importance of cognitive readiness ranges far outside of military applications. For example, companies in which employees perform safety critical jobs will benefit from knowing the cognitive status of their workers. These industries include the airlines, truck and bus companies, pharmaceutical industry, hospitals, and so on. A well-developed, validated, portable, cognitive readiness assessment battery could have significant impact on the safety records of such industries. In addition, researchers world-wide are often interested in acquiring reputable batteries for use in their own human performance research programs.

Keywords:
Cognitive Readiness, Cognitive Assessment, Automated Battery, Cognitive Tests, Readiness Monitoring, Physiological Stress Measure, Tri-Services,

Previous cognitive performance batteries have been based on diverse theoretical underpinnings. Such batteries either overlap cognitive functions or fail to consider warfighter cognitive skills that are critical to mission success. In Phase I of this SBIR, NTI surveyed current models of cognition and test batteries, and specified a test battery development approach that encompasses behavioral and physiological measures of skills critical to military and civilian missions. The Phase I products included test recommendations, innovative hardware/software approaches, and test selection procedures. The overall objective of Phase II is to deliver a "next generation" performance test battery based on the Phase I products. The battery will not only benefit from past test developments, but will also utilize new test selection techniques and advanced physiological assessment procedures. It will also adapt easily to either a field or laboratory testing environment. The battery development will be guided at each stage by military subject matter experts. and will be coordinated with task performance models, such as IMPRINT or CART. The final product will be delivered to the Army along with a users' manual to permit immediate application. The major thrust of the assessment system is to provide a testing technology that is firmly grounded in current cognitive theory. If successful, this development will, for the first time, provide researchers with a test battery that has an empirical foundation and that has an over-arching theoretical structure. As such, the system will be of enormous benefit to researchers in carrying out a broad range of human performance studies. Virtually any study involving stressors on the human will be able to use this technology. These include individuals studying the effects of toxic or chemical exposure, hypoxia, fatigue, heat, vibration, impact, psychological stress, weightlessness, and others. In addition, the system will be especially useful clinically to assess sub-clinical effects of head trauma, drug overdose, and effects of aging, among other physiological insults

Keywords:
task performance model, cognitive test battery, physiological measures, cognitive skills, performance test battery, military missions, test selection