Personality characteristics of fighter pilots and ground personnel

The training of fighter plane pilots is expensive, yet instruments are rarely used to screen potential pilots prior to flight training. Hence, a measure that can differentiate fighter pilots from other military personnel is needed. This study was an investigation of personality traits that are contributing factors for becoming a pilot in the Air Force, which could serve as screening tools. One hundred and twelve males were recruited from the Air Force university in Taiwan. Follow-up was conducted 2 years later with 73 students who became pilots and 39 who became ground personnel. A further 53 male military personnel of the same age served as controls. Structural equation modeling was used to show that pilots were more extraverted and less neurotic than the ground personnel, and more extraverted than the controls. Paternal overprotection had an indirect association with becoming a pilot through the mediation of the personality traits of extraversion and neuroticism. Mental health was not associated with becoming a pilot. The optimal cut-off point of 4/5 on a scale of extraversion resulted in a high sensitivity (96%) for differentiating between fighter pilots and controls. Independent of psychosocial stressors (mental health), extraversion is associated with the biological mechanisms of an individual, and plays a unique role in the process of becoming a pilot. Therefore, an extraversion index can be used for screening potential military pilots prior to flight training, as a means of reducing costs and managing human resources.     

An Examination of Situational Constraints in Air Force Work Settings

Our investigation involved the measurement of constraints in a variety of Air Force work settings and the examination of hypothesized relationships between these constraints and performance, affective reactions, and reenlistment plans in seven Air Force occupational specialties. The severity of constraints was found to be mild across the specialties investigated. The presence of constraints tended to be associated with decreased satisfaction, increased frustration, and increased thoughts of leaving the Air Force. However, contrary to expectations, constraints were not related to either performance or intentions to leave.     

Effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance by United States Air Force pilots

This study examined the effects of 35 h of continuous sleep deprivation on performance in a variety of cognitive tasks as well as simulated flight. Ten United States Air Force pilots completed the Multi-Attribute Task Battery (MATB), Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT), and Operation Span Task (OSPAN), as well as simulated flight at 3 h intervals over a 35 h sleep deprivation period. Performance declined on all tests after about 18–20 h of continuous sleep deprivation, although the degree to which performance degraded varied. During the second half of the sleep deprivation period, performance on the simulated flight was predicted by PVT and OSPAN reasonably well but much less so by the MATB. Variance from optimal flight performance was predicted by both PVT and OSPAN but each measure added incremental validity to the prediction. The two measures together accounted for 58% of the variance in flight performance in the second half of the sleep deprivation period.     

Large sample validations of three general predictors of pilot training success

This article addresses one of the perennial problems of pilot selection research: obtaining an adequate sample size for reliable statistical analysis of predictive validity. Results from three studies involving the same computerized tests of instrument comprehension and psychomotor ability were combined in a meta-analysis to determine whether the validities of these tests generalized across three contexts. These were Royal Air Force and Turkish Air Force fixed-wing pilot training and British Army Air Corps rotary-wing pilot training. In this article, we discuss the adequacy of samples for estimating the validity of the tests, and the persistence of predictive validity to later stages of training as shown by British Army Air Corps data. Reference is also made to data from a fourth independent study of Qantas pilot training.     

A method for clustering eigenvalues

A method of computing communalities is presented which attempts to cluster eigenvalues about zero. Results are exhibited which show reduction of rank using computed communalities.This paper is based on work performed under Contract AF 30(602)-3300 monitored for the U. S. Air Force by Mr. Rocco Iuorno, Rome Air Development Center. The use, under the above contract, of the IBM 7094 computer located at Aeronautical Systems Division, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, is gratefully acknowledged. Permission is granted for reproduction, translation, publication, use, and disposal in whole and in part by or for the United States Government.     

Review of psychomotor skills in pilot selection research of the U.S. military services

This review provides an historical perspective of the use of psychomotor, perceptual--cognitive paper-and-pencil, and automated tests for the selection of pilot trainees by the U.S. military services. Automated versions of vintage psychomotor tests (developed in the 1930s and 1940s) seem to be as predictive of military pilot/aviator performance today as in the past. The psychomotor tests receiving the most attention today are the Complex Coordination and Two-Hand Coordination tests originally developed by Mashburn and colleagues [correction of colleges] before World War II (Mashburn, 1934). These tests were significant predictors of Air Force and Navy pass--fail criteria in the past, and automated versions are similarly predictive today. The U.S. Army and Air Force are now using a combination of paper-and-pencil and automated psychomotor--cognitive tests for initial selection (Air Force) or helicopter assignment (Army). It appears that the Navy is considering the use of automated cognitive and psychomotor tests in a selection battery of the future.     

Computerized Testing in the United States Air Force

Computerized testing in the United States Air Force finds its historical beginnings in apparatus tests developed during World War II. The advent of fast, small, and inexpensive computers led to the establishment of a research program to use computers in pilot selection. Later, computerized tests were demonstrated for more familiar aptitude measures such as verbal and quantitative ability. Several large-scale efforts to implement computerized testing have proved informative. Many Air Force tests are routinely administered by computer. Continued advances in computer technology promise to make computerized testing more common and more commonplace. Computer use in measuring physiological correlates of human ability is discussed.     

The Moderating Effect of Cognitive Flexibility in the Relationship Between Work Stress and Psychological Symptoms in Korean Air Force Pilots

Stress is closely associated with not only physical illness but also with indices of psychological maladjustment. However, such negative mental health outcomes may vary depending on the individual’s cognitive style, or perception of stress. Air force pilots are particularly vulnerable to experience a high degree of stress as they are required to conduct missions while simultaneously monitoring for safety in complex and uncertain flight situations. It can thus be posited that appropriate use of cognitive stress management strategies is one of the crucial competency requirements for pilots. As such, the present study examined the effects of stress on psychological symptoms of Korean Air Force pilots and further investigated the moderating role of cognitive flexibility in this relationship. A total of 192 air force pilots participated in the present study. The results indicated that degree of stress was positively correlated with indices of psychological maladjustment, while cognitive flexibility was negatively associated with psychological symptoms. Furthermore, cognitive flexibility demonstrated a significant moderating effect on the relationship between stress and psychological symptoms. Such results suggest that cognitive flexibility may serve as a protective factor in the potential effects of stress on psychological adjustment. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Air force officer qualifying test validity for predicting pilot training performance

The AFOQT was validated for the prediction of pilot training criteria. Subjects were 7,563 men and women selected for pilot training on the basis of educational attainment and AFOQT scores. Criterion variables included daily flight training grades, check flight grades in subsonic and transonic aircraft, and overall academic performance in the 53 week pilot training course. Test validities were presented as observed, corrected for multivariate range restriction, and corrected for multivariate range restriction and unreliability. The Aviation Information and Instrument Comprehension tests, measures of job knowledge, were most predictive of daily and check flights in the initial subsonic jet aircraft. This reflects the relative greater importance of prior job knowledge early in training. The Scale Reading test, a measure of perceptual speed, was most predictive for daily and check flights in the advanced transonic training aircraft. The Arithmetic Reasoning test, a good measure of general cognitive ability, was most predictive of aeronautics in ground school. The development of an improved pilot selection composite is suggested by the results of the validity analyses.The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Department of the Air Force, Department of Defense, or the Government of the United States.     

General resolution of correlation matrices into components and its utilization in multiple and partial regression

The derivation of multiple and partial regression statistics from uniqueness-augmented factor loadings, presented in the literature for orthogonal factor solutions, is generalized to oblique solutions. A mathematical rationale for the general case, without restriction to uncorrelated factors, is presented. Use of the general formulation is illustrated with a two-factor, seven-variable example.This report is based on work done under ARDC Project 7702, in support of the research and development program of the Air Force Personnel and Training Research Center, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Permission is granted for reproduction, translation, publication, use, and disposal in whole and in part by or for the United States Government.     

Multivariate information transmission

A multivariate analysis based on transmitted information is presented. It is shown that sample transmitted information provides a simple method for measuring and testing association in multi-dimensional contingency tables. Relations with analysis of variance are pointed out, and statistical tests are described.This work was supported in part by the Air Force Human Factors Operations Research Laboratories, and in part jointly by the Army, Navy, and Air Force under contract with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Several of the indices and tests discussed in this paper have been developed independently by J. E. Keith Smith (11) at the University of Michigan, and by W. R. Garner at Johns Hopkins University.     

The stability of the factorial pattern of aircrew classification tests in four analyses

This study consists of four factor analyses of the Army Air Forces Aircrew Classification Batteries. The first was an analysis of the 1945 wartime battery, while the other three were analyses of the 1947 postwar battery, consisting of essentially the same variables, but using different samples. Eleven factors were found which had been identified and reported in previous analyses. An additional factor, possibly an artifact, was identified as an age-education doublet. The only factor which differed significantly in the analyses was pilot or flying interest. These factor analyses show that the factorial content of the tests remains quite similar in both wartime and postwar populations.The data reported in this study were collected as part of the United States Air Force Human Resources Research and Development Program and described in Research Bulletin 52-16. The opinions or conclusions contained in this report are those of the authors. They are not to be construed as reflecting the view or indorsement of the Department of the Air Force.     

An IBM method for computing intraserial correlations

A method for computing intraserial correlations using a 602-A Calculating Punch, an 077 Collator, a 513 Gang Punch, and a 403 Tabulator is described. An example of the use of the procedure and an estimate of the time needed with each machine are given. This procedure is compared with another method, which makes use of a more powerful IBM machine.This research was supported in part by the United States Air Force under Contract No. AF 33(038)-25726, monitored by the Air Force Personnel and Training Research Center. Permission is granted for reproduction, translation, publication, use and disposal in whole and in part by or for the United States Government.     

Testing message diffusion in harmonic logistic curves

The growth of a population of knowers of a message was studied to test a human interactance hypothesis. The conditions investigated involvedpeople interacting in time, with the population pairing off randomly (i.e., determined by many, small, different influences) and transferring an attribute (i.e., an all-or-none act) at either a steady rate or a waning rate, subsequent to the originating stimulus. The mathematical expressions for these pre-conditions were the differential equations for the linear logistic for steady acting and the harmonic logistic for waning acting. Variant forms of these curves were developed. Two exploratory experiments, or pretests, comprised launching a coffee slogan in a town and imitating a badge wearer in a boys' camp. Since the activity rate waned harmonically in both cases, the harmonic logistic fit best in both the town and the camp as expected by the hypothesis.A paper read before Section K sponsored by the Committee on Social Physics of the AAAS Conference in Boston, December 30, 1953. This research was supported in part by the United States Air Force under Contract AF 33(038)-27522, monitored by the Human Resources Research Institute (now, Officer Education Research Laboratory, Air Force Personnel and Training Research Center), Air Research and Development Command, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Permission is granted for reproduction, translation, publication and distribution in part and in whole by or for the United States Government.     

Fitness correlates of obligatory versus health motives for exercise: An examination of men in the military

Objectives

To examine quantity of exercise and motives for exercise as predictors of men in the military’s health and fitness level.

Design

Participants completed a survey to address research questions of interest.

Methods

One-hundred and fourteen men who were active duty Air Force members, with a mean age of 31.43 years (SD = 7.43) and an average military time in service of 10.66 years (SD = 7.75), completed a modified version of the Reasons for Exercise Inventory, a survey assessing their quantity of exercise, and reported their most recent score on their Air Force Fitness Test.

Results

Correlational analyses indicated a relation between quantity of exercise and men’s score on the Air Force Fitness Test and a relation between intrinsic motives for exercise and quantity of exercise. Intrinsic motivation was found to moderate the relation between quantity of exercise and men’s health and fitness score.

Conclusions

Men in the military who exercise because of their military obligation are less likely to score high on the Air Force Fitness Test than are men who are motivated to exercise for health benefits.     

Measuring Airman Job Performance Using Occupational Survey Data

This research effort produced a task-based measure of job performance using data from existing Air Force occupational surveys. Previous performance measures col- lected in the field during the Air Force Job Performance Measurement (JPM) program were time consuming and expensive because they involved hands-on observation and measurement. The alternative, low-cost, readily available measure developed in this study accounted for the number and difficulty of job tasks performed by an airman and was validated against data from the JPM program using airman aptitude and experience as predictor variables. Results showed that the occupational task-based performance measure rank ordered airmen similarly to the JPM measure in terms of average performance, suggesting its value as a more cost-effective measure of work productivity.     

The counseling assignment problem

A disposition index, DI, which provides information about each possible placement to be considered in a personnel classification situation is discussed. The index is readily computed by machine methods and can be used by counselors required to make assignments. The use of the disposition index provides an adequate approximation to optimal solutions obtained by other methods.This report is based on work done under ARDC Project No. 7702, Task No. 17051, in support of the research and development program of the Air Force Personnel and Training Research Center, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Permission is granted for reproduction, translation, publication, use, and disposal in whole and in part by or for the United States Government.     

Trust of an Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance Technology: A Fighter Pilot Perspective

The present study examined the antecedents of trust among operational Air Force fighter pilots for an automatic ground collision avoidance technology. This technology offered a platform with high face validity for studying trust in automation because it is an automatic system currently being used in operations by the Air Force. Pilots (N = 142) responded to an online survey which asked about their attitudes toward the technology and assessed a number of psychological factors. Consistent with prior research on trust in automation, a number of trust antecedents were identified which corresponded to human factors, learned trust factors, and situational factors. Implications for the introduction of novel automatic systems into the military are discussed.     

Air Force Commanders' Disciplinary Decisions on Spouse Abuse Cases

ABSTRACT

Inconsistencies exist among Air Force commanders when disciplining spouse abuse offenders, possibly owing to inadequate training, unclear role expectations, conflicting policy statements, or personal biases. This situation may lead to inappropriate decisions, further endangering victims and negatively impacting mission readiness. A sample of 624 Air Force squadron commanders was surveyed to measure how their perceived role and operations tempo affect their disciplinary decisions on two abuse scenarios. The study tested role and decision-theory concepts. Statistical results supported role theory in the predicted direction, and decision theory, but in the opposite direction hypothesized. Implications for theory, practice, and policy development for the military are discussed.