N112-162 TITLE: PerCepts

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Human Systems

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: CMP-FY11-01 Perceptual Training Systems and Tools (PercepTS)

OBJECTIVE: Develop a suite of training and assessment tools for acquisition of perceptual skills.

DESCRIPTION: Federal agencies such as the Department of Defense (DoD), Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, and others are interested in detecting people and/or activities that are possible threats. To identify such threats, agency personnel situated within the environment rely upon their perceptual skills to identify anomalous activity. Specifically, personnel are taught how to develop a baseline from normal behavior / activities, and then detect anomalies that indicate the presence of a threat. Personnel training and assessment of perceptual skills is critical to successfully detect anomalies, and proactively prevent impending attacks.

However, several limitations are associated with the instruction of perceptual skills. As an example, in a recent review of the USMC Combat Hunter Program (Gideons, Padilla, & Lethin, 2008) several issues were raised: (1) limited access to perceptual skill training; (2) limited course throughput; (3) limited take-home materials; (4) lack of validated performance measures; and (5) limited understanding of skills by leadership (Schatz, Reitz, Nicholson, & Fautua, 2010). Likewise, a Government Accountability Office report on the Screening of Passengers by Observation Techniques (SPOT) program developed by the Transportation Security Administration cited several issues with training and measurement (GAO, 2010). However, research has suggested that perceptual skills can be taught and assessed (Fautua, et al., 2010). What is needed is a general purpose training and assessment tool for developing and evaluating perceptual skills. Specifically, the training and assessment tools should enable better perceptual training for recognizing human behavioral characteristics and recognizing patterns by providing methods and technologies across the training continuum � pre-training skill development, training supplementation and performance assessment, and post-training skills retention.

It is strongly encouraged that this effort develops training and assessment tools that are rugged. In addition, novel visualization and interaction techniques promoting enhanced visual, auditory, and haptic simulation are also suggested. Finally, these systems also need to capture events and have the intelligence to critique poor behaviors and compare behavior to expert standards.

At a minimum, tools should provide several perceptual skill exercises, and a detailed assessment of those skills. These tools should also be portable, require minimal intervention by an instructor and require minimal instruction for individual use.

PHASE I: Develop the framework for a perceptual toolkit to train and assess perceptual skills. This framework should address pre-training, performance assessment, and post-training skills retention capabilities. Naval support will be provided to help ensure the necessary connections within the Navy and Marine Corps are established.

PHASE II: Develop a prototype suite of perceptual tools based on the framework established in Phase I. Submit appropriate and necessary regulatory documents for testing using human participants. Validate the tools through empirical evaluations with the targeted user community.

PHASE III: Produce and market the perceptual training tools for integration within the Navy and Marine Corps training curriculum.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: The suite of tools will have widespread applications to military, government, and private sector organizations in which it is important to identify potential security threats.

REFERENCES:
1. Gideons, Padilla,& Lethin., (2008, September). Combat Hunter: The Training Continues. Marine Corps Gazette. pg. 79-84

2. Schatz, S., Reitz, E., Nicholson, D., & Fautua, D., (2010). Expanding Combat Hunter: The Science and Metrics of Border Hunter. Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference, Orlando, FL

3. U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2010, May).Aviation Security: Efforts to Validate TSA�s Passenger Screening Behavior Detection Program Underway, but Opportunities Exist to Strengthen Validation and Address Operational Challenges. (Publication No. GAO-10-763). Retrieved from GAO: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10763.pdf

4. Fautua, D., Schatz, S., Kobus, D., Spiker, V. A., Ross, W., Johnston, J. H., Nicholson, D., & Reitz, E. A. (under PAO review). Border Hunter Research Technical Report (IST-TR-10-01). Orlando, FL: University of Central Florida, Institute for Simulation & Training.

KEYWORDS: training; performance measurement; perceptual skills, sensemaking, human system integration

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