Training Situational Awareness Through Pattern Recognition in a Battlefield Environment

Abstract

The relation between stimulus cue relevance and pattern identification skill acquisition was tested by assessing pattern recognition performance in a simulated battlefield environment. Subjects who were trained in a reduced- stimulus environment that presented only task-relevant cues performed significantly better in a realistic battlefield test condition than did those who were trained in the battlefield test condition. The results are explained in terms of skill-based pattern recognition as a primary component behavior of situational awareness.