DTIC ADA421089: Coding Verbal Interactions in a Prototype Future Force Command and Control Simulation

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by  Defense Technical Information Center

Technical Report 1141

Coding Verbal Interactions In A Prototype Future Force
Command And Control Simulation

Paula J. Durlach
U.S. Army Research Institute

Laticia D, Bowens and John-L. Neumann
University of Central Florida
Consortium Research Fellows Program

Thomas J. Carnahan

‘Western Kentucky University
Consortium Research Fellows Program

Jury 2004 20040315 014

United States Army Research Institute
for the Behavioral and Secial Sclences

Appvd for pubic releese; dstibuion i uninited
U.S. Army Research Institute
for the Behavioral and Social Sciences

A Directorate of the U.S. Army Human Resources Command

ZITA M. SIMUTIS
Director

‘Techaical Review By

Wiliam R. Sanders, ARI
Donald R. Lampton, ARI

NOTICES

DISTRIBUTION: Primary cistritution of this Technical Report has been made by ARI.
Please address comespondence concoming distribution of raporis to: U.S. Army
Research institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences, Atin: DAPE-ARLPO,

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FINAL DISPOSITION: This Technical Report may be destroyed when itis no longer
needed. Please do not return itto the U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral
and Social Sciences.

NOTE; The findings in this Technical Repost are not to be construed as an official
Department of the Army position, unless go designatad by other authorized documents.
REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE

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7. ABSTRACT per 260 wa
Aste U.S. Amy undergoes traneformation, wil nsec reliable means of measuring and alung comping new
Sts. Acauing those wil require analysis of hymen behaslor inthe context of human-n-theoop simulsions of
Future Gombal System: (FCS) atl in te concept exsloration phase, The gnal ofthe present eat vas to estabish
and measure command gravp behsvor observed in ugh humar-mthe ong simulation via analysis cf he verbal
‘traction of the command group. A coding scheme for command group verbal inferations was devised and
pftad to several simulation runs In which a command group of 4 experienced Aimy Lt Cal's contoled an array of
Sraulated unmanned sir and ground platorms to aocomplish s deizerate atack mission, This report decurents the
development of te ceding scheme, the analysis osu, and considers varaus cer agpranshes for analyzing
‘ateal data.

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‘Technical Report 1444

Coding Verbal Interactions in A Prototype Future Force
Command And Control Simutation

Paula J. Durlach
U.S. Anny Research Institute

Laticla D. Bowens and John L. Neumann
University of Central Florida
Consortium Research Fellows Program

Thomas J. Carnahan

Westem Kentucky University
Consortium Research Fellows Program

Simulator Systems Research Unit

Stephen L. Goldberg, Chief

U.S. Army Research institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences
5001 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, Virginia 22304-4841

January 2004

inal PropoCT NUMIBSP Personnel Performance
20262785A760 and Training Technology

‘Approved for subi retaze; deteution untites

FORFWORD

Asthe US. Army undergoes transformation, members of the future force will need to
acquire ccmplex new skills in an enviconraen! of pid dectrine, organivaiion, traning, materiel,
leadership, petsannel, nd facies changes and deervased deployeent reparation tine, A.
good understanding of the required Command. Cantcol, Communications, Computers,
Inielligence, Survcillanoc and Reconnaissance (C'4TSR) skills and a relinble- means af measuring
and teining therp will be essential, Acquiring chose wil roquire analysis af hnman bebavioe io
the context of humat-in-tve-loup simulations of Future Caraat Systems (FCS) sil in the
conszpt exploration phase,

This report documents the development of a coding scheme lo: the analysis of eowmand
‘group verbal interactions in suc a hurtus-in-tho-loop simplation. Command group members
‘were asked to “think out Loud” so that their thinking procostes could be eaptured atnong the
‘verbal interactions, The anlysis oftheir verbal interactions yielded a mewurement instrument
‘that cau be used to help estublish und assess eiuing ofthe CaTSR skulls required by the Faturs
Sime

‘fhe work described in ihis report isa portion of the resvarch pouformed under ihe FCS
Command and Contrel (C2) programa, lsd by the Defense Advanced Restatch Projects Agency
(DARPA) and the U.S. Army Communisntions-Elecconics Command] (CECOM) Research and
Develapment and Fnginecring Center (RDC). As aprogram partuer, the TLS, Amity Research,
institute for the Behavioral ang Social Sciences (ART) focused on measuring harman performance
to improve human system integrative, and tnining and to support the Seience and Technolagy
Objective (STO) titled “Methods and Measures of Commander-Centsic Training,”

Findings from this effort vere briefed to the Deputy Chicf of Staff for Operations and
‘Training from the ‘Training and Doutrine Command (TRADOC NCSOPSBT). Methods and
findings ftom cach of the four experiments vere provided tothe Progrum Manager (°M) for FCS
‘C2as par of ARTs angoing support to £CS and Army rescerch and development efforts.

‘Hum porfomianee findings hy ART helped shape the C2 prointype showeased inthe FCS,
Capstone Demonstration of C2 systems prior to the FCS Milesiome Ts devision,

Pit bd lh -

MICHAL G. RUMERY
‘Acting Technical Director
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

‘The authors would like to acknowledge the gnidanee und expertise prvvided hy Car] Lickteig
during the curse ofthis research.
CODING VERBAL INTERACTIONS IX 4 PROTOTYPE FUTURE FORCT: COMMAND:
AKDCONTROI. SIMULATION

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

‘Resoich Requirement

‘As the U.S. Acmy undergoes transfozmiation, members uf The fate force will need to
squire complex new skills in an environment of rapid doctrine, organization, ruining, matoticl
Jeadership, personnel, and fuclities changes and decreased deployment preparation time.
good understanding of vie required Command, Contra, Communications, Computers,
Intelligence, Survetllance and Reconnaissance (C41SK) skills and a reliuhle means of racasuring
und teuining them wall be essential. Acquiring those will require analysis of umn behavior in
the cantext of tumain-the-loop simulations af Future Combat Systems (PCS) stil in the
concept exploration ahuse, The FCS Command and Conteat (€2) program provides a working,
example of sucht a simulation. ‘The progeum lends are the Defense Advanced Research Projects
‘Apeney (DARPA) and the U.S. Army Commorications~Electran'cs Commasil (CTCM)
Research and Development and Eueineering Center (RIDEC), As a prograra partie, the U.S
‘Ariny Research Institue for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI) focused on measuring
human peeformance to improve human system intearation and training anu io supper the
Scicnce and ‘leshnotogy Objective (STO) tiled “Methods and Measures af Commmander-Centiie
Training.”

Procodhre

‘The FCS C2 program created a transformation envvirenment for canpitical assessment oF
command group performance at th: small ont level, the notimal Unil Cell, From Ostober 2001
fo March 2003, the program conducted u series of communder-in-the-foop experiments 31
Monmouth, NI. Over the course ofthe experiments the digital command and contil sysier—
the Commandes's Support Envirocment (CSE)~became increasingly saphistcated, allowing the
command group (of 4 people) to directly control £3 simulated unmanned si and grou whicle
platforms, and z sot of unmanned ground sensors. The mission was consistently set in simulated
desert terrain fiom the National ‘raining Center (NPC) and required the Linit Cello condnct
Adaliborate artic missions agsinst an encmay battalion to clear pasnaye lanes fru follow-ent
Tore.

‘The ARI partners developed! analyses of critical cammand group functions, und described
player reuctions such as workload assessment, and CSE strengths and weaknesses. ‘The dats lor
this work consisted of the verbal inferactions among the experiment participants im the Unit Cell,
{heir computer in‘eraction activites, ané thir responses to questionnaires. ‘The prevent report is
concerned specifically with documenting the voding scheme used to analyze the verbal
interaction data. Unit cell members were asked 0 “chink out loud” xo thal their thinking
processes could be captured among the verbal incractions, ‘The verbal interactions: wf Une Tie
Cell far selected experimental sessions were runseribed and evnlent was anatyed for Function

(Plax, Sec, Mave, Strike, Battle Damage Assessment), Source {Who was speaking), Type of

communication (e.g., question, declaration, ete.) and Factor (Mission, Enemy, Tereuin, Troops,

‘Time, Civilians). Ag well as dacumenting the cnding scherne and presenting iMustative cesults,
is reporcalzo includes recommendations for further refincment of the coding scheme.

Findings:

A striking finding ftom the analysis of verbal interactions arog the Tinil Cell members
‘a5 flat sharing of infomation was consistently the most frequent type of verbal interaction (as
opposed, e-., t© questions or ditections). Despite the fact that al Unit Cell members did have
access to the sam dative af information, it as still essential to verbalize abot data that were
observed in order to mainizin a common operating picture. Analogously, Sex was always the
‘most quently observed Funetion (defined mx “Detect or identify enemy or fiendly positions, or
significane terrain aspects"). Thin result has significant implications for communications
zrequireutents for the FCS, intended to be a netocnaric system of systems supporting « distributed
force, Speeificaly, ane itaplieation is that a nctwarked information system, allowing all users to
aocess all inrmation may still aot be sufficient ta mnfain a common operating picture. uc te
oT Uve data available, aud the fimitations on the human information processing

3g woers to fhe must relevant information is going to be required.
Inthe present researc, this was accomplished by participants telling one unother whan they
Trelieved they should kaow, It should be kept in mind however, that participants were instracled
‘n“think aul loud.” This may bave distorted the type of verbal inweactions observed, compared
‘with panticipents not no instructed.

From a methodalogical point of view. there were seversl findings. workuble ending,
scheme for analyzing command group vorbal teractions was established. This scheme proved
sensitive enough te diseriminste the verbal behavior of an expert vs, a noviee command group,
and to discriminate the verhal behavior observed in mission exceudion ws. mission planing.

Several issues were tackled. such ay hw [inely fo analyze the verbal data (wast
cconstintes a data point?), The issues iavolved in developing a coding scheme for verbal data,
‘were explorell und the alvantagcs and disadvantages of different approaches were illustrated. To
‘panicolas, we found a trade-off between the prawularity of analysis and the ability to capuure in
‘ended data, verbalizations reflecting command considerations and mnoce abstiact thinking and
cision making, In the final conclusion, itis suggested thatthe most useiul coding scheme
‘ru he une specifically tallored to support hypothesis-driven research,

Utilization of Finding:

‘This work established a coding schome for mialyring the verbal inveractions of a
command group duting mission planning and execution. This meesurement tool can now be
‘used funther to measure, help establish, and ass0ss tsining of the C4TSR skaila required hy the
fusute fore,