The Relationship of Simulator Fidelity to Task and Performance Variables

Abstract : This report describes a 3-year program of basic research to investigate the relationship between simulator fidelity and maintenance training effectiveness. A unique feature of this work was the use of a specially-designed reference system and simulator testbed for use in training simple electromechanical troubleshooting skills. Researchers report two experiments designed to compare the transfer performance of subjects in nine different simulator training conditions. In both studies two aspects of simulator fidelity were manipulated--the degree to which a training simulator looked like actual equipment (physical fidelity), and the degree to which it acted like real equipment (functional fidelity).