The Effects of Differences Between Practice and Test Criteria on Transfer and Retention of a Simulated Tank Gunnery Task

Abstract : This report evaluates manipulation of the difficulty practice criteria relative to test criteria, as a method of improving performance on track-and-shoot tasks. The experimental task required manual tracking with the Video--isc Gunnery Simulator, a tank-gunnery training device. Each of three groups of 15 male undergraduates practiced under one of three conditions in which the accuracy criterion was easier than, more difficult than, or the same as the transfer and retention test criterion. Each accuracy criterion was defined as the percentage of :he target area scored as a kill when hit. Dependent variables were target kills, aiming error, and time to fire. Results suggested a speed/accuracy trade-off: Compare with a control group that practiced and was tested with the same criterion, practice with an accuracy criterion more difficult than the test criterion yielded greater hit percentages, but slower firing times. This trend, although not statistically, significant, held for transfer and retention test scores. Practice with an easier criterion did not result in systematic differences from the performance of the control group.

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