Validating Future Force Performance Measures (Army Class)


Book Description

The Army needs the best personnel to meet the emerging demands of the 21st century. Accordingly, the Army is seeking recommendations on new experimental predictor measures that could enhance entry-level Soldier selection and classification decisions, in particular, measures of non-cognitive attributes (e.g., interests, values, temperament). The U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI) is conducting a longitudinal criterion-related validation research effort to collect data to inform these recommendations. Data on experimental predictors were collected from about 11,000 Soldiers. Training criterion data were collected for differing subsets of the predictor sample in the first of three planned criterion measurement points. Soldiers were drawn from two samples: (a) job-specific samples targeting six entry-level Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) and (b) an Army-wide sample with no MOS-specific requirements. In the analyses reported here, the value of the experimental predictor measures to enhance new Soldier selection was examined. Overall, many of the experimental predictors significantly incremented the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) in predicting Soldier performance and retention during training. In addition, the experimental predictors generally exhibited smaller subgroup mean differences (by gender, race, and ethnicity) than the AFQT.




Validating Future Force Performance Measures (Army Class): End of Training Longitudinal Validation


Book Description

The Army needs the best personnel to meet the emerging demands of the 21st century. Accordingly, the Army is seeking recommendations on new experimental predictor measures that could enhance entry-level Soldier selection and classification decisions, in particular, measures of non-cognitive attributes (e.g., interests, values, temperament). The U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI) is conducting a longitudinal criterion-related validation research effort to collect data to inform these recommendations. Data on experimental predictors were collected from about 11,000 Soldiers. Training criterion data were collected for differing subsets of the predictor sample in the first of three planned criterion measurement points. Soldiers were drawn from two samples: (a) job-specific samples targeting six entry-level Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) and (b) an Army-wide sample with no MOS-specific requirements. In the analyses reported here, the value of the experimental predictor measures to enhance new Soldier selection was examined. Overall, many of the experimental predictors significantly incremented the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) in predicting Soldier performance and retention during training. In addition, the experimental predictors generally exhibited smaller subgroup mean differences (by gender, race, and ethnicity) than the AFQT.




Validating Future Force Performance Measures (Army Class)


Book Description

To meet the challenges facing the Army, the Army needs predictor measures that will enhance entry-level Soldier selection and classification. One of the purposes of the Army Research Institute for Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI's) Army Class project is to provide the Army with recommendations on which predictor measures, in particular measures of non-cognitive attributes (e.g., interests, values, and temperament), demonstrate the greatest potential to inform entry-level Soldier selection and classification decisions. The present report documents the development of criterion measures to assist in these analyses. A second purpose of the Army Class project is to develop and pilot job knowledge tests (JKTs) that can be used to aid reclassification decisions. If Soldiers are shown to possess critical knowledge, skills, and attributes (KSAs) for their new jobs, this could reduce training requirements and increase force readiness. This report documents the development of reclassification JKT test items.




Validating Future Force Performance Measures (Army Class): Reclassification Test and Criterion Development


Book Description

To meet the challenges facing the Army, the Army needs predictor measures that will enhance entry-level Soldier selection and classification. One of the purposes of the Army Research Institute for Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI's) Army Class project is to provide the Army with recommendations on which predictor measures, in particular measures of non-cognitive attributes (e.g., interests, values, and temperament), demonstrate the greatest potential to inform entry-level Soldier selection and classification decisions. The present report documents the development of criterion measures to assist in these analyses. A second purpose of the Army Class project is to develop and pilot job knowledge tests (JKTs) that can be used to aid reclassification decisions. If Soldiers are shown to possess critical knowledge, skills, and attributes (KSAs) for their new jobs, this could reduce training requirements and increase force readiness. This report documents the development of reclassification JKT test items.







Head Strong


Book Description

"Since the publication of the first edition of Head Strong: How Psychology is Revolutionizing War in 2014, developments in military psychology have been rapid and important. So much so, that this revised edition is necessary to accurately capture the vital role that psychology continues to play in 21st century military success. The ideas contained in the first edition influenced emerging doctrine in the Army's Human Dimension, and informed military leaders around the globe of ways that psychological science and practice may be leveraged to improve combat effectiveness. Many of the predictions made in the first edition have come true, and new and exciting products of military psychology now offer novel ways of impacting military outcomes. This revised edition of Head Strong updates the 13 chapters included in the first edition with breaking news in military psychology, and adds new material to augment those chapters. Two entirely new chapters are included in this edition. The first is on character and discusses how to measure it, how to develop it, and how character plays a vital role in the performance of individual soldiers and their units. The second new chapter is based on a year-long special assignment the author spent working as a Fellow for the Army Chief of Staff's Strategic Studies Group, and captures the rapid developments in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and other disciplines that may help the military optimize soldier and unit performance. Like the other topics in Head Strong, these two new chapters have significant applicability to non-military organizations including schools, corporations, and sports teams. Taken together, the updates and new chapters make Head Strong, Revised Edition essential reading for anyone interested in how the military, and by extension other organizations, may leverage psychology to improve performance."--







Future Army-wide Soldier Performance Requirements


Book Description

Transformation of the U.S. Army into the Future Force involves changes to missions, systems, and organizational structures. To realize the full potential of transformation, the Army must have the means to select and to assign high quality individuals who, as first-term Soldiers, can meet the training and operational demands emerging with transformation to the Future Force. This report is part of a series of research product reports that provide potential users information on products resulting from a project titled New Predictors for Selecting and Assigning Future Army Soldiers (Select21). The goal of Select21 is to (a) develop and validate new performance predictor measures and (b) propose use of the most promising measures as a entry-level selection and classification system adapted to the demands of the 21st century. The present report describes the predicted job performance requirements of all future entry-level Army jobs, regardless of Military Occupational Specialty. These future performance requirements are characterized in three complementary ways: first, in terms of future anticipated conditions (e.g., increased pace); second, in terms of performance dimensions (e.g., communication, teamwork); and third, in terms of the specific tasks Soldiers need to be able to perform.




Future Soldiers


Book Description

The transformation into the Future Force will continue to involve changes to missions, systems, and organizational structures. However, U.S. Army leadership recognizes the importance of its Soldiers to the effectiveness of transformation. In this regard, the Army is seeking to ensure transformation through training, leader development, and Soldier systems. This research effort is titled New Predictors for Selecting and Assigning Future Army Soldiers (Select21). Its goal is to make sure that the Army acquires Soldiers with the knowledge, skills, and attributes (KSAs) needed to perform the types of tasks envisioned in a transformed Army. This goal resulted in two objectives (a) develop and validate measures of these critical KSAs and (b) propose the use of these measures in a selection and classification system adapted to the demands of the 21% century. This report documents the procedures and results of a future-oriented job analysis designed to support the development and evaluation of such measures. Future-oriented performance requirements developed for this project include those relevant to entry-level Soldiers in (a) all future Army jobs and (b) Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) representative of two future job clusters. Each of 48 KSAs was identified and prioritized in terms of its importance to future performance.