Classifying C2 Decision Making Jobs Using Cognitive Task Analyses and Verbal Protocol Analysis

Weapons Directors (WDs) are cognitively complex, decision making jobs involving air traffic control of friendly assets and tracking hostiles from an airborne platform. Three cognitive task analyses (CTAs) were reviewed for WD jobs on the Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft. 230 tasks were derived from this "meta-CTA." Nine performance categories emerged, representing a cognitive-behavioral model of the WD job domain. To test the model, 38 WDs were observed participating in a computer simulation exercise during which they verbalized aloud their thoughts. These verbal protocols were recorded, transcribed, and reduced to task statements. Using a checklist derived from the meta-CTA, subject matter experts classified each of the statements as either primarily cognitive in nature, behavioral in nature, or a combination of the two. Classifications were analyzed to determine job performance differences between experienced and inexperienced WDs. Verbal protocol analysis presents the opportunity to integrate cognitive task analyses into a job model, yielding a new classification system based on a cognitive-behavior approach. This typology for describing jobs transcends traditional job analysis and has applicability to other complex management jobs involving decision-making, problem-solving, and resource management. More research is needed to validate further the process and identify potential boundary conditions for application.
Presented at the 6th International Command and Control Research and Technology Symposium (ICCRTS 2001) held in Annapolis, MD on 19-21 Jun 2001.