Winfred Arthur

Relating Ability and Personality to the Efficacy and Performance of Dyadic Teams

We examined the extent to which member ability and personality relate to differences in team performance and team efficacy in a task setting that simulated the high degree of role interdependence and human-technology interaction found in many military contexts. 168 male participants were assigned to dyadic teams and trained for two weeks to learn and perform a complex computer task that simulated the demands of a dynamic aviation environment. Participants also completed measures of general mental ability, psychomotor ability, and the Big Five personality traits (extraversion, openness, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional stability). Team performance and team efficacy were assessed multiple times throughout training. Results indicated that ability was a critical determinant of both performance and efficacy, and personality traits yielded an incremental contribution to both performance and efficacy. In particular, psychomotor ability and conscientiousness were the strongest and most consistent factors associated with team effectiveness.

Dyadic Protocols, Observational Learning, and the Acquisition of Complex Skills

We examined two dyadic training protocols, both featuring observational learning, with respect to the acquisition of a complex skill. Specifically, we compared an active interlocked modeling (AIM) protocol which requires trainees to alternate between performing half of a task simultaneously with a partner who performs the other half to an alternating perform-and-observe (APO) protocol which requires trainees to alternate between performing the whole task and observing a partner performing the whole task. Sixty-four young adult males were assigned to either an AIM or APO protocol and underwent 3 days of skill acquisition training on a complex computer task that simulated the demands of a dynamic aviation environment. Results indicated that the APO protocol led to greater levels of skill acquisition and skill retention (after an 8-day nonpractice interval), but the advantage of APO training diminished after a brief period of individual reacquisition and on a test of skill transfer.