Acquisition, Retention, and Retraining: Effects of High and Low Fidelity in Training Devices. Technical Report 69-1

This study is the first in a series which was conducted under the name STRANGER III, and which was to examine trainee's long-term memory of motor skills. This phase examined the effects of varying fidelity of training devices on acquisition, retention, and reinstatement of ability to perform a 92-step procedural task. Three versions of the Section Control Indicator Console of the Nike-Hercules guided missile system were utilized. One version was a physical duplicate, fully powered and operational; a second had no power; and a third was a full sized color illustration of the powered version. Sixty U.S. Army trainees were randomly assigned to one of five training conditions, 12 to a group. Each subject was tested immediately after training, 4 weeks later, and 6 weeks later, and each was retrained to a criterion level. There was no difference in training time to learn the procedural task, initial performance level, amount remembered after 4 and 6 weeks, or retraining time between individuals trained on high fidelity devices and those trained on low fidelity devices. (EM)