Title
Effects of goal versus target orientation on information quality and quantity in military reconnaissance operations
Author
Streefkerk, J.W.
Huijsman, W.P.
van Trijp, S.M.A.
Thönissen, F.H.
Publication year
2015
Abstract
In reconnaissance operations, military observers are tasked to notice objects, people and events in their environment that may be relevant for their commander’s goals and objectives. Which ‘elements of information’ are noticed is influenced by how the operation assignment is presented (cf. the principle of priming). A distinction here is made between assignments that broadly outline the commander’s intent ('goal orientation') or that narrowly point to only one or two categories of information elements ('target orientation'). In a virtual environment, eighteen male military participants carried out and reported on a reconnaissance operation, after being briefed with either goal-oriented or target-oriented assignments. Results show that a goal-oriented assignment leads to more information elements as well as more diverse elements being reported, albeit at a lower level of detail than a target-oriented assignment. Reconnaissance commanders should therefore choose carefully how they present their information gathering assignments.
Subject
Human & Operational Modelling
PCS - Perceptual and Cognitive Systems
ELSS - Earth, Life and Social Sciences
Defence Research
Defence
Defence, Safety and Security
Human engineering
Virtual reality
Goal orientations
Information elements
Information gathering
Information quality
Military observers
Military reconnaissance
Reconnaissance operations
Target orientation
Ergonomics
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:ac526967-51c5-44ce-a1b7-728b305b0477
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/1541931215591044
TNO identifier
562854
Publisher
Sage
Source
59th International Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, HFES 2014, 215-219
Document type
conference paper