Affiliation: | (1) Operations Division, Norwegian Defence Leadership Institute (NODLI), NO-0015 Oslo, Norway;(2) Division for Systems Analysis, Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (NDRE), P. O. Box 25, NO-2027 Kjeller, Norway |
Abstract: | This paper considers combat dynamic intuition (CDI). We define CDI as the cognitive capability possessed by a military commander when conducting operations. The paper serves two purposes: firstly, we briefly review the previous research on decision making and learning in dynamic systems, in order to discuss the role of microworlds as training environments to improve CDI. In particular, we focus on the advantages of applying system dynamics techniques when designing microworlds to represent "real world" operational challenges. Secondly, we draw implications from a microworld-based experiment, where task complexity is the manipulated variable. The results indicate that environment simplification in itself is not enough to enhance learning in a microworld setting—a conscious pedagogical program, aimed at increasing the training intensity, should also be developed in support of such training. The latter suggestion should be considered an opportunity for further research on CDI improvement. |