The effectiveness of guided mental practice in a computer -based single pilot resource management (SRM) training program

The purpose of this work was to assess the feasibility of a new instructional design approach, guided mental practice, within an asynchronous computer-based single pilot resource management training program. 36 licensed pilots participated in the study and were randomly separated into one of three groups, (a) SRM training with hands-on practice of flight simulator scenarios facilitated through yoke and rudder pedals, (b) SRM training with guided mental practice facilitated through videos of flight simulator scenarios, and (c) a control group which did not receive any training. The pilot participants then completed a performance assessment within a high-fidelity flight simulator. Situation Awareness Global Assessment Technique (SAGAT) and secondary task metrics were utilized in the simulator to measure situation awareness and mental workload, respectively. Additional offline measures included the Situational Awareness Rating Technique (SART) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration's task load index (NASA-TLX). The results of the study determined that the experimental group that completed training demonstrated significantly higher performance in the flight simulator than the control group, as measured by the SAGAT. The other measures did not identify any significant differences between groups. Therefore, it was concluded that training incorporating guided mental practice was equally as effective as that with hands-on practice in improving pilot's situation awareness as measured by the SAGAT.