Natick, Tufts University and 82nd Airborne put Soldier learning front and center

By Jane Benson, NSRDEC Public AffairsAugust 19, 2016

Dr. Ayanna Thomas teaches a class to members of the 82nd Airborne
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Dr. Ayanna Thomas from Tufts University came to NSRDEC to teach a class about the science of learning to Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne. NSRDEC cognitive scientists and Tufts researchers are working together to garner insight into how to improve Sol... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
NSRDEC Marianna Eddy
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Dr. Marianna Eddy -- a research psychologist at the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center -- explains the cognitive tasks the Soldiers from the 82nd performed during a recent study. NSRDEC's work with the 82nd is part of the S&... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

NATICK, Mass. -- What do a premier research, development and engineering facility; a top university; and an elite Airborne Infantry Division have in common?

All three entities -- the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center; Tufts University; and the 82nd Airborne Division -- are working together to improve learning, teaching and memory techniques for the paratrooper. The Center for Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences is facilitating their work.

The Center for ABCS is a cooperative research center co-directed by Dr. Caroline Mahoney, team leader of NSRDEC's Cognitive Science Team, and Dr. Holly Taylor, professor at Tufts University's Department of Psychology. The center's work will ultimately provide insight into how Soldiers think in response to ever more complicated, stressful and challenging environments.

"The Center for Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences and the relationship among Natick, Tufts and the 82nd facilitates studies and learning opportunities for Soldiers," said Dr. Marianna Eddy, a research psychologist on the NSRDEC Cognitive Science Team.

"The Center for ABCS has been instrumental in facilitating collaboration between NSRDEC and Tufts," said Tufts University's Dr. Ayanna Thomas, who is working with NSRDEC and the 82nd to help paratroopers improve memory and develop new approaches to learning. "Collaborative center funding has resulted in the development of research programs with NSRDEC personnel. Further, through interaction with NSRDEC personnel, Caroline Davis and Marianna Eddy, I learned that the 82nd had an interest in restructuring training programs based on cutting-edge research in my field. This only became apparent because of my work funded through the center and ongoing collaboration with Dr. Davis."

Eddy is pleased to have the chance to collaborate with Thomas, an expert on learning and memory.

"In collaboration with Dr. Thomas, we will be working to improve learning and memory in in Jump Master School by providing insight about techniques that may be implemented to improve performance in the school," Eddy said.

Thomas is interested in what gets people to the point where information is learned well and remembered well and where they are able to retrieve that information in all sorts of different situations, including situations that are high stress.

"Presently, my graduate student, Gregory Hughes, has been observing jump master training to determine how trainees are instructed and evaluated," Thomas said. "Greg, Caroline Davis, Marianna Eddy and I will soon be discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the training program, and hopefully implementing changes based on scientific research in my lab and related labs to improve the success of the program. Not only do we expect to improve the outcome for students, but we expect to produce important scientific publications demonstrating the value of specific cognitive training protocols in the context of complex learning."

The Tufts-NSRDEC effort is part of a larger partnering effort by NSRDEC and the 82nd Airborne to help NSRDEC researchers garner greater insight into Soldier needs. Several organizations at NSRDEC, including the Cognitive Science Team, are working with the 82nd to develop products, techniques and solutions.

NSRDEC's work with the 82nd is part of an all-encompassing science and technology effort called the S&T Project Integration Pilot, which is part of the Soldier and Squad Performance Optimization, or S2PO, initiative.

"The relationship with the Soldiers is so important," Eddy said. "We get to see firsthand the conditions and stress that Soldiers operate under. It is very helpful as a scientist to see firsthand what Soldiers do on a day-to-day basis, and the level of access the 82nd has given is great. It is making knowledge transition more immediate. It's also helping us to link up with other folks in the Army who are interested in our work."

"Too often we researchers are divorced from the practical impact of our research," Thomas said. "Having this opportunity to directly help individuals whose lives may depend on quick access to learned information puts my research into perspective."

"It is important for Soldiers to know that scientists are working to improve their experience as a Soldier, from the products they are fielded with to the way they learn," Eddy said. "Exposing leaders within the Battalion, whether it be a squad leader or a team leader, to different ways of learning and approaching tasks can provide them with insight on improving the way they teach and train their Soldiers."

Soldier input is key to the process. Both Eddy and Thomas believe that some of the best suggestions on how to improve learning come from Soldiers themselves.

The Center for ABCS facilitates easier and more frequent interaction between researchers and Soldiers. For instance, Thomas gave a class on the science of learning to paratroopers visiting NSRDEC. The class provided Soldiers with information that they can integrate into their training practices and daily lives.

Thomas was impressed by her students from the 82nd.

"One of the most notable difference between the attendees and my usual audience is the frankness with which the attendees commented on the research presented," Thomas said. "It was clear to me that they were truly engaged, but also examined the research with a critical eye. I found this particularly refreshing. Their honest and frank assessment resulted in my reevaluation of how I present the research. The attendees wanted direct discussion of how this research could impact their learning."

"This class gave Soldiers a chance to learn about techniques that improve learning," Eddy said. "Some of these Soldiers are team leaders who train other Soldiers, so this class gives them the tools to do it better and understand how learning works."

"I think I gave the attendees tangible ways to restructure training, so as they move forward and become trainers themselves they will be able to incorporate such useful learning techniques as retrieval practice and elaborate encoding into their own lesson plans," Thomas said. "The goal is to give them the skills to become good trainers, laying the foundation for better training practices moving forward."

NSRDEC and Tufts are working to overcome the myths, of which there are many, that surround how people actually learn.

Thomas explained that one prevailing myth is that people are stuck with poor memories.

"Anyone can improve their ability to remember and recall information," Thomas said. "It simply comes down to whether you practice effective memory skills. Your memory can be exercised just like anything else. The fact still remains that practice makes perfect."

Another prevalent myth is that you can clutter your mind with too much information.

"How you organize the information you are trying to remember is more important than the quantity," Thomas said. "In fact, our long-term memory capacity is limitless."

There is also a prevalent misconception that memory improves with long hours of practice.

"The way you practice is more important than how much you practice," Thomas said. "In other words, you should use creative relevant strategies unique to your own learning style rather than an ineffective strategy for hours on end."

Although people may dread testing, it turns out that repeated testing is actually one of the best ways to learn.

"There is a robust finding in the cognitive psychology literature known as the "testing effect," Thomas said. "Across approximately 200 empirical studies, research has consistently demonstrated that repeated testing leads to better long-term retention of information as compared to repeated study."

"Through the process of taking a quiz, the student is actually encoding and retaining more and has more in-depth knowledge than the rote learner," Eddy said.

The work being done by NSRDEC, Tufts and the 82nd Airborne has broad, long-term implications.

"There has been an immediate impact from all this work," Eddy said. "I envision that eventually the learning tools we end up giving Jump Master School instructors could be generalized and applied to other settings. What we learn could potentially be helpful to a larger audience within the Army and help revise how material is taught to Soldiers."

"ADRP 7-0, our Army's Training Doctrine, states that mastering a task is having the ability to execute it instinctively," said Lt. Col. Phillip Kiniery of the 82nd Airborne, Battalion Commander, 2nd BN, 504th PIR, 1st Brigade Combat Team. "The transfer of knowledge happening with the Cognitive Science Team at NSRDEC has improved our approach to training that has already been defined in our doctrine. The collaboration with our NCOs and the scientists is developing agile and adaptive leaders that can understand and adjust their training environment in order to truly achieve mastery of a skill."

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The U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to ensure decisive overmatch for unified land operations to empower the Army, the joint warfighter and our nation. RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command.

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