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Abstract

A framework is presented for classifying the cognitive skills exercised in deploying and managing resources in competitive situations. Behavioral task descriptions are partitioned into four cognitive levels: functions, procedures, skills, and abilities. A cognitive procedure is defined as a goal-directed, semi-structured, flexible sequence of actions in an emergent situation, adapted to deviations from nominal values for local conditions, terrain, environment, and adversarial actions. A procedure is represented as Cognitive Procedure Script (CPS), a sequence of actions required to achieve an operational goal. Actions in a CPS must be reduced to detectable response/event sequences for carrying out the actions: Implementing Steps (IS). To infer a candidate CPS being executed a computer maintains a temporal record of IS and searches for patterns that correspond to an action in a CPS. The CPS is represented also as a sequence of states and subgoals instrumental to a final goal. Each state is defined by situational conditions, subgoal, state maintenance behavior, action to transition to the next state, and the IS for executing the action. Implications for task analysis and measures of task complexity are discussed. A long range strategy is presented for developing and validating a Cognitive Skills Taxonomy to support decisions about manpower, personnel, and training during system design.

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A Conceptual Framework for Classifying and Measuring Cognitive Skills

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