The Role of Target Task Pre-Exposure in Resource Training

Abstract

In contrast to part training, which emphasizes the practice of task components, resource training proceeds by practicing mental processes that are transferable to whole-task performance. Although previous research supports its effectiveness in skill acquisition, it is unclear whether pre-exposure to the whole task is necessary to realize its benefits. Here previous methodology involving resource training of a bargraph recognition task (Boles, 1997) is adapted by measuring performance benefits relative to an unrelated baseline task. Statistical comparison to the previous results indicates that pre-exposure to the whole task is not a necessary precondition for effective resource training. The results bode well for the usefulness of resource training in situations where the exact target task is unknown in advance, as in early flight or sports training.