Neurotechnology to accelerate learning: during marksmanship training.

This article explores the psychophysiological metrics during expert and novice performances in marksmanship, combat deadly force judgment and decision making (DFJDM), and interactions of teams. Electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocardiography (ECG) are used to characterize the psychophysiological profiles within all categories. Closed-loop biofeedback was administered to accelerate learning during marksmanship training in which the results show a difference in groups that received feedback compared with the control. During known distance marksmanship and DFJDM scenarios, experts show superior ability to control physiology to meet the demands of the task. Expertise in teaming scenarios is characterized by higher levels of cohesiveness than those seen in novices.

I-NET: interactive neuro-educational technology to accelerate skill learning.

The learning of a novel task currently rely heavily on conventional classroom instruction with qualitative assessment and observation. Introduction of individualized tutorials with integrated neuroscience-based evaluation techniques could significantly accelerate skill acquisition and provide quantitative evidence of successful training. We have created a suite of adaptive and interactive neuro-educational technologies (I-NET) to increase the pace and efficiency of skill learning. It covers four major themes: 1) Integration of brain monitoring into paced instructional tutorials, 2) Identifying psychophysiological characteristics of expertise using a model population, 3) Developing sensor-based feedback to accelerate novice-to-expert transition, 4) Identifying neurocognitive factors that are predictive of skill acquisition to allow early triage and interventions. We selected rifle marksmanship training as the field of application. Rifle marksmanship is a core skill for the Army and Marine Corps and it involves a combination of classroom instructional learning and field practice involving instantiation of a well-defined set of sensory, motor and cognitive skills. The instrumentation that incorporates the I-NET technologies is called the Adaptive Peak Performance Trainer (APPT). Preliminary analysis of pilot study data for performance data from a novice population that used this device revealed an improved learning trajectory.