Trait-level predictors of human performance outcomes in personnel engaged in stressful laboratory and field tasks

Tad T Brunyé; Sara Anne Goring; Julie A Cantelon; Marianna D Eddy; Seth Elkin-Frankston; Wade R Elmore; Grace E Giles; Clifford L Hancock; Shoaib Bin Masud; James McIntyre; Kari L McKenzie; K Blake Mitchell; Meghan P O'Donovan; Kenneth Racicot; John W Ramsay

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1449200

Trait-level predictors of human performance outcomes in personnel engaged in stressful laboratory and field tasks

Front Psychol. 2024 Sep 9:15:1449200. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1449200. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Tad T Brunyé^{1

2}, Sara Anne Goring², Julie A Cantelon^{1

2}, Marianna D Eddy^{1

2}, Seth Elkin-Frankston^{1

2}, Wade R Elmore¹, Grace E Giles^{1

2}, Clifford L Hancock¹, Shoaib Bin Masud^{2

3}, James McIntyre², Kari L McKenzie¹, K Blake Mitchell¹, Meghan P O'Donovan¹, Kenneth Racicot¹, John W Ramsay¹

Affiliations

¹ U.S. Army DEVCOM Soldier Center, Natick, MA, United States.
² Center for Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States.
³ Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States.

Abstract

Introduction: Personnel performance under stress hinges on various factors, including individual traits, training, context, mental and physiological states, and task demands. This study explored the link between the traits of military personnel and their performance outcomes in five domains: move, shoot, communicate, navigate, and sustain.

Methods: A total of 387 U.S. Army soldiers participated in this study, undergoing trait assessments covering physical, cognitive, social-emotional, demographic/lifestyle, and health domains. Performance was measured through lab and field events assessing a broad range of individual and team-level skills under conditions demanding resilience to acute cognitive and physical stress exposure. Analysis used feature selection and elastic net regression.

Results: Analyses revealed complex associations between traits and performance, with physical, cognitive, health-related, social-emotional, and lifestyle traits playing roles in guiding and constraining performance. Measures of resilience, emotion regulation, grit, and mindfulness were identified as relevant predictors of several performance-related outcomes.

Discussion: Results carry implications for the selection, training, and operational effectiveness of personnel in high-stakes occupations including military and first response. Further research is necessary to explore the mechanisms underlying these associations and inform targeted interventions to boost personnel effectiveness.

Keywords: decision making; emotion; machine learning; memory; military perception; performance; prediction; traits.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Research reported herein was funded by the United States Army DEVCOM Soldier Center, Measuring and Advancing Soldier Tactical Readiness and Effectiveness (MASTR-E) program. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the official policies or positions of the Department of Army, the Department of Defense, or any other department or agency of the United States government.