Retention and fading of military skills: Literature review

Abstract

Abstract : The Canadian Forces (CF) trains in a wide variety of skills. For reasons of efficiency and economy, it is important to conduct no more refresher training than is necessary to keep performance at the desired skill level. This work surveyed the scientific and technical literature for models of skill fading and tools for determining when refresher training is required. In particular, the literature review investigated models for predicting skill retention relevant to the military domain. Subjective approaches, qualitative approaches, and quantitative have been used to model skill retention. Currently the U.S. Army Research Institute's Users' Decision Aid (UDA) model is the most advanced model. The UDA is one of few approaches for which empirical research has been done to assess its applicability and practicality. The UDA has been demonstrated to be relatively easy to administer, although some training is needed to perform the ratings correctly and reliably. The UDA itself is low-cost and requires no special equipment. The UDA, however, has received empirical validation from just one study that reports a comparison between UDA predictions and actual retention data. The literature review identifies a set of lessons learned and discusses five specific recommendations.

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