The Relationship Between the ASVAB and Multitasking in Navy Sailors: A Process-Specific Approach

This study investigated the relationship between ASVAB scores and multitasking performance in Navy Sailors. Sailors performed a "synthetic work" task designed to simulate demands for multitasking common to many different jobs, as well as elementary cognitive tasks designed to measure two m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Military psychology 2011-07, Vol.23 (4), p.365-380
Main Authors: Hambrick, David Z, Rench, Tara A, Poposki, Elizabeth M, Darowski, Emily S, Roland, Donna, Bearden, Ronald M, Oswald, Frederick L, Brou, Randy
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cognitive ability
Military personnel
Multitasking
Predictions
Sailors
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Summary:This study investigated the relationship between ASVAB scores and multitasking performance in Navy Sailors. Sailors performed a "synthetic work" task designed to simulate demands for multitasking common to many different jobs, as well as elementary cognitive tasks designed to measure two mental processes-the ability to update the contents of working memory ( memory updating ) and the ability to switch flexibly between tasks ( task switching ). Structural equation modeling revealed that a general factor of ASVAB subtest scores positively predicted multitasking. Furthermore, memory updating partially accounted for this relationship and added incrementally to the prediction of multitasking, above and beyond the ASVAB.
ISSN:0899-5605
1532-7876
DOI:10.1037/h0094762