Task-related, intrinsic oscillatory and aperiodic neural activity predict performance in naturalistic team-based training scenarios.

Effective teams are essential for optimally functioning societies. However, little is known regarding the neural basis of two or more individuals engaging cooperatively in real-world tasks, such as in operational training environments. In this exploratory study, we recruited forty individuals paired as twenty dyads and recorded dual-EEG at rest and during realistic training scenarios of increasing complexity using virtual simulation systems. We estimated markers of intrinsic brain activity (i.e., individual alpha frequency and aperiodic activity), as well as task-related theta and alpha oscillations. Using nonlinear modelling and a logistic regression machine learning model, we found that resting-state EEG predicts performance and can also reliably differentiate between members within a dyad. Task-related theta and alpha activity during easy training tasks predicted later performance on complex training to a greater extent than prior behaviour. These findings complement laboratory-based research on both oscillatory and aperiodic activity in higher-order cognition and provide evidence that theta and alpha activity play a critical role in complex task performance in team environments.

Individual predictors of tactical planning performance in junior military officers.

This exploratory study examined the influence of personal and psycholinguistic factors on tactical planning performance in a convenience sample of Australian Army personnel. Sixty male junior officers undertaking a tactical training course completed self-report measures of decision-making style, problem-solving appraisal, personality, and tactical planning expertise. A measure of general cognitive ability was sourced from participants' military records. During the course, officers completed several tactical planning exercises that were assessed by course instructors, and an overall measure of tactical planning performance was derived. Psycholinguistic data was derived from participants' thought processes elicited during an analogous planning exercise using a written think-aloud protocol. Automatic linear modeling analyses identified the combination of greater expertise and intuitive decision-making style, less spontaneous decision-making style and problem-solving confidence, younger age, and greater use of words relating to risk and past-focused concepts in their thought records, as significant predictors of better tactical planning, accounting for 55% of the variance in performance. Additionally, general cognitive ability, conscientiousness, and rational decision-making style shared moderate positive bivariate correlations with planning performance. This research has identified individual factors that contribute to tactical mission planning, along with future research avenues, which may inform the training of military commanders at the tactical level.

The concept of mental toughness: tests of dimensionality, nomological network, and traitness.

Mental toughness has received increased scholarly attention in recent years, yet conceptual issues related to its (a) dimensionality, (b) nomological network, and (c) traitness remain unresolved. The series of studies reported in this article were designed to examine these three substantive issues across several achievement contexts, including sport, education, military, and the workplace. Five studies were conducted to examine these research aims-Study 1: N = 30; Study 2: calibration sample (n = 418), tertiary students (n = 500), athletes (n = 427), and employees (n = 550); Study 3: N = 497 employees; Study 4: N = 203 tertiary students; Study 5: N = 115 army candidates. Collectively, the results of these studies revealed that mental toughness may be best conceptualized as a unidimensional rather than a multidimensional concept; plays an important role in performance, goal progress, and thriving despite stress; and can vary and have enduring properties across situations and time. This series of studies provides a foundation for further basic and applied research of mental toughness across various achievement contexts.