Research is being done to determine quantita- 

 tively the effects of ship motion and impact on 

 crew performance. This work is motivated by an 

 attempt to extend crew performance on advanced 

 ship platforms, particularly the high-speed sur- 

 face-effects ships. 



Behavioral Sciences 



Those in a position to make comparisons have 

 characterized American military equipment as 

 significantly better, from the human engineering 

 point of view, than that of other nations. This was 

 due largely to a sustained eflFort by ONR that led 

 to human performance guidelines for design of 

 systems. The current research program involves a 

 variety of efforts that will produce information 

 and tested techniques for minimizing manpower 

 costs and reducing waste. These efforts range 

 from new and improved forecasting models for 



estimating the future availability of military man- 

 power with greater precision than now possible to 

 new bases for estimating the likelihood that a giv- 

 en individual will stay in the Navy and be suc- 

 cessful if he is recruited. The program also in- 

 cludes innovative approaches to personnel testing 

 and training and continues to make contributions 

 to the improved design of equipment through the 

 application of human engineering principles. 



A significant recent contribution is the develop- 

 ment of a new model of psychological testing 

 which relates the characteristic measure by the 

 test — a so-called latent trait — to the probability of 

 particular responses to each item in the test. This 

 model is in contrast to current methods which are 

 based on models of the total score on a test. The 

 new theory makes available new tools for creating 

 banks of test items, for constructing parallel tests, 

 and foi conducting computerized adaptive testing. 



DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE 



Introduction 



The Air Force research program is a vital part 

 of the technology base of the Air Force, the De- 

 partment of Defense (DOD), and the country. 

 Management actions assure a research program 

 that is scientifically sound, relevant to Air Force 

 needs, and coordinated with other DOD and Fed- 

 eral research efforts. The Air Force research 

 program is managed by the Air Force Office of 

 Scientific Research (AFOSR), an organization 

 under the Air Force Systems Command. 



Definition of Research 



Research refers to scientific study and experi- 

 mentation directed toward increasing knowledge 

 and understanding in those fields directly related 

 to explicitly stated long-term national security 

 needs. 



Role of Research 



Research provides fundamental knowledge for 

 the solution of identified military problems. It also 

 provides part of the base for subsequent explora- 

 tory and advanced developments in Defense-re- 

 lated technologies and of new or improved mili- 

 tary functional capabilities in such areas as com- 

 munications, detection, tracking, surveillance, 

 propulsion, mobility, guidance and control, naviga- 

 tion, energy conversion, materials and structures, 

 and personnel support. 



The Air Force research program is a continuing 

 program to obtain an understanding of fundamen- 

 tal scientific phenomena required to: (I) Solve the 



technical problems associated with the develop- 

 ment and maintenance of a qualitatively superior 

 Air Force, and (2) develop new knowledge in 

 fields that can lead to higher performance, lower 

 cost, and greater reliability of Air Force weapons 

 systems. The program maintains in-house scientif- 

 ic expertise for immediate availability when need- 

 ed by the Air Force. The program also provides 

 funding for the operation of the AFOSR contract 

 research program and for reimbursement by 

 AFOSR to all Air Force laboratories for their re- 

 search programs. 



Basic Research Policy 



Air Force basic research policy, based on a 

 1974 memorandum from the Secretary of the Air 

 Force, is: 



• Research is a fundamentally important part 

 of the overall Air Force research and devel- 

 opment program: the preservation of the 

 quality of that program is of utmost impor- 

 tance. 



• Research funding should be protected from 

 undue competition from development and 

 production programs. 



• The primary emphasis of Air Force research 

 should be presentation and enhancement of 

 extramural capability to provide insight into 

 the basic science. A secondary goal is to see 

 that students are trained in those scientific 

 disciplines critical to the Air Force. 



• The disciplines and programs supported by 

 Air Force research should in general be those 

 of greatest future interest to the Air Force. 



DEFENSE 79 



