@article{ref1,
title="Measuring lethal force performance in the lab: the effects of simulator realism and participant experience",
journal="Human factors",
year="2020",
author="Blacker, Kara J. and Pettijohn, Kyle A. and Roush, Grant and Biggs, Adam T.",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: The goal of the current study was to compare two types of shooting simulators to determine which is best suited for assessing different aspects of lethal force performance. <br><br>BACKGROUND: Military and law enforcement personnel are often required to make decisions regarding the use of lethal force. A critical goal of both training and research endeavors surrounding lethal force is to find ways to simulate lethal force encounters to better understand behavior in those scenarios. <br><br>METHOD: Participants of varying degrees of experience completed both marksmanship and shoot/don't shoot scenarios on both a video game and a military-grade shooting simulator. Using signal detection theory, we assessed sensitivity as a measure of lethal force performance overall. We used hit rate to assess shooting accuracy and false alarm rate to assess decision making. <br><br>RESULTS: Results demonstrated that performance was correlated across simulators. <br><br>RESULTS supported the notion that shooting accuracy and decision making are independent components of performance. Individuals with firearms expertise outperformed novices on the military-grade simulator, but only with respect to shooting accuracy, not unintended casualties. Individuals with video game experience outperformed novices in the video game simulator, but again only on shooting accuracy. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Experience played a crucial role in the assessment of shooting accuracy on a given simulator platform; decision-making performance remained unaffected by experience level or type of simulator. APPLICATION: We recommend that in expert populations or when assessing shooting accuracy, a military-grade shooting simulator be used. However, with a novice population and/or when interested in decision making in lethal force, a video game simulator is appropriate.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0018-7208",
doi="10.1177/0018720820916975",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0018720820916975"
}