An examination of learning processes during critical incident training: Implications for the development of adaptable trainees

Three experiments are reported that examined the process by which trainees learn decision-making skills during a critical incident training program. Formal theories of category learning were used to identify two processes that may be responsible for the acquisition of decision-making skills: rule learning and exemplar learning. Experiments I and 2 used the process dissociation procedure (L. L. Jacoby, 1998) to evaluate the contribution of these processes to performance. The results suggest that trainees used a mixture of rule and exemplar learning. Furthermore, these learning processes were influenced by different aspects of training structure and design. The goal of Experiment 3 was to develop training techniques that enable trainees to use a rule adaptively. Trainees were tested on cases that represented exceptions to the rule. Unexpectedly, the results suggest that providing general instruction regarding the kinds of conditions in which a decision rule does not apply caused them to fixate on the specific conditions mentioned and impaired their ability to identify other conditions in which the rule might not apply. The theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of the results are discussed.

FDTD study of an UWB radar technique for breast tumor detection

A finite difference time domain (FDTD) method is applied to investigate capabilities of an ultra-wide band (UWB) radar system to detect a breast tumor. The first part of the investigations concerns FDTD simulations of a phantom formed by a plastic container with liquid and a small reflecting target. The second part focuses on a three-dimensional numerical breast model with a small tumor. FDTD simulations are carried out assuming a planar incident wave. Various time snap shots of the electromagnetic field are recorded to learn about the physical phenomenon of reflection and scattering in different layers of the phantom.