ABSTRACT
The current climate of irregular warfare and counterinsurgency operations brings the importance of cross-cultural decision making to the forefront. Decisions made in this context have significant implications for both safety and mission success, thus effective training in decision ma:king (DM) is more crucial than ever. Because such decisions are very often made under stress, a key question concerns the effects of introducing stressors during training. Training under stress could be detrimental if it inhibits the learning process. Yet, experiencing stressors during training may serve to inoculate trainees, helping them habituate to stressors and perform better under stressful conditions. Determining effects of stress on DM training has important implications for training design. For example, what (if any) kinds of stressors will provide benefits that transfer to operational perfom1ance? What "level" of stress is optimal? How much exposure to stressors is needed, and when in training should exposure be provided to maximize benefits?
