ABSTRACT
As technological capabilities and the complexity of tasks and environments have broadened, likewise, the need for effective synchronicity and coordination of activities among members of crews, groups, teams, and collectives has increased. Decision making in these complex environments is often characterized by severe time stress, high stakes, uncertainty, vague goals, and many organizational constraints (Cannon-Bowers, Salas, & Pruitt, 1996; Orasanu & Connolly, 1995). At the core of performance success or failure is the human operator, making effective training a necessity. These factors also dictate that training for interactions among humans and between humans and machines should be conducted in a manner resembling reallife contexts (Oser, Gualtieri, Cannon-Bowers, & Salas, 1999). At the same time, growing restraints on resources have made it imperative that training methods be effective, efficient, and economical.
