NASA Human Research Program Investigators' Workshop (2012)
4055.pdf
PROGRESS AND PROSPECTS FOR A
SIMPLE, RAPID, AND OBJECTIVE BEHAVIORAL ASSAY OF GROUP COHESION
Peter G. Roma1,2, Steven R. Hursh1,2, Robert D. Hienz2,1, and Joseph V. Brady2,1
1
Institutes for Behavior Resources
Baltimore, MD, USA
2
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Baltimore, MD, USA
INTRODUCTION
Long-duration space expeditions pose a wide variety of individual behavioral health and performance risks;
however, the nature of exploratory missions also introduces unique risks at the group level. Although there are
bidirectional interactions between individual- and group-level processes, there are still “team” risks distinct from
individual risks, most commonly described within the broad psychosocial construct of group “cohesion.” To this
end, valid and reliable tools related to social processes should be developed to aid in crew selection, training,
monitoring, and countermeasure development.
The current state of on-board cohesion metrics is based largely on questionnaires, which aside from being
curiously individual, are subjective by their very nature and prone to bias, language/cultural issues, boredom with
repetition, and personal sensitivities to documenting negative opinions of others. Completely unobtrusive real-time
behavioral ecology measures are valuable, but are heavily context-dependent and thus preclude standardization.
Comprehensive team tasks capture multiple aspects of cohesion in a standardized fashion, but are prohibitively timeintensive. To address these gaps in behavioral science technology, we have been developing and validating a
simple, rapid, and objective computer-based behavioral assay suitable for understanding, assessing, and promoting
task and social cohesion under the working title of the “Team Performance Task” or TPT.
The ultimate goal of TPT development is to deliver an empirically validated software tool that allows space
exploration crews to autonomously derive objective, standardized, and quantifiable performance measures on social
dynamics over time. The space exploration community could also use the TPT as an objective adjunct to subjective
questionnaire and clinical data to inform the selection, composition, and training processes of crew and mission
support staff.
METHODS
The TPT’s design approach is conceptually and technically rooted in the interaction between behavioral
psychology, evolutionary theory, and sophisticated behavioral economic modeling. At its core, the TPT is intended
as a sensitive measure of individual- and group-level willingness to sacrifice for fellow team members, i.e.,
voluntary cooperative behavior as the fundamentally necessary component of any cohesion construct. Our approach
to TPT research and development is primarily data-driven and inductive, with an emphasis on reliability, predictive
validity, and operational acceptability. The TPT is a language-free task featuring a small repertoire of mutually
exclusive behaviors limited to helping oneself (attempting to score points by transferring colored blocks across the
screen without striking a barrier), helping others (revealing barriers only you can see), or requesting help (asking
others to reveal their barriers). As the session progresses, the amount of time required to reveal one’s barriers to the
rest of the group increases, thereby allowing quantification of individual and group “demand” for cooperation
despite the escalating “price” of cooperation.
We have conducted a variety of laboratory-based parametric and early validation studies in 3-person groups,
including assessments of incentive effects (pay per individual point total vs. even split of group point total),
“budget” effects (session length), and comparing groups composed of strangers vs. groups composed of friends.
Ongoing preliminary data collection also explores potential interactions with neurobiological markers (oxytocin,
testosterone, cardiovascular) and operationally relevant stressors (fatigue/extended wakefulness) as well as the
potential for unique TPT “profiles” to characterize intact work groups.
RESULTS
The TPT is most sensitive when group members receive payment based on individual points, and is most
sensitive when sessions are limited to 3 min (vs. 6, 9, or 12 min). Composite “Prosocial Index” scores show that the
TPT clearly and objectively discriminates between strangers and friends (friends are more cooperative), an effect
that is identical in both American and European study populations. Future plans include developing next-generation
software and long-term tracking of social and task cohesion in laboratory and analog studies.