Cognitive Ability Correlates of Performance on a Team Task

This study examined the relationship between two cognitive ability measures, Grade Point Average (GPA) and verbal working memory capacity, and performance on a team task. Forty 3-person teams of students voluntarily participated in two experiments that required three team members to maneuver a simulated Uninhabited Air Vehicle (UAV) to take reconnaissance photos. Each of the team members assumed a different role with unique responsibilities. Low workload missions required that participants take 9 photos of various targets, whereas high workload missions required 20 photos and involved additional route constraints. The high workload manipulation produced significant reductions in team performance and in the performance of each of the three roles. Working memory capacity was more highly correlated with role performance and GPA was more highly correlated with team performance. Although both cognitive ability measures were significantly correlated with performance on the task, a different pattern of correlations was obtained in each experiment.