Literature Review on Skill Fade - Human Factors Integration ...

HFIDTC/2/WP10.3/2
Version No. 1/ 25 May 2007
Table 2. Factors Effecting Skill Retention and Their Relevance to the 5
Psychological Factors (Comments in the Table are made by Healy et al.).
Psychological Factors Retention Characteristics Comments
Skill acquisition
Skill loss
Skill maintenance
Skill re-acquisition
Skill transfer
Training factors; post training
activities and personnel
characteristics.
Task characteristics; learning
factors; post learning activities;
job conditions; personnel
characteristics.
Task characteristics; learning
factors; post learning activities;
job conditions; personnel
characteristics.
Task characteristics, learning
factors; post learning activities;
personnel characteristics.
Task characteristics, learning
factors; job conditions; personnel
characteristics.
Personnel characteristics are the
strongest single predictor of skill
acquisition.
Better levels of proficiency which
more able trainees are likely to
have acquired are, in turn,
reflected in better retention rates.
Task complexity is the single
most important factor in skill
loss.
Competence in complex tasks
drops significantly after 6
months. In order to maintain
proficiency levels some form of
refresher training can be
introduced within this time scale.
A low cost option such as low
physical fidelity simulation has
been found to be effective.
Higher initial proficiency levels
generally equate to faster skill reacquisition.
Suggested options
are:
- to select high ability individuals
for initial training in complex
tasks;
- to train lower ability individuals
to higher levels;
- to ensure higher skill
maintenance.
Factors affecting skill transfer
are:
- level of physical and
psychological fidelity;
- level of organisation involved in
the individual’s mental model for
complex procedural tasks;
- automation of simple psychomotor
tasks.
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