MAP-01-011 HFI Technical Guide - Human Factors Integration ...

MAP-01-011 – HFI Technical Guide (STGP 11)• Similar to the above problem, the completion of the CARS questionnairemay result in a correlation of SA ratings with performance. Thoseparticipants who have performed optimally during the task may rate SAachievement as easy.• Only an overall rating is acquired, rather than a rating at different points inthe task. It may be that the output of the technique is of limited use. Forexample, a design concept may only acquire an overall rating associatedwith SA, rather than numerous SA ratings throughout the task, some ofwhich would potentially pinpoint specific problems with the new design.A3.7.3Mission Awareness Rating Scale (MARS)The mission awareness rating scale (MARS) technique is a situation awarenessassessment technique designed specifically for use in the assessment of SA inmilitary exercises. MARS is a development of the crew awareness rating scaletechnique that has been used to assess operator SA in a number of domains.The CARS rating comprises two separate sets of questions based upon the threelevel model of SA. MARS also comprises two subscales, the content subscaleand the workload subscale. The content subscale consists of three statementsdesigned to elicit ratings based upon ease of identification, understanding andprojection of mission critical cues (i.e. levels 1, 2 and 3 SA). The fourthstatement is designed to assess how aware the participant felt they were duringthe mission. The workload subscale also consists of four statements, which aredesigned to assess how difficult, in terms of mental effort, it is for the participantin question to identify, understand, and project the future states of the missioncritical cues in the situation. The fourth statement in the workload subscale isdesigned to assess how difficult it was mentally for the participant to achieve theappropriate mission goals.The MARS technique was developed for use in ‘real world’ field settings, ratherthan in simulations of military exercises. The technique is normally administereddirectly after the completion of the task or mission under analysis.• Advantages• The MARS technique was developed specifically for infantry exercises andhas been applied in that setting.• The method is less intrusive than on-line probe techniques such as theSAGAT technique.• MARS is based upon the CARS technique, which has been applied inother domains.• The techniques generic make-up allows the MARS technique to be usedacross domains with minimal modification.• Quick and easy to use, requiring minimal training.• The MARS technique could potentially be used in conjunction with on-lineprobe techniques to ensure comprehensiveness.May 2006 Page A3-58 Issue 4