This website could be intermittent Saturday Mar 30, 2024 starting 7PM until next day 11AM Eastern Time due to server/facility maintenance. We apologize for any inconvenience.

 

Menu

 

The NASA Task Book
Advanced Search     

Project Title:  Development of an Objective Behavioral Assay of Cohesion to Enhance Composition, Task Performance, and Psychosocial Adaptation in Long-Term Work Groups Reduce
Fiscal Year: FY 2017 
Division: Human Research 
Research Discipline/Element:
HRP BHP:Behavioral Health & Performance (archival in 2017)
Start Date: 10/10/2012  
End Date: 10/07/2016  
Task Last Updated: 01/05/2017 
Download report in PDF pdf
Principal Investigator/Affiliation:   Roma, Peter  Ph.D. / KBR/NASA Johnson Space Center 
Address:  Behavioral Health & Performance Laboratory 
2101 NASA Parkway 
Houston , TX 77058 
Email: pete.roma@nasa.gov 
Phone:   
Congressional District: 36 
Web:  
Organization Type: NASA CENTER 
Organization Name: KBR/NASA Johnson Space Center 
Joint Agency:  
Comments:  
Co-Investigator(s)
Affiliation: 
Hursh, Steven  Institute for Behavior Resources, Inc. 
Project Information: Grant/Contract No. NNX13AB39G 
Responsible Center: NASA JSC 
Grant Monitor:  
Center Contact:   
Unique ID: 9009 
Solicitation / Funding Source: 2011 Crew Health NNJ11ZSA002NA 
Grant/Contract No.: NNX13AB39G 
Project Type: GROUND 
Flight Program:  
TechPort: Yes 
No. of Post Docs:  
No. of PhD Candidates:
No. of Master's Candidates:  
No. of Bachelor's Candidates:
No. of PhD Degrees:  
No. of Master's Degrees:
No. of Bachelor's Degrees:
Human Research Program Elements: (1) BHP:Behavioral Health & Performance (archival in 2017)
Human Research Program Risks: (1) Team:Risk of Performance and Behavioral Health Decrements Due to Inadequate Cooperation, Coordination, Communication, and Psychosocial Adaptation within a Team
Human Research Program Gaps: (1) Team-101:We need to understand the key threats, indicators, and evolution of the team throughout its life cycle for shifting autonomy and interface with automation in increasingly earth independent, long duration exploration missions.
(2) Team-102:We need to identify a set of quantifiable and validated measures, based on 5-12 key indicators of mission-relevant and identified spaceflight acceptable thresholds (or ranges) of team function, to effectively monitor and measure team health and performance of integrated NASA and commercial/private crews, during shifting autonomy in increasingly earth independent, long duration exploration missions.
(3) Team-103:We need to identify psychological and psychosocial factors, measures, and combinations thereof for use in selecting individuals and composing highly effective crews most likely to maintain team function during shifting autonomy in increasingly earth independent, long duration exploration missions.
Flight Assignment/Project Notes: NOTE: End date changed to 10/07/2016 per NSSC information (Ed., 10/8/15)

Task Description: The long-term goal of the proposed research is to deliver a software tool (currently referred to by its working title of “Team Performance Task” [TPT]) that will allow long-duration exploration crews to autonomously derive objective, standardized, and quantifiable measures on social dynamics while serving as a decision-aid tool in astronaut selection and multinational crew composition. This approach is unique because it is simple, rapid, and operationally feasible like a questionnaire, but is entirely objective, is innovative in that it requires a group-level demonstration of social dynamics rather than relying on individual opinions, and is language-independent, thus making it suitable for cross-cultural applications. Such an empirically validated and operationally feasible software deliverable will contribute to an overall risk mitigation strategy comprised of quantitative, qualitative, objective, and subjective assessment technologies.

To accomplish this, we have been conducting ground-based experiments to systematically investigate the effects of group composition (gender and personality) on voluntary cooperative propensity in 3-person teams. We are also assessing the predictive validity of pre-mission TPT "social personality profiles" and the effects of group composition on performance, task cohesion, social cohesion, and biopsychosocial adaptation in mixed-gender "crews" participating in a long-term simulated space exploration task. We are also developing next-generation software to advance the technology beyond our current prototype used for proof-of-concept/validation research into a broadly applicable tool with cross-platform networking and connectivity, enhanced usability/human factors features, extensive parameter manipulation/flexibility to maximize sensitivity, and integrated data collection and processing capabilities.

The proposed project will elucidate the influences of personality, gender, behavior, and neurobiology at the individual and group levels while yielding powerful experimental insights on the relationships between group composition, mission performance, task cohesion, social cohesion, and psychosocial adaptation in long-term work groups. The work will provide a scientifically validated TPT concept translated into a flexible and operationally acceptable software tool suitable for field studies of predictive validity and/or countermeasure potential in mission-oriented analog populations and/or high-risk operational and long-duration space analog environments. This work will contribute to the empirical knowledge base used to inform the processes of crew selection, composition, training, monitoring, and maintenance, and will ultimately yield a broadly applicable software tool to help mitigate risks and maximize behavioral health and performance for long-duration space exploration.

Research Impact/Earth Benefits: The project will elucidate the interacting influences of personality, gender, and behavior at the individual and group levels while yielding powerful experimental insights on the relationships between group composition, task cohesion, social cohesion, and biopsychosocial adaptation in long-term work groups. The broad knowledge-base and software tools derived from this work are relevant to social relationships, business, and education, as well as military, healthcare, commercial transportation, and other settings involving high-risk/high-performance teamwork and the need for scientifically based objective assessment methods.

Task Progress & Bibliography Information FY2017 
Task Progress: We completed data collection for the Short-Term study (N=252 in 84 teams). We completed data collection for the Long-Term study (N=96 in 32 teams over 12 sessions). We completed data collection for space analog missions at NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO) (one 7-day mission), Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) (four 7-day and four 14-day missions), Hawai'i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) (4-, 8-, and 12-month missions), and Concordia Station (three winters). We completed development of a software product called COHESION (Capturing Objective Human Econometric Social Interactions in Organizations and Networks), a simple, rapid, and objective behavioral assay of cooperation, productivity, and fairness in small groups.

Bibliography: Description: (Last Updated: 07/05/2023) 

Show Cumulative Bibliography
 
Articles in Peer-reviewed Journals Hursh SR, Roma PG. "Behavioral economics and the analysis of consumption and choice." Managerial and Decision Economics. 2016 Jun-Jul;37(4-5):224-38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mde.2724 , Jun-2016
Articles in Peer-reviewed Journals Roma PG, Hursh SR, Hudja S. "Hypothetical purchase task questionnaires for behavioral economic assessments of value and motivation." Managerial and Decision Economics. 2016 Jun-Jul;37(4-5):306-23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mde.2718 , Jun-2016
Books/Book Chapters Roma PG, Bedwell WL. "Key factors and threats to team dynamics in long-duration extreme environments." in "Research on Managing Groups and Teams. Team Dynamics Over Time (Volume 18)." Ed. E. Salas, W.B. Vessey, L.B. Landon. Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2017. p. 155-187. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1534-085620160000018007 , Jan-2017
Significant Media Coverage Fisher A. (Interviewed P.G.Roma) "Space Colonization (A. Fisher, interviewer of Peter Roma)." All Sides with Ann Fisher, National Public Radio, September 2016., Sep-2016
Significant Media Coverage Feder T. "NASA Mars mockup explores team cohesion and performance. Includes comments from P.G. Roma." Physics Today. 2015 Dec;68(12):29-30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/PT.3.3015 , Dec-2015
Project Title:  Development of an Objective Behavioral Assay of Cohesion to Enhance Composition, Task Performance, and Psychosocial Adaptation in Long-Term Work Groups Reduce
Fiscal Year: FY 2016 
Division: Human Research 
Research Discipline/Element:
HRP BHP:Behavioral Health & Performance (archival in 2017)
Start Date: 10/10/2012  
End Date: 10/07/2016  
Task Last Updated: 08/11/2015 
Download report in PDF pdf
Principal Investigator/Affiliation:   Roma, Peter  Ph.D. / KBR/NASA Johnson Space Center 
Address:  Behavioral Health & Performance Laboratory 
2101 NASA Parkway 
Houston , TX 77058 
Email: pete.roma@nasa.gov 
Phone:   
Congressional District: 36 
Web:  
Organization Type: NASA CENTER 
Organization Name: KBR/NASA Johnson Space Center 
Joint Agency:  
Comments:  
Co-Investigator(s)
Affiliation: 
Hursh, Steven  Institute for Behavior Resources, Inc. 
Project Information: Grant/Contract No. NNX13AB39G 
Responsible Center: NASA JSC 
Grant Monitor: Leveton, Lauren  
Center Contact:  
lauren.b.leveton@nasa5.gov 
Unique ID: 9009 
Solicitation / Funding Source: 2011 Crew Health NNJ11ZSA002NA 
Grant/Contract No.: NNX13AB39G 
Project Type: GROUND 
Flight Program:  
TechPort: Yes 
No. of Post Docs:  
No. of PhD Candidates:
No. of Master's Candidates:  
No. of Bachelor's Candidates:
No. of PhD Degrees:  
No. of Master's Degrees:
No. of Bachelor's Degrees:
Human Research Program Elements: (1) BHP:Behavioral Health & Performance (archival in 2017)
Human Research Program Risks: (1) Team:Risk of Performance and Behavioral Health Decrements Due to Inadequate Cooperation, Coordination, Communication, and Psychosocial Adaptation within a Team
Human Research Program Gaps: (1) Team-101:We need to understand the key threats, indicators, and evolution of the team throughout its life cycle for shifting autonomy and interface with automation in increasingly earth independent, long duration exploration missions.
(2) Team-102:We need to identify a set of quantifiable and validated measures, based on 5-12 key indicators of mission-relevant and identified spaceflight acceptable thresholds (or ranges) of team function, to effectively monitor and measure team health and performance of integrated NASA and commercial/private crews, during shifting autonomy in increasingly earth independent, long duration exploration missions.
(3) Team-103:We need to identify psychological and psychosocial factors, measures, and combinations thereof for use in selecting individuals and composing highly effective crews most likely to maintain team function during shifting autonomy in increasingly earth independent, long duration exploration missions.
Flight Assignment/Project Notes: NOTE: End date changed to 10/07/2016 per NSSC information (Ed., 10/8/15)

Task Description: The long-term goal of the proposed research is to deliver a software tool (currently referred to by its working title of “Team Performance Task” [TPT]) that will allow long-duration exploration crews to autonomously derive objective, standardized, and quantifiable measures on social dynamics while serving as a decision-aid tool in astronaut selection and multinational crew composition. This approach is unique because it is simple, rapid, and operationally feasible like a questionnaire, but is entirely objective, is innovative in that it requires a group-level demonstration of social dynamics rather than relying on individual opinions, and is language-independent, thus making it suitable for cross-cultural applications. Such an empirically validated and operationally feasible software deliverable will contribute to an overall risk mitigation strategy comprised of quantitative, qualitative, objective, and subjective assessment technologies.

To accomplish this, we have been conducting ground-based experiments to systematically investigate the effects of group composition (gender and personality) on voluntary cooperative propensity in 3-person teams. We are also assessing the predictive validity of pre-mission TPT "social personality profiles" and the effects of group composition on performance, task cohesion, social cohesion, and biopsychosocial adaptation in mixed-gender "crews" participating in a long-term simulated space exploration task. We are also developing next-generation software to advance the technology beyond our current prototype used for proof-of-concept/validation research into a broadly applicable tool with cross-platform networking and connectivity, enhanced usability/human factors features, extensive parameter manipulation/flexibility to maximize sensitivity, and integrated data collection and processing capabilities.

The proposed project will elucidate the influences of personality, gender, behavior, and neurobiology at the individual and group levels while yielding powerful experimental insights on the relationships between group composition, mission performance, task cohesion, social cohesion, and psychosocial adaptation in long-term work groups. The work will provide a scientifically validated TPT concept translated into a flexible and operationally acceptable software tool suitable for field studies of predictive validity and/or countermeasure potential in mission-oriented analog populations and/or high-risk operational and long-duration space analog environments. This work will contribute to the empirical knowledge base used to inform the processes of crew selection, composition, training, monitoring, and maintenance, and will ultimately yield a broadly applicable software tool to help mitigate risks and maximize behavioral health and performance for long-duration space exploration.

Research Impact/Earth Benefits: The project will elucidate the interacting influences of personality, gender, behavior, and neurobiology at the individual and group levels while yielding powerful experimental insights on the relationships between group composition, task cohesion, social cohesion, and biopsychosocial adaptation in long-term work groups. The broad knowledge-base and software tools derived from this work are relevant to social relationships, business, and education, as well as military, healthcare, commercial transportation, and other settings involving high-risk/high-performance teamwork and the need for scientifically based objective assessment methods.

Task Progress & Bibliography Information FY2016 
Task Progress: The "Short-Term" laboratory study is 100% complete. The "Long-Term" laboratory study is 97% complete and on target for full completion in October 2015. The 2014 winter-over mission at Concordia Station was also a success, thus marking the end of our tenure there; all equipment, documents, and biological samples have been returned to the Principal Investigator's (PI) lab. We also achieved >90% data yield on four additional Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) missions and 100% data yield on an 8-month Hawai'i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) mission. Next-generation software development has progressed quickly, with a flexible intranet-capable prototype tool completed in February 2015. Supplemental funding is now supporting further development of internet administration, human factors design enhancements, and on-board data processing capabilities.

Bibliography: Description: (Last Updated: 07/05/2023) 

Show Cumulative Bibliography
 
Articles in Peer-reviewed Journals Hursh SR, Roma PG. "Behavioral economics and the analysis of consumption and choice." Managerial and Decision Economics. Article first published online: 18 MAY 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mde.2724 , May-2015
Articles in Peer-reviewed Journals Roma PG, Hursh SR, Hudja S. "Hypothetical purchase task questionnaires for behavioral economic assessments of value and motivation." Managerial and Decision Economics. Article first published online: 18 MAY 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mde.2718 , May-2015
Project Title:  Development of an Objective Behavioral Assay of Cohesion to Enhance Composition, Task Performance, and Psychosocial Adaptation in Long-Term Work Groups Reduce
Fiscal Year: FY 2015 
Division: Human Research 
Research Discipline/Element:
HRP BHP:Behavioral Health & Performance (archival in 2017)
Start Date: 10/10/2012  
End Date: 10/09/2015  
Task Last Updated: 08/11/2014 
Download report in PDF pdf
Principal Investigator/Affiliation:   Roma, Peter  Ph.D. / KBR/NASA Johnson Space Center 
Address:  Behavioral Health & Performance Laboratory 
2101 NASA Parkway 
Houston , TX 77058 
Email: pete.roma@nasa.gov 
Phone:   
Congressional District: 36 
Web:  
Organization Type: NASA CENTER 
Organization Name: KBR/NASA Johnson Space Center 
Joint Agency:  
Comments:  
Co-Investigator(s)
Affiliation: 
Hursh, Steven  Institute for Behavior Resources, Inc. 
Project Information: Grant/Contract No. NNX13AB39G 
Responsible Center: NASA JSC 
Grant Monitor: Leveton, Lauren  
Center Contact:  
lauren.b.leveton@nasa5.gov 
Unique ID: 9009 
Solicitation / Funding Source: 2011 Crew Health NNJ11ZSA002NA 
Grant/Contract No.: NNX13AB39G 
Project Type: GROUND 
Flight Program:  
TechPort: Yes 
No. of Post Docs:  
No. of PhD Candidates:  
No. of Master's Candidates:
No. of Bachelor's Candidates:
No. of PhD Degrees:  
No. of Master's Degrees:
No. of Bachelor's Degrees:
Human Research Program Elements: (1) BHP:Behavioral Health & Performance (archival in 2017)
Human Research Program Risks: (1) Team:Risk of Performance and Behavioral Health Decrements Due to Inadequate Cooperation, Coordination, Communication, and Psychosocial Adaptation within a Team
Human Research Program Gaps: (1) Team-101:We need to understand the key threats, indicators, and evolution of the team throughout its life cycle for shifting autonomy and interface with automation in increasingly earth independent, long duration exploration missions.
(2) Team-102:We need to identify a set of quantifiable and validated measures, based on 5-12 key indicators of mission-relevant and identified spaceflight acceptable thresholds (or ranges) of team function, to effectively monitor and measure team health and performance of integrated NASA and commercial/private crews, during shifting autonomy in increasingly earth independent, long duration exploration missions.
(3) Team-103:We need to identify psychological and psychosocial factors, measures, and combinations thereof for use in selecting individuals and composing highly effective crews most likely to maintain team function during shifting autonomy in increasingly earth independent, long duration exploration missions.
Task Description: The long-term goal of the proposed research is to deliver a software tool (currently referred to by its working title of “Team Performance Task” or "Price of Cooperation," TPT/PoC) that will allow long-duration exploration crews to autonomously derive objective, standardized, and quantifiable measures on social dynamics while serving as a decision-aid tool in astronaut selection and multinational crew composition. The TPT/PoC is a unique tool because it is simple, rapid, and operationally feasible like a questionnaire, but is entirely objective, is innovative in that it requires a group-level demonstration of social dynamics rather than relying on individual opinions, and is language-independent, thus making it suitable for cross-cultural applications. Such an empirically validated and operationally feasible software deliverable will contribute to an overall risk mitigation strategy comprised of quantitative, qualitative, objective, and subjective assessment technologies.

To accomplish this, we have been conducting ground-based experiments to systematically investigate the effects of group composition (gender and personality) on voluntary cooperative propensity in 3-person groups. We are also assessing the predictive validity of pre-mission TPT/PoC "social personality profiles" and the effects of group composition on performance, task cohesion, social cohesion, and biopsychosocial adaptation in mixed-gender "crews" participating in a long-term simulated space exploration task. We are also developing next-generation TPT/PoC software to advance the technology beyond our current prototype used for proof-of-concept/validation research into a broadly applicable tool with cross-platform networking and connectivity, enhanced usability/human factors features, extensive parameter manipulation/flexibility to maximize sensitivity, and integrated data collection, archiving, and visualization capabilities.

The proposed project will elucidate the influences of personality, gender, behavior, and neurobiology at the individual and group levels while yielding powerful experimental insights on the relationships between group composition, mission performance, task cohesion, social cohesion, and psychosocial adaptation in long-term work groups. The work will provide a scientifically validated TPT/PoC concept translated into a flexible and operationally acceptable software tool suitable for field studies of predictive validity and/or countermeasure potential in mission-oriented analog populations and/or high-risk operational and long-duration space analog environments. This work will contribute to the empirical knowledge base used to inform the processes of crew selection, composition, training, monitoring, and maintenance, and will ultimately yield a broadly applicable software tool to help mitigate risks and maximize behavioral health and performance for long-duration space exploration.

Research Impact/Earth Benefits: The project will elucidate the interacting influences of personality, gender, behavior, and neurobiology at the individual and group levels while yielding powerful experimental insights on the relationships between group composition, task cohesion, social cohesion, and biopsychosocial adaptation in long-term work groups. The broad knowledge-base and software tools derived from this work are relevant to social relationships, business, and education, as well as military, healthcare, commercial transportation, and other settings involving high-risk/high-performance teamwork.

Task Progress & Bibliography Information FY2015 
Task Progress: As of August 11, 2014, the Short-Term study is 84% complete (up from 46% this time last year), the Long-Term study is 59% complete (up from 16%), and overall data collection is 64% complete (up from 21%). Total data collection complete or in progress is at 79%. We expect to have a working prototype of next-generation software by the end of 2014, and fully expect to have a functional software deliverable with some parametric usability data by the end of the current grant cycle.

Two papers are in progress as invited papers for a special issue to Managerial and Decision Economics: Hursh, S. R., & Roma, P. G. ‘Introduction to operant behavioral economics’ Managerial and Decision Economics; and Roma, P. G., Hudja, S. N., & Hursh, S. R. ‘Structure and function of hypothetical purchase task questionnaires for behavioral economic assessments of value and motivation’ Managerial and Decision Economics.”

Bibliography: Description: (Last Updated: 07/05/2023) 

Show Cumulative Bibliography
 
 None in FY 2015
Project Title:  Development of an Objective Behavioral Assay of Cohesion to Enhance Composition, Task Performance, and Psychosocial Adaptation in Long-Term Work Groups Reduce
Fiscal Year: FY 2014 
Division: Human Research 
Research Discipline/Element:
HRP BHP:Behavioral Health & Performance (archival in 2017)
Start Date: 10/10/2012  
End Date: 10/09/2015  
Task Last Updated: 08/12/2013 
Download report in PDF pdf
Principal Investigator/Affiliation:   Roma, Peter  Ph.D. / KBR/NASA Johnson Space Center 
Address:  Behavioral Health & Performance Laboratory 
2101 NASA Parkway 
Houston , TX 77058 
Email: pete.roma@nasa.gov 
Phone:   
Congressional District: 36 
Web:  
Organization Type: NASA CENTER 
Organization Name: KBR/NASA Johnson Space Center 
Joint Agency:  
Comments:  
Co-Investigator(s)
Affiliation: 
Hursh, Steven  Institute for Behavior Resources, Inc. 
Project Information: Grant/Contract No. NNX13AB39G 
Responsible Center: NASA JSC 
Grant Monitor: Leveton, Lauren  
Center Contact:  
lauren.b.leveton@nasa5.gov 
Unique ID: 9009 
Solicitation / Funding Source: 2011 Crew Health NNJ11ZSA002NA 
Grant/Contract No.: NNX13AB39G 
Project Type: GROUND 
Flight Program:  
TechPort: Yes 
No. of Post Docs:  
No. of PhD Candidates:  
No. of Master's Candidates:
No. of Bachelor's Candidates:
No. of PhD Degrees:  
No. of Master's Degrees:  
No. of Bachelor's Degrees:
Human Research Program Elements: (1) BHP:Behavioral Health & Performance (archival in 2017)
Human Research Program Risks: (1) Team:Risk of Performance and Behavioral Health Decrements Due to Inadequate Cooperation, Coordination, Communication, and Psychosocial Adaptation within a Team
Human Research Program Gaps: (1) Team-101:We need to understand the key threats, indicators, and evolution of the team throughout its life cycle for shifting autonomy and interface with automation in increasingly earth independent, long duration exploration missions.
(2) Team-102:We need to identify a set of quantifiable and validated measures, based on 5-12 key indicators of mission-relevant and identified spaceflight acceptable thresholds (or ranges) of team function, to effectively monitor and measure team health and performance of integrated NASA and commercial/private crews, during shifting autonomy in increasingly earth independent, long duration exploration missions.
(3) Team-103:We need to identify psychological and psychosocial factors, measures, and combinations thereof for use in selecting individuals and composing highly effective crews most likely to maintain team function during shifting autonomy in increasingly earth independent, long duration exploration missions.
Task Description: The long-term goal of the proposed research is to deliver a software tool (currently referred to by its working title of “Team Performance Task” or "Price of Cooperation," TPT/PoC) that will allow long-duration exploration crews to autonomously derive objective, standardized, and quantifiable measures on social dynamics while serving as a decision-aid tool in astronaut selection and multinational crew composition. The TPT/PoC is a unique tool because it is simple, rapid, and operationally feasible like a questionnaire, but is entirely objective, is innovative in that it requires a group-level demonstration of social dynamics rather than relying on individual opinions, and is language-independent, thus making it suitable for cross-cultural applications. Such an empirically validated and operationally feasible software deliverable will contribute to an overall risk mitigation strategy comprised of quantitative, qualitative, objective, and subjective assessment technologies.

To accomplish this, we have been conducting ground-based experiments to systematically investigate the effects of group composition (gender and personality) on voluntary cooperative propensity in 3-person groups. We are also assessing the predictive validity of pre-mission TPT/PoC "social personality profiles" and the effects of group composition on performance, task cohesion, social cohesion, and biopsychosocial adaptation in mixed-gender "crews" participating in a long-term simulated space exploration task. We are also developing next-generation TPT/PoC software to advance the technology beyond our current prototype used for proof-of-concept/validation research into a broadly applicable tool with cross-platform networking and connectivity, enhanced usability/human factors features, extensive parameter manipulation/flexibility to maximize sensitivity, and integrated data collection, archiving, and visualization capabilities.

The proposed project will elucidate the influences of personality, gender, behavior, and neurobiology at the individual and group levels while yielding powerful experimental insights on the relationships between group composition, mission performance, task cohesion, social cohesion, and psychosocial adaptation in long-term work groups. The work will provide a scientifically validated TPT/PoC concept translated into a flexible and operationally acceptable software tool suitable for field studies of predictive validity and/or countermeasure potential in mission-oriented analog populations and/or high-risk operational and long-duration space analog environments. This work will contribute to the empirical knowledge base used to inform the processes of crew selection, composition, training, monitoring, and maintenance, and will ultimately yield a broadly applicable software tool to help mitigate risks and maximize behavioral health and performance for long-duration space exploration.

Research Impact/Earth Benefits: The project will elucidate the interacting influences of personality, gender, behavior, and neurobiology at the individual and group levels while yielding powerful experimental insights on the relationships between group composition, task cohesion, social cohesion, and biopsychosocial adaptation in long-term work groups. The broad knowledge-base and software tools derived from this work are relevant to social relationships, business, and education, as well as military, healthcare, commercial transportation, and other settings involving high-risk/high-performance teamwork.

Task Progress & Bibliography Information FY2014 
Task Progress: Along with hardware, software, and equipment upgrades and completion of various administrative procedures (e.g., IRB and CITI approvals), the first quarter of the project was largely devoted to implementing a formal reorganization of the PI's research Unit. This was marked primarily by the careful selection and intense training of a full-time Master's-level Research Coordinator and a part-time Bachelor's-level Research Assistant team. With updated infrastructure, refined procedures, and high-quality personnel stabilized, data collection began in earnest in the second quarter.

As described above, the scientific core of the project is ground-based research comprised of a "Short-Term" (ST) study involving a single laboratory session measuring implicit cooperation, productivity, and fairness behaviors via the TPT/PoC assay in 3-person teams. More important is the complementary "Long-Term" (LT) study investigating the development and maintenance of task cohesion, social cohesion, and biopsychosocial adaptation over time in similarly composed 3-person teams across 12 separate "missions" using our laboratory’s Planetary Exploration Simulation (PES), an interdependent computer-based geological survey. Interested participants are eligible for the LT study following completion of the ST study, with the ST effectively serving as a "feeder" study for the much more demanding and comprehensive LT experiment. The LT study includes Training, Development, and Challenge/Recovery phases.

Recruitment per se has been robust, with over 1200 individuals volunteering to participate since the project launch. However, selection and group assignment have been challenging given the variety of inclusion and exclusion criteria we employ, as well as the generally lower probability of volunteering among individuals below the 50th percentile in Agreeableness. That said, the primary challenge has been participant reliability once selected, assigned, and scheduled for a session. Specifically, nearly 50% of all scheduled ST study sessions must be cancelled or rescheduled due to at least one participant failing to arrive as scheduled. Fortunately, the LT Crews are generally more reliable, and with their regularly scheduled mission times, data collection is much more consistent.

Despite these challenges, overall data collection has been progressing remarkably well. As of August 12, 2012, the Short-Term study is 46% complete (37 of the minimum 80 planned sessions) and the Long-Term study is 17% complete (67 of 384 planned sessions). However, since considerable effort is required for recruitment, selection, assignment, and scheduling, once a team of 3 is formed into a Crew for the LT study, it is literally just a matter of time before they complete all 12 sessions. Considering all Crews that have either completed or are currently in progress, then the LT study stands at 22% complete (7 of 32 planned Crews). Total data collection complete or in progress stands at 39% (44 of 112 groups to run or launch).

A final aim of the project is to develop next-generation TPT/PoC software. Our partners at Aptima recommend a continuous 1-year process in accordance with the budget allocated to the task. The PI is currently working with the software firm, institutional business development staff, and NASA Administrators to design, fund, and implement a formal subcontract, with the goal of beginning software development by January 2014.

Bibliography: Description: (Last Updated: 07/05/2023) 

Show Cumulative Bibliography
 
Abstracts for Journals and Proceedings Roma PG, Hursh SR, Hienz RD, Brady JV. "The Price of Cooperation: A novel behavioral economic task as a simple, rapid, and objective group-level assay of altruism, effort, and fairness." Society for Neuroscience 2012, New Orleans, LA, October 13-17, 2012.

Society for Neuroscience 2012, New Orleans, LA, October 13-17, 2012. Program#/Poster#: 629.05. Abstract available at: http://www.abstractsonline.com/Plan/ViewAbstract.aspx?sKey=aaed0e9e-9e07-41f2-adfc-4f6ab29c63a5&cKey=b1388a55-b974-48ba-a0c0-3cbf1e2a8ffd&mKey={70007181-01C9-4DE9-A0A2-EEBFA14CD9F1} ; accessed 8/13/13. , Oct-2012

Articles in Peer-reviewed Journals Goswami N, Batzel JJ, Clément G, Stein TP, Hargens AR, Sharp MK, Blaber AP, Roma PG, Hinghofer-Szalkay HG. "Maximizing information from space data resources: a case for expanding integration across research disciplines." Eur J Appl Physiol. 2013 Jul;113(7):1645-54. Epub 2012 Oct 17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00421-012-2507-5 ; PubMed PMID: 23073848 , Jul-2013
Articles in Peer-reviewed Journals Hursh SR, Roma PG. "Behavioral economics and empirical public policy." J Exp Anal Behav. 2013 Jan;99(1):98-124. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jeab.7 ; PubMed PMID: 23344991 , Jan-2013
Articles in Peer-reviewed Journals Goswami N, Roma PG, De Boever P, Clément G, Hargens AR, Loeppky JA, Evans JM, Stein TP, Blaber AP, Van Loon JJ, Mano T, Iwase S, Reitz G, Hinghofer-Szalkay HG. "Using the Moon as a high-fidelity analogue environment to study biological and behavioral effects of long-duration space exploration. " Planetary and Space Science. 2012 Dec;74(1):111-20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pss.2012.07.030 , Dec-2012
Books/Book Chapters Roma PG, Hursh SR, Hienz RD, Brinson ZS, Gasior ED, Brady JV. "Effects of autonomous mission management on crew performance, behavior, and physiology: Insights from ground-based experiments. Chapter 13." in "On Orbit and Beyond: Psychological Perspectives on Human Spaceflight." Ed. D. A. Vakoch. New York : Springer, 2013. Space Technology Library Series; v. 29., p. 245-266. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-30583-2_13 , Jan-2013
Papers from Meeting Proceedings Roma PG, Hursh SR, Hienz RD, Brinson ZS, Gasior ED, Brady JV. "Interactive effects of autonomous operations and circadian factors on crew performance, behavior, and physiology." IAC 63: 63rd International Astronautical Congress, Naples, Italy, October 1-5, 2012.

IAC 63: 63rd International Astronautical Congress, Naples, Italy, October 1-5, 2012. , Oct-2012

Project Title:  Development of an Objective Behavioral Assay of Cohesion to Enhance Composition, Task Performance, and Psychosocial Adaptation in Long-Term Work Groups Reduce
Fiscal Year: FY 2013 
Division: Human Research 
Research Discipline/Element:
HRP BHP:Behavioral Health & Performance (archival in 2017)
Start Date: 10/10/2012  
End Date: 10/09/2015  
Task Last Updated: 10/23/2012 
Download report in PDF pdf
Principal Investigator/Affiliation:   Roma, Peter  Ph.D. / KBR/NASA Johnson Space Center 
Address:  Behavioral Health & Performance Laboratory 
2101 NASA Parkway 
Houston , TX 77058 
Email: pete.roma@nasa.gov 
Phone:   
Congressional District: 36 
Web:  
Organization Type: NASA CENTER 
Organization Name: KBR/NASA Johnson Space Center 
Joint Agency:  
Comments:  
Co-Investigator(s)
Affiliation: 
Hursh, Steven  Institute for Behavior Resources, Inc. 
Project Information: Grant/Contract No. NNX13AB39G 
Responsible Center: NASA JSC 
Grant Monitor: Leveton, Lauren  
Center Contact:  
lauren.b.leveton@nasa5.gov 
Unique ID: 9009 
Solicitation / Funding Source: 2011 Crew Health NNJ11ZSA002NA 
Grant/Contract No.: NNX13AB39G 
Project Type: GROUND 
Flight Program:  
TechPort: Yes 
No. of Post Docs:  
No. of PhD Candidates:  
No. of Master's Candidates:  
No. of Bachelor's Candidates:  
No. of PhD Degrees:  
No. of Master's Degrees:  
No. of Bachelor's Degrees:  
Human Research Program Elements: (1) BHP:Behavioral Health & Performance (archival in 2017)
Human Research Program Risks: (1) Team:Risk of Performance and Behavioral Health Decrements Due to Inadequate Cooperation, Coordination, Communication, and Psychosocial Adaptation within a Team
Human Research Program Gaps: (1) Team-101:We need to understand the key threats, indicators, and evolution of the team throughout its life cycle for shifting autonomy and interface with automation in increasingly earth independent, long duration exploration missions.
(2) Team-102:We need to identify a set of quantifiable and validated measures, based on 5-12 key indicators of mission-relevant and identified spaceflight acceptable thresholds (or ranges) of team function, to effectively monitor and measure team health and performance of integrated NASA and commercial/private crews, during shifting autonomy in increasingly earth independent, long duration exploration missions.
(3) Team-103:We need to identify psychological and psychosocial factors, measures, and combinations thereof for use in selecting individuals and composing highly effective crews most likely to maintain team function during shifting autonomy in increasingly earth independent, long duration exploration missions.
Task Description: The long-term goal of the proposed research is to deliver a software tool (currently referred to by its working title of “Team Performance Task” or TPT) that will allow long-duration exploration crews to autonomously derive objective, standardized, and quantifiable measures on social dynamics while serving as a decision-aid tool in astronaut selection and multinational crew composition. The TPT is a unique assessment and tracking tool because it is simple, rapid, and operationally feasible like a questionnaire, but is entirely objective, and is innovative in that it requires a group-level demonstration of social dynamics rather than relying on individual opinions and is language-independent, thus making it suitable for cross-cultural applications. Such an empirically validated and operationally feasible software deliverable will contribute to an overall risk mitigation strategy comprised of quantitative, qualitative, objective, and subjective training and monitoring technologies.

To accomplish this, we propose ground-based experiments to systematically investigate the effects of group composition (gender and personality) on voluntary cooperative propensity in 3-person groups. We also propose to investigate the effects of group composition on performance, task cohesion, social cohesion, and biopsychosocial adaptation in mixed-gender "crews" participating in a long-term simulated space exploration task. These studies would coincide with parallel development of next-generation TPT software to advance the technology beyond our current prototype used for proof-of-concept/validation research into a broadly applicable tool with cross-platform networking and connectivity, enhanced usability/human factors features, extensive parameter manipulation/flexibility to maximize sensitivity, and integrated data collection, archiving, and visualization capabilities.

The proposed project will elucidate the influences of personality, gender, behavior, and neurobiology at the individual and group levels while yielding powerful experimental insights on the relationships between group composition, mission performance, task cohesion, social cohesion, and psychosocial adaptation in long-term work groups. The work will provide a scientifically validated TPT concept translated into a flexible and operationally acceptable software tool suitable for future studies of predictive validity and/or countermeasure potential in mission-oriented analog populations and/or high-risk operational and long-duration space analog environments. This work will contribute to the empirical knowledge base used to inform the processes of crew selection, composition, training, monitoring, and maintenance, and will ultimately yield a broadly applicable software tool to help mitigate risks and maximize behavioral health and performance for long-duration space exploration.

Research Impact/Earth Benefits:

Task Progress & Bibliography Information FY2013 
Task Progress: New project for FY2013.

Bibliography: Description: (Last Updated: 07/05/2023) 

Show Cumulative Bibliography
 
 None in FY 2013