cognitive task analysis for training - usc.pdfVIP

Cognitive Task Analysis for Training* Richard E. Clark Fred Estes University of Southern California Published as: Clark, R. E. and Estes, F. (1996)Cognitive task analysis, International Journal of Educational Research. 25(5). 403-417. Abstract Two factors have made behaviorally-based task analysis training systems obsolete: 1) these systems cannot describe the complex knowledge required of European and North American workers by recent changes in the global economy, and 2) recent research in cognition show that the cognitive processes and structures involved in complex work tasks serve as a more useful content for training and development. A description and a brief review of research on cognitive task analysis (CTA) systems is provided. Claims for the benefits of CTA will be discussed, including Means and Gotts (1988) suggestion that the equivalent of five years of advanced job knowledge can be transmitted in about 50 hours of training based on CTA. The article concludes with a call to include current knowledge of CTA in training design systems and for additional research directed to the development of CTA systems. Introduction One of the most important training innovations during the Industrial Revolution in the early part of this century was the development of task analysis in Europe and North America. Task analysis protocols allowed industrial managers to observe highly skilled workers and to describe the precise activities that were required to perform the variety of jobs that were required for manufacturing (Gael, 1988). Once a job and its component tasks had been analyzed and recorded, inexperienced workers could be more quickly trained to perform necessary jobs. Prior to task analysis, job training was accomplished almost exclusively by observational learning on-the-j