Page 88 - JSOM Fall 2018

An Ongoing Series

Cognitive Agility as a Factor in
Human Performance Optimization

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Jared Ross, BS, MBA ; Lucas Miller, BS ; Patricia A. Deuster, PhD, MPH *
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ABSTRACT
Cognitive agility reflects the capacity of an individual to easily cognitive factors include adaptability, creativity, reasoning,
move back and forth between openness and focus. The concept judgment, decision­making, problem solving, attention, and
is being translated into a tool to help train leaders to perform appraisal, among others. Overall, human performance out­
well in the “dynamic decision­making context.” Cognitive comes will be the summation of dynamic decision­making:
agility training (CAT) has the potential to increase emotional how rapidly we are able to cognitively process our knowl­
intelligence by improving an individual’s ability to toggle be­ edge and experiences, be they perceived or learned ; maintain
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tween highly focused states to levels of broad, outward aware­ awareness; and then execute critical actions. Dynamic deci­
ness, which should enable dynamic decision­making and sion­making (DDM) is characterized by making a series of
enhance personal communication skills. Special Operations choices in environments of high uncertainty and likely infor­
Forces (SOF) Operators must work in rapidly evolving, com­ mation overload, all of which are sequentially linked and can
plex environments embedded with multiple high­risk factors. change as a function of earlier choices. Importantly, our own
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Generally, success in these operational environments requires beliefs regarding how effectively and efficiently we think we
the ability to maintain highly focused states. However, SOF are able to mobilize our cognitive resources and successfully
Operators must also be able to transition rapidly back to their make decisions dynamically as part of our mission tasks will
roles within their families, where a more outwardly aware help determine how we subsequently perform and our degree
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state is needed to allow flexibility in emotional responses. CAT of satisfaction with mission execution. Cognitive intelligence,
addresses these seemingly conflicting requirements. Successful or intelligence quotient (a combination of verbal, reasoning,
CAT must reflect the methodologies and culture already fa­ numeric, and spatial abilities), was long thought to be the pri­
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miliar within the SOF community (i.e., “live” scenario­based mary driver in terms of performance outcomes. 8–10 However,
activities) to replicate challenges they may encounter when emerging data suggest that emotional intelligence (EI) and cog­
operationally deployed and when at home. This article pro­ nitive agility are drivers for successful performance outcomes
vides an overview of cognitive agility, the potential benefits, and support cognitive intelligence.
applications that could be used for training SOF Operators to
improve their cognitive agility to optimize performance, and What is EI? Salovey and Mayer defined EI as the “ability
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sample training scenarios. The issue of what metrics to use is to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to
also discussed. discriminate among them and to use this information to guide
one’s thinking and actions.” The concept of EI has become
Keywords: cognitive flexibility; emotional intelligence; suc- very popular and various frameworks have emerged. Figure 1
cessful intelligence; total force fitness provides an overview of the four domains of EI, but the gen­
eral idea is that those with high EI are better able to recognize
and control their emotions (and help others manage theirs),
which would then enhance their ability to successfully negoti­
Introduction
ate the multiple demands and pressures in the surrounding en­
In our opening article for JSOM’s Human Performance Op­ vironments. Clearly, SOF Operators must be able to manage
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timization Series, we outlined a model identifying various the multiple demands and pressures of missions and family life
resources that could or should be mobilized very quickly to and thus would require high EI, along with effective communi­
support a multitude of cognitive factors. Examples of these cation capabilities and high cognitive intelligence.
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*Correspondence to Consortium for Health and Military Performance, Department of Defense Center of Excellence, Department of Military and
Emergency Medicine, Uniformed Services University, 4301 Jones Bridge Rd, Bethesda, MD; or patricia.deuster@usuhs.edu
1 Mr Ross is a retired US Army Sergeant Major, US Special Operations Command, who is helping apply concepts of the Human Performance
Optimization (HPO) within the Special Operations Forces community. He is developing training in cognitive agility for US Special Operations
Command in collaboration with others. LT Miller is a fourth­year medical student at the Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD, and a
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former US Army Special Forces Medical Sergeant. Dr Deuster is a professor and director of the Consortium for Health and Military Performance,
a Defense Center of Excellence, Department of Military and Emergency Medicine, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD.
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