Page 20 - JSOM Fall 2023

What a Special Operations Cognitive Assessment
Should Look Like

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Adam T. Biggs, PhD *; Tracy Heller, PhD ; Kathryn Colvin, PhD ;
Dallas Wood, PhD ; Jennifer A. Jewell, PhD ; Lanny F. Littlejohn, MD 6
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ABSTRACT
Special Operations organizations have recently demonstrated current functioning, stave off decline, or optimize performance.
their commitment to enhanced cognitive functioning and im- Cognitive assessment could interact with any of these purposes.
proving brain health through the development of a Cognitive In turn, developing cognitive assessments for practical applica-
Domain. However, as this new enterprise becomes supported tions can become suboptimal and disorganized in execution.
by more resources and personnel, a critical question involves
what cognitive assessments should be conducted to evaluate Recently, Special Operations have fully embraced the impor-
cognitive functions. The assessment itself forms a crux in the tance of cognitive functioning as a part of holistic warfighter de-
Cognitive Domain that could mislead cognitive practitioners if velopment. This prioritization came with formalized resources
not properly applied. Here, the discussion addresses the most and support when United States Special Operations Command
important criteria to satisfy in the development of a Special (USSOCOM) added a Cognitive Domain to its Preservation
Operations cognitive assessment, including operational rele- of the Force and Family (POTFF) infrastructure. Despite ac-
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vance, optimization, and speed. Cognitive assessments in this knowledging the importance of cognitive functions, and as
domain must incorporate the following: (1) a task with clear might be expected of emerging capabilities with relevance to
operational relevance to ensure meaningful results, (2) no Special Operations, there remain significant questions about the
ceiling effects so that performance can support cognitive en- development and practical application of cognitive assessments.
hancement initiatives, and (3) the task itself should impose a
minimal time requirement to avoid creating a substantial logis- For this discussion, the purpose is to explore how a cognitive
tical burden. A dynamic threat assessment task supported by assessment should be developed and applied to a Special Op-
drift diffusion modeling can meet all requisite criteria, while erations population. The discussion will begin with identifying
also providing more insight into decision parameters of Spe- how purpose can shape a cognitive assessment as well as what
cial Operations personnel than any currently used test. The the purpose of a cognitive assessment in Special Operations
discussion concludes with a detailed description of this recom- should be. Next, an operationalized cognitive assessment will
mended cognitive assessment task, as well as the research and be presented to illustrate how even simple cognitive tests can be
development steps needed to support its application. pushed further than their laboratory counterparts by integrat-
ing principles associated with optimal human performance.
Keywords: cognitive; assessment; special operations; drift Finally, the discussion will conclude with future development
diffusion; decisions steps required to deploy this type of cognitive assessment to a
larger force. Taken together, the goal is to identify the purpose
inherent to a cognitive assessment in Special Operations and
lay the foundation for future Special Operations tests that can
Introduction
be tailored to unit requirements.
Cognitive assessment sounds like a straightforward princi-
ple—the test should evaluate the cognitive capabilities of an How Purpose Shapes a Cognitive Assessment
individual. In theory, the idea can be linked to various models
of cognitive function and can be operationalized using labora- Developing any cognitive assessment should begin with a com-
tory-quality resources. In practice, however, administering cog- plete understanding of the purpose of that assessment. There
nitive tests can be much more complicated when pressed with might be some forcing function or requirement, but purpose
the logistical and functional realities of large-scale application. helps determine whether the cognitive test as applied fully
These concerns become exponentially more important when accomplishes its intended goals. Of course, this description
the term “cognitive” descends into jargon more than precise describes the overall challenge of developing a cognitive as-
definition. Cognitive could as easily refer to expertise develop- sessment. The practical implementation becomes identifying
ment or working memory capacity as it could refer to cognitive whether a test can be re-purposed to a different application
decline in advanced age. Here, the term cognitive will describe without limiting the effective potential use.
all aspects of mental activity that could impact human perfor-
mance (Table 1). A separate issue thus involves whether cog- Perhaps the best example here is a neurocognitive assessment
nitive assessments and interventions are attempting to identify tool known as the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment
*Correspondence to adam.t.biggs@gmail.com
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1 Dr Adam T. Biggs, Dr Kathryn Colvin, Dr Jennifer A. Jewell, and Dr Lanny F. Littlejohn are all affiliated with the Naval Special Warfare Com-
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mand, Coronado, CA, USA. Dr Tracy Heller and Dr Dallas Wood are affiliated with the Naval Special Warfare Group TWO, Virginia Beach, VA.
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