A US-government-funded study has found that a new type of highly-scalable, computerized cognitive testing effectively measures military vocational aptitude and cognitive resilience – with more flexibility and precision, and at a fraction of the time and expense of traditional military screening. The new assessment tool was created by Posit Science Corporation, which makes the popular BrainHQ brain training app based on advances in neurobiology and neuroplasticity.
Study Methodology and Funding
The study of 267 soldiers, published in the journal JMIR Formative Research, was led by academic researchers at the University of Minnesota. It was supported by resources from the Minneapolis Veteran Affairs Health Care System and Minnesota Army National Guard, and funded by the Office of Naval Research and the National Institutes of Health.
Researchers found that a 20-minute self-administered computerized brain health assessment from BrainHQ strongly predicts performance on the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT). The AFQT is derived from the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), the primary measure used by the U.S. Department of Defense to evaluate enlistment eligibility and career aptitude across all branches of the Armed Forces. The ASVAB is administered in person and can take 1.5 to 3 hours to complete.
How the BrainHQ Assessment Works
The BrainHQ assessment battery was designed to capture the same psychological and cognitive abilities as the AFQT, but by more precisely measuring actual brain performance metrics related to speed, accuracy, planning, reasoning, and decision-making to strongly predict performance and resilience results.
“This is the first evidence that evaluating the brain’s ability to process information, such as the speed and accuracy with which it sees and hears, can meaningfully predict military eligibility and cognitive resilience,” observed Dr. Mouna Attarha, who coordinated the test battery design for BrainHQ. “The most relevant finding to military stakeholders is that this assessment is highly predictive of who will meet or exceed cognitive aptitude bands for military occupational specialties.”
Game-Like Structure and Neuroplasticity
Like the exercises found in BrainHQ brain training, each assessment is game-like in structure and appearance, and each progressively challenges the user to “zero-in” on the user’s true limit of performance across different neuroscience measures of brain health. In addition, each assessment is also tied to a neuroplasticity-based exercise, which, much like weightlifting, can progressively push a user to rewire the brain and improve performance over time.
Implications for Military Readiness
“This self-administered test battery has the anticipated advantages as a screening tool and in recruitment, but there are also larger implications,” said Dr. Henry Machnke, CEO of Posit Science. “It also can serve as a scalable and cost-effective way to measure readiness and resilience across large, geographically dispersed forces. The short 3-minute sub-tests can monitor ongoing resilience and can be combined with equally short daily training to truly optimize cognitive and physical recovery, readiness, and resilience.”
The findings suggest that the BrainHQ assessment could revolutionize military screening by providing a quicker, more precise, and remotely accessible alternative to the traditional ASVAB, while also offering ongoing monitoring and training capabilities.
