Human Behavior Representation in Constructive Simulation

Lack of incorporation of human factors in military operational models is still seriously flawing the validity and predictive power. In this report methods are provided to implement the advanced human factors knowledge that is available, without creation of an unmanageable complexity. The core of the method is the use of human states, providing a basis for expressing the stresses experienced by personnel that are important to military outcomes (exhaustion, thermal load, mental workload, etc.). States integrate the effects of previous activity and recovery in a scientifically founded way, allowing models to run time based scenarios without restriction. Aggregated units like teams and larger units have additional HF properties that do not exist at the individual level. Effects based operations have a profound impact on the way an operational problem is solved and consequently also on the requirements placed on simulation models. Modeling EBOperations requires increased representation of cognition of coordinated units, capturing assessment, judgment, and decision making. The choices allow for variable behavior. This report attempts to provide some guidance on how human behavior models can be extended to capture these effects in military modeling and simulation. These considerations are synthesized in an overall scheme and a 19-step process to guide practitioners and analysts through an HF reinforced study case, called good practice.