The Impact of Four Field of View Conditions on Team Marksmanship Performance Using a Team Shooting Scenario (TSS) Task

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of four field of view (FOV) conditions on three-person team’s marksmanship performance in terms of aiming time, accuracy, precision, and targets hit using a Team Shooting Scenario (TSS) task developed by the U.S. Army. Forty-eight soldiers from the South Carolina National Guard participated. The FOV restrictors included two monocular (41o and 78o) and two binocular (129o and 150o) restrictors. Soldiers were tasked with discriminating between distractors and threats (“T”), using the TSS’s 28 light boxes around a circle with a 15m diameter. Three of the four test variables were significantly different based on FOV condition; accuracy, precision, and hits significantly varied, while aiming time did not. For accuracy, the smaller the FOV, the better the performance. FOV was a statistically significant predictor of precision in the smallest and largest FOV conditions when using the quadratic effect where an inverted U-shape demonstrates greater precision. The greatest number of targets hit for both the linear and quadratic effects increase as FOV decreases. To provide guidance on optimal future head mounted devices needed for teams of soldiers during combat related tasks, it is critical to have team-based data to assess soldier performance and the effect of FOV on performance.