The Influence of Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Factors on the Development of Rifle Marksmanship Skills

In this report, researchers examined rifle marksmanship development within a skill development framework outlined by Chung, Delacruz, de Vries, Bewley, and Baker (2006). Thirty-three novice shooters used an M4 rifle training simulator system to learn to shoot an 8-inch target at a simulated distance of 200 yards. Cognitive, psychomotor, and affective measures were gathered in addition to measures of performance and component skills. Partial support was found for rifle marksmanship skill development following Ackerman’s (1988) skill development theory. Support was found for the idea that known distance rifle marksmanship can transition rapidly from a learning phase to a practice phase, and that the cognitive and affective variables have a substantial influence on performance and skill development during the learning phase.