C00022043

[PAGE 2]
This is the initial report submitted to thc Chairman, 一 Committee by the Behavioral Panel. In preparing this report the Behavioral Pancl has attempted to follow the guidance and instruction provided during a briefing by the Chairman, committee and as well has attempted to adhere to the guidelines set forth by the in his memorandum of 21 June 1972.

This report deals for the most part with the "inventory and assessment of current capability within the Agency" and "the inventory of ongoing and programmed R, D and E programs." The Behavioral Panel has not attempted an evaluation os programs nor has it attempted to develop a "statement of longrange·techrical objectives." It is intendcd that these major topics will be the subject of an additional report in the near future.

In preparing this report the Panel tccanc awarc that the term "behavioral science" is vague and has differcnt connota-. tions for different individuals. Drawing lines between pure research, applied research and analysis was difficult. The term "behavioral activities" generally refcrs to the measure-

C00022043

REPORT OF THE BEHAVIORAL PANEL TO THE

COMMITTEE

21 AUGUST 1972

[PAGE 3]
ment, assessment, prediction, influence and control of human behavior. In the broadest sense, just about every elcment of the Agency is concerned with assessing and predicting the behavior of people, and to this end conducts some kind of data collection, analysis and testing oiten rcferred to as "research". In preparing.this report, we have attempted to steer a course between the Scylla of being overly restrictive and the Charybdis of being so broad as to lose focus. This paper thus covers formally programmed research activities, applied research of behavioral șcience componcnts, and inhouse capabilities of personnel with behavioral science training where their expertise bears upon thc Agency product.

This first report surveys capabilities and research activities. The components surveyed were:

I.

C00022043

[PAGE 4]
I.·Capabilities
The Division at the
present time has a staff of five professionals --- a physician, one research psychologist, two physiologists, and one psychologist on detail from 1 This staff initiates and monitors nearly all of the contractcd "external research." In acüiticn to the professional staff of,
the Division of jhas on its staff two psychologists engeged in work in Hunan Factors as related to man-machine intcrface and some animal behavior. However their work has not been included in this report.

II. Research Activities

The activities are identified under four project arcas:

Performance Measurcment, Assessment and Selection, Ilumin

Factors and Matcrial Analysis.

C00022043

[PAGE 5]
Test these techniques on the data from the new 1 agrcement study. Analytical models of the relationship between; data and signal identification has been based on the assumption that the signals identified are independent entities. (FY 1973 - (2) Evaluation ---

A high sensitivity.

been designed and fabricated for

signals. This task will undertake a complete evaluation and·opcrational asscssment of the system in noisy environments. (FY 1973-

(3)consultant Support ---\_

To provide biomedical engineering support to the

Program. To undertake special tasks concerned with signal source, signal processing and biological intcrpretation. To provide the necessary intcrdisciplinary skills to integrate and apply engineering principles to medical and physiological processes. Tho Program began as a fcw isolated projects concerned with 1 monitoring and intcrpretation. At present thc program includes systcms under development in the

C00022043

[PAGE 6]
The research will focus on studying techniqucs to The major research

question being asked is -whether-behavior will changc as a result of changes in the that were achieved through the use of conditioning techniques. The above research is a Phase II follow-on orientçd toward the study of behavioral manipulation techniqucs. Phase I was directed toward the identification of 1 responses as they relate to positive and ncgative stimuli. The class of research hus the potential of being a powcrful tool in the detection of induced behavioral changes, e.g., "brain washing." (FY 1973 -

(2) Psychobiology of Monotony ---

Prior research on monotony or boredom has focuscd primarily on what happens in various forms of extcnded isolation. Monotony in less drastic situations can also lead to discomfort and dcmotivation. Therc arc a number of positions in the Agency which demane a rclatively high degree of tolcrance to monotony. Persons assigncd to these positions shoula havc both tolcrance for and an

C00022043

[PAGE 7]
effective means of.coping.with monotony.(ry 1973

(3) Assessment and ESP ---\_

This will be a continuation of a personal services contract to provide consultation in the areas of (a) extra-sensory perception, (b) indirect assessment, and (c) narcotics control. The activity is oriented to providing information, on current or incipicnt developments in these fielas. (FY 1973 -

(4) Observational Techniques ---

Basic observational skills in huaan intcraction have been largely ignored in the study of asscssnent techniques. This preliminary experiment see:s to fill that gap and may be very important in develeping a successful assessment. program. (Fy 1973 -

(5) Assessment Validation ---

This s'tudy will address itself to icentifying those factors or traits that may discriminato "good" and "poor" assessorse The problem of accuratc and reliable assessment of human targets remains a critical one within key opcrational components. This project acdresses itself to that issue on a practical as vell as theoretical basis. (FY 1973 -

\*Unbudgetcd

C00022043

10

[PAGE 8]
The Panel has previously dofined the tern
"behavioral activities" as the measurcment, assoss
ment, prediction, influence, and control of human
behavior. It follows fron this that the Agency
rescarch effort in the area of behavioral activities
should be concerned not only with monitoring relevant
forcign and donestic developments, but also in
sponsoring those external and condecting those
internal projects that will enhance Agoncy knowlecge and capability. The long-tern goals arc simple to define -- increased ability to idontify, understana, predict and control the behavior of hean boings -- but extremely difficult. to implemont. Ec ause the emphasis is on human beings in thcir infinitc variety rather than upoh standardized inenimucc objcets c.: processes, there will always be a ccrtain anout of uncertainty in this area of resecrck and ccvclopment. Nevertholess, the fact that there may be no immcdiately obvious payoff should not preclvde any well-formulated basic rescarch nor cven shut off cpleratory rescsrch that may lcad to testable Ageney-relcvan: hypstheses.

Because rescarch in huaan bohavier is as much

C00022043

SUIMARY CONCLUSIONS

[PAGE 9]
an art as a science, drawing heavily on serendipitous findings Erom presently prograamed projects, this Pancl does not believe that any rigid linitaticns can be imposed on what might or ought to be dore in the next fiscal ycar. To the extent that integrutec programs rather than scattered projects can be dcvclopec, this will facilitate Agency aims and goals.

The Panel recommends new research initiative in the followinç arcas:

1. differential culturally-determined rcsponses to

2. unconventional biophysics and neurephysiolcgr (including "parapsychology").

The Panel recomnends augmentation of reseereh csforts in several key arcas as spelled cct in the body of the report.

The Panel observes that .there is a certain lae: of coordination and exchange of information betwoen components who are involved in very similar kinas of profcssional and research activity. The Panel believcs that it can serve as a mechanism for infcrmal c:chenge of information conccrning proposed and ongoir: resoareh and that no other formal coordinating group is requires. To this end, the Panel recommends that a repreeentstive

C00022043

3

[PAGE 10]
I. Develonnent of Nev Approaches and Tert Instraronts

A. External Research A. External Resealcu

The Panel believes that most of the rclcvant
projects in this category arc conceptually well
established and have well-defined rcquircments.
Although none has yet reached thc point of practical application, each is moving toward its stated soals. The single possible exception to this fincing is thc project on. -iact on

This project is dus for intencive nt that time a cocisicn will be review in November; at that timc a .. made concerning continuation or dropping. The Panel recommends contiruation cs the following projects with funding during I: 74 as

INanipulation

Asscssment and ESr Observational Technicucs Assessor Selection

C00022043

ASSESSHLNT AND SELLCTION

10