Military Training Psychology

Psychologists define learning as a behavior or knowledge that comes from experience or training which ties into the aspect of military training and its benefits for soldiers. Learning is the basis of psychology and there are many theories linked with different types of learning. Some of the most important types of learning in the military are operant conditioning and social learning. Without these training methods soldiers would not be able to lose the fear of being killed on the battlefield and learn leadership skills in combat. Military training helps soldiers prepare for battle with the knowledge and behaviors they obtain from observation and training.

The article “Building a Killer”, by Jonathan Strickland, is primarily explaining the roles that take place in producing a killer but it also explains the purpose of operant conditioning in the military and its use for it. Operant conditioning is a behavior learned or avoided as a result of its consequences. Building a Killer also gives an example of operant conditioning of soldiers “firing at human-shaped targets“, conditioning the soldiers to associate shooting at a person is permitted in the military and it is

This gives them an idea if they are suited to be in the military and if they have what it takes to become soldier. Military mentions that “Decision-making and problem solving are two skill domains that are fundamental to most types of military tasks”, informing the reader the skills that are the most important (“instructional design”, 2015). The article also mentions “the significance of cognitive styles and learning strategies in the design or delivery of training programs” showing how meticulous the military is with their training (“instructional design”, 2015). This information is extremely beneficial to those who are thinking about joining the military and are interested in what and how they