Task A: Human Behavior and Effective Communication
Reference: FAA-H-8083-9A.
Objective: To determine that the applicant exhibits instructional
knowledge of human behavior and effective
communication and how these impact effective
learning by describing:
1. Definitions of human behavior.
- The study of human behavior is an attempt to explain how and why humans function the way they do.
- Human behavior is also defined as the result of attempts to satisfy certain needs.
- Research shows that as an individual matures, his or her mode of action moves from dependency to self-direction.
- By observing human behavior, an instructor can gain the knowledge needed to better understand him or herself as an instructor as well as the learning needs of students.
- Understanding human behavior leads to successful instruction.
2. Human needs and motivation.
3. Defense mechanisms.
- Defense mechanisms can be biological or psychological.
- The biological defense mechanism is a physiological response that protects or preserves organisms. For example, when humans experience a danger or a threat, the “fight or flight” response kicks in.
- Types:
- Repression is the defense mechanism whereby a person places uncomfortable thoughts into inaccessible areas of the unconscious mind.
- Denial is a refusal to accept external reality because it is too threatening.
- Compensation is a process of psychologically counterbalancing perceived weaknesses by emphasizing strength in other areas.
- Through projection, an individual places his or her own unacceptable impulses onto someone else.
- Rationalization is a subconscious technique for justifying actions that otherwise would be unacceptable.
- In reaction formation a person fakes a belief opposite to the true belief because the true belief causes anxiety.
- Fantasy occurs when a student engages in daydreams about how things should be rather than doing anything about how things are.
- This defense mechanism results in an unconscious shift of emotion, affect, or desire from the original object to a more acceptable, less threatening substitute.
4. Student emotional reactions.
- Anxiety is probably the most significant psychological factor affecting flight instruction.
- Normal individuals begin to respond rapidly and exactly, within the limits of their experience and training. Many responses are automatic, highlighting the need for proper training in emergency operations prior to an actual emergency. The affected individual thinks rationally, acts rapidly, and is extremely sensitive to all aspects of the surroundings.
- Reactions to stress may produce abnormal responses in some people. With them, response to anxiety or stress may be completely absent or at least inadequate. Their responses may be random or illogical, or they may do more than is called for by the situation.
- Inappropriate reactions, such as extreme overcooperation, painstaking self-control, inappropriate laughter or singing, and very rapid changes in emotions.
- Marked changes in mood on different lessons, such as excellent morale followed by deep depression.
- Severe anger directed toward the flight instructor, service personnel, and others.
- A flight instructor who believes a student may be suffering from a serious psychological abnormality has a responsibility to refrain from instructing that student.
- In addition, a flight instructor has the personal responsibility of assuring that such a person does not continue flight training or become certificated as a pilot.
5. Basic elements of communication.
- Source (sender, speaker, writer, encoder, transmitter, or instructor)
- Symbols used in composing and transmitting the message
- At its basic level, communication is achieved through symbols, which are simple oral and visual codes.
- On a higher level, communication through symbols is achieved by their interpretation through different perceptions, sometimes referred to as channels.
- The feedback an instructor is getting from a student needs to be constantly monitored in order to modify the symbols, as required, to optimize communication.
- The instructor will be more successful in gaining and retaining the student’s attention by using a variety of channels. As an example, instead of telling a student to adjust the trim, the instructor can move the trim wheel while the student tries to maintain a given aircraft attitude.
- Receiver (listener, reader, decoder, or student)
- When the receiver reacts with understanding and changes his or her behavior according to the intent of the source, effective communication has taken place.
- In order to understand the process of communication, three characteristics of receivers must be understood: abilities, attitudes, and experiences.
6. Barriers to effective communication.
- Lack of common experience between the communicator (instructor) and the receiver (student) is probably the greatest single barrier to effective communication.
- For example, a maintenance instructor tells a student to time the magnetos. A student new to the maintenance field might think a stopwatch or clock would be necessary to do the requested task.
- Confusion between the symbol and the symbolized object results when a word is confused with what it is meant to represent.
- Abstractions are words that are general rather than specific. Concrete words or terms refer to objects people can relate directly to their own experiences.
- Interference, or the prevention of a process or activity from being carried out properly, is composed of factors outside the control of the instructor These factors include physiological, environmental, and psychological interference.
7. Developing communication skills.
- Role playing is a method of learning in which students perform a particular role. In role playing, the learner is provided with a general description of a situation and then applies a new skill or knowledge to perform the role.
- One of the basic principles used in public speaking courses is to encourage students to talk about something they understand.
- The instructor should not be afraid to use examples of past experiences to illustrate particular points.
- Instructors must know something about their students in order to communicate effectively.
- Good questioning can determine how well the student understands what is being taught. It also shows the student that the instructor is paying attention and that the instructor is interested in the student’s response.
- Two ways of confirming that the student and instructor understand things in the same way are the use of paraphrasing and perception checking.
- The more an instructor knows about a subject, the better the instructor is at conveying that information.
