Exceeding one's training

[wingman]

Someone mentioned earlier the behvioral aspects of this. There is certainly something there...in the social psychological literature there is a methodology termed protection motivation theory (pmt) that looks at how people adjust behavior in response to threats. It has been used in many health risk contexts but is applicable in many other behavioral areas as well (marketing for example) as it looks at adoptive responce...i am currently using the theory along with contingent valuation on a NOAA funded research project i am the pi on. Basically, when exposed to a percieved threat you first evaluate it from severity and vulnerabilty perspectives...severity in diving is death and vulnerability is a subjective probability assessment of your death (maybe a heuristic is used here). Given threat assessment you then look at coping mechanisms (information, training, etc.) what are termed response and self efficacy..if you adopt a coping strategy will it protect you (response) and are you capable of perfoming the strategy (self). Give these assesments you either adjust behavior to protect yourself (manage the risk) or you exhibit what has been termed "maladaptive" coping...you actually either do nothing or even seek out the risky behavior (smoking is a good thing to use to think through this process). Sorry for the long post and the simplification but it would be interesting to do a pmt study on cave divers...if i worked one up would people here be interested in responding? I exhibit a lot of maladaptive coping myself and have observed others doing so as well...perhaps some of the psychology people would like to chime in. Bill

[sskasser]

Someone mentioned earlier the behvioral aspects of this. There is certainly something there...in the social psychological literature there is a methodology termed protection motivation theory (pmt) that looks at how people adjust behavior in response to threats. It has been used in many health risk contexts but is applicable in many other behavioral areas as well (marketing for example) as it looks at adoptive responce...i am currently using the theory along with contingent valuation on a NOAA funded research project i am the pi on. Basically, when exposed to a percieved threat you first evaluate it from severity and vulnerabilty perspectives...severity in diving is death and vulnerability is a subjective probability assessment of your death (maybe a heuristic is used here). Given threat assessment you then look at coping mechanisms (information, training, etc.) what are termed response and self efficacy..if you adopt a coping strategy will it protect you (response) and are you capable of perfoming the strategy (self). Give these assesments you either adjust behavior to protect yourself (manage the risk) or you exhibit what has been termed "maladaptive" coping...you actually either do nothing or even seek out the risky behavior (smoking is a good thing to use to think through this process). Sorry for the long post and the simplification but it would be interesting to do a pmt study on cave divers...if i worked one up would people here be interested in responding? I exhibit a lot of maladaptive coping myself and have observed others doing so as well...perhaps some of the psychology people would like to chime in. Bill

Have you talked to Skip? I know he was doing quite a bit in the area of surveying divers' mindsets.

[wingman]

Have you talked to Skip? I know he was doing quite a bit in the area of surveying divers' mindsets.

Not yet...will do so though...maybe we can do something for the nacd meeting. Bill

[jj1987]

Someone mentioned earlier the behvioral aspects of this. There is certainly something there...in the social psychological literature there is a methodology termed protection motivation theory (pmt) that looks at how people adjust behavior in response to threats. It has been used in many health risk contexts but is applicable in many other behavioral areas as well (marketing for example) as it looks at adoptive responce...i am currently using the theory along with contingent valuation on a NOAA funded research project i am the pi on. Basically, when exposed to a percieved threat you first evaluate it from severity and vulnerabilty perspectives...severity in diving is death and vulnerability is a subjective probability assessment of your death (maybe a heuristic is used here). Given threat assessment you then look at coping mechanisms (information, training, etc.) what are termed response and self efficacy..if you adopt a coping strategy will it protect you (response) and are you capable of perfoming the strategy (self). Give these assesments you either adjust behavior to protect yourself (manage the risk) or you exhibit what has been termed "maladaptive" coping...you actually either do nothing or even seek out the risky behavior (smoking is a good thing to use to think through this process). Sorry for the long post and the simplification but it would be interesting to do a pmt study on cave divers...if i worked one up would people here be interested in responding? I exhibit a lot of maladaptive coping myself and have observed others doing so as well...perhaps some of the psychology people would like to chime in. Bill

I think that would be an interesting study.

I think a lot of people violate training standards because they feel that they're ready to go under the guidance or advise of their instructor, buddy, and/or mentor up a level, or maybe even somewhere in-between two levels...

Example:
They're OK going down the easier, open passages like hill400, crossover tunnel, shortcut tunnel, etc at basic, or maybe diving to 1/3 within NDL, but not quite ready for full cave where they might get put OOA in small(er) passage like parallel lines. Maybe they're at apprentice and feel comfortable stage diving in a cave they're familiar with under the guidance of a mentor in order to see stuff just beyond what they can get to on backgas to avoid stretching 1/3rds, and plan to take full cave soon. Maybe they're full cave and comfortable scootering familiar passage to get to something they haven't seen, but not quite ready to take the class.

Obviously the problem with this, is you hope that the diver who wants to take incremental steps between classes doesn't decide to go dive Eagles Nest and Waynes world before completing cavern, or go scooter little river at basic. I think a similar risk also exists when someone gets full cave and takes it as permission to do any dive they can dream up, which the mentor system might help with, as the diver would work up to that level.

That's just my guess how it's being justified. I'd love to read a study done on it. I think you've got the right idea-- the day they get their cert card, they wouldn't dream of breaking those standards....after 30-50 dives, seeing their own skills improve, familiarity with their "home caves" and meeting some experienced people willing to help them along the way, it seems like the desire to see just a liiiiiitle bit more kicks in, for better of for worse.

[rjack]

Thanks for that James, a very good synthesis.