The physical conditioning platoon : Two years later

Abstract

Assessed the 2-year effectiveness of Marines who had been assigned to the Physical Conditioning Platoon during recruit training in 1975 (N = 635). Participants were asked to complete: a background information questionnaire, a self-evaluation scale, a Marine Corps opinion questionnaire, and the Comrey Personality Scales. The total sample was divided into a validation and cross-validation subsample using the 2-year effectiveness or noneffectiveness criterion as the basis. Results of Pearson product-moment correlation analyses showed that higher levels of education, fewer expulsions and suspensions from school favorable attitudes on the Marine Corps Affiliation subscale and favorable self-perceptions on the three Comrey Personality Scales of Trust vs. Defensiveness, Activity vs. Lack of Energy, and Emotional Stability vs. Neuroticism were significantly associated with effectiveness in both the validation and cross-validation subsamples. Such findings suggest that these variables, particularly those related to affiliation and enjoyment of physical activities, should be considered as ossible selection indicators for recruits who are overweight or cannot pass the physical requirements for recruit training.