Managing feelings and behaviors.

In Trauma Center: Under the Knife, players needs to think before executing a move. Making any mistakes during surgery will hurt the patient and increase the risk of death. Making a careful incision will ultimately save more time and be safer for the patient, as opposed to making a hasty incision as fast as possible. The same thing goes for the other tasks that the player performs, like patching wounds or vacuuming out fluid. While it is important to complete each task as fast as possible, it is also important that players take the time to make careful, controlled movements and avoid making mistakes that cost more time in the long run.

Focus

Getting started and then maintaining attention and effort to tasks.

Players are asked to handle a large amount of information as they attempt each surgery. Besides dealing with their current surgical task, players must also keep track of the patient's vital signs, the steps of the procedure they are currently performing and the advice they receive from their assistants within the game. Players must recognize which information is most important to focus on, and what facets of the operation to deal with first. Otherwise, they are likely to become overwhelmed with the amount of work they are asked to do in each surgery, making errors and failure more likely.

Working Memory

Recalling and retaining information in our minds while working.

Players are provided with a number of different tools for each surgery -- scalpels, antiseptic gel, sutures, lasers and so on. Players control each tool by moving the stylus across the DS touch screen in unique patterns. For example, antiseptic gel is applied by dragging the stylus across the wound or incision, and the laser scalpel is used by quickly tapping the touchscreen on the affected area. Although players have many tools at their disposal, only a few will be necessary to complete each surgery. Therefore, it is up to the player to remember how and when each instrument is used, recall the information and quickly put it to use in the middle of an operation.

Flexibility

Adapting and adjusting to changing conditions and expectations.

Many of the surgeries in Trauma Center: Under the Knife have complications. Players will begin the surgery with one goal, but will quickly be faced with additional problems. For example, in operation 5, "A Real Doctor," players expect to perform the simple tumor excision they practiced in earlier levels. However, they then open the patient to discover that the entire intestine is inflamed, which is causing the patient's vitals to drop rapidly. Players must be ready to deal with a variety of situations as they arise during surgery, or they will likely lose the patient and be forced to restart.