Abstract
Computerized aiding systems can assist human decision makers in complex tasks but can impair performance when they provide incorrect advice that humans erroneously follow, a phenomenon known as “automation bias.” The extent to which people exhibit automation bias varies significantly and may reflect inter-individual variation in the capacity of working memory and the efficiency of executive function, both of which are highly heritable and under dopaminergic and noradrenergic control in prefrontal cortex. The dopamine beta hydroxylase (DBH) gene is thought to regulate the differential availability of dopamine and norepinephrine in prefrontal cortex. We therefore examined decision-making performance under imperfect computer aiding in 100 participants performing a simulated command and control task. Based on two single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) of the DBH gene, −1041 C/T (rs1611115) and 444 G/A (rs1108580), participants were divided into groups of low and high DBH enzyme activity, where low enzyme activity is associated with greater dopamine relative to norepinephrine levels in cortex. Compared to those in the high DBH enzyme activity group, individuals in the low DBH enzyme activity group were more accurate and speedier in their decisions when incorrect advice was given and verified automation recommendations more frequently. These results indicate that a gene that regulates relative prefrontal cortex dopamine availability, DBH, can identify those individuals who are less susceptible to bias in using computerized decision-aiding systems.
Highlights
Computers are increasingly being used as ‘‘intelligent aids’’ to assist decision makers in their work
We have previously shown that the 444 G/A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) is associated with individual differences in retention accuracy in a spatial working memory task but not with performance on a spatial attention task [29,30]
Evidence consistent with the hypothesized link comes from a study of patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD), the quintessential pathological condition of dopamine depletion: a strong association was reported between dopamine beta hydroxylase (DBH) and PD for the same SNP we examined, rs1611115, for the C allele of this SNP, consistent with an association with low dopaminergic function [34]
Summary
Computers are increasingly being used as ‘‘intelligent aids’’ to assist decision makers in their work. We used a simulated military command and control task previously used in a study examining the effects of imperfect automation on complex decision-making [36] This task involves spatial processing, as in the simpler spatial working memory task used in the DBH association study [29], and requires participants to make judgments about the relative positions of ‘‘friendly’’ and ‘‘enemy’’ units under time pressure. Given that Bahner and colleagues [9] found that individuals not exhibiting automation bias verified more information parameters than those who did, we expected the low DBH enzyme activity group to use the verification option more frequently and express lower trust in the decision aid when it gave wrong advice
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