Abstract
Motivation - The study examined whether experts and novices differed in their recognition of decision-making cues. Research approach - To test cue recognition, the authors developed and tested a computer-based cue recognition task on a group of expert and novice offender profilers. Findings/Design - Recognition performance was assessed in relation to cue classification agreement and recognition response latency among and between the two groups. The findings revealed superior performance on both measures by the experts compared to the novices. Research limitations/Implications - The findings have implications for the cue selection process in the design of computer-based training, and decision support systems. Originality/Value - The research offers an objective means of: 1) identifying cues; 2) gauging relative cue stability/strength; 3) comparing cue recognition across expertise; and, 4) selecting a valid cue-set for use in training and support systems. Take away message - There are significant differences in cue recognition across expertise that may, in part, differentiate decision-making performance.
Highlights
In many workplace environments, performance is heavily reliant upon the cognitive skills of the operator, which often includes a capacity to acquire and interpret information and form a view as to the nature of the events that transpired
The current study aimed to test whether differences in cue recognition existed across expertise using a computer-based task
The Feature Event Paired Association Task (FEPAT) was developed to test cue recognition, which was assessed via classification agreement within and between the two groups, and cue recognition response latency across the two groups
Summary
Performance is heavily reliant upon the cognitive skills of the operator, which often includes a capacity to acquire and interpret information and form a view as to the nature of the events that transpired Differences in this form of decision performance are invariably correlated with a difference in operational experience, whereby highly experienced or expert decision-makers tend to demonstrate a relatively superior level of decisionmaking skill which, in many workplaces, is critical (e.g., medical diagnosis, vehicle collision investigation, firefighting, violent crime investigation, etc.). Many organisations within these domains do not possess the time, nor the resources, to enable operators to progress from novice to expert through day-to-day operational experience (see "Junior Police Recruited to Elite Command Post", 2003, June 5). Cognitive interviews involving subject-matter experts reveal that their rapid responses are associated with the examination of relatively few features, each of which hold some form of association or meaning for the expert (Klein, Calderwood, & MacGregor, 1989; O’Hare, Wiggins, Williams, & Wong, 2000)
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