The Object Display in Decision Making and Judgment

Abstract

Abstract : This paper presents three experiments which apply the principle of compatibility of proximity to multicue decision making and judgment. This principle states that when a task requires the integration of information, the display should present the data in close proximity. When, however, the information must be selectively attended or processed, the information should be displayed with low proximity In the first experiment, subjects processed information cues in a multicue decision making task. The cues varied in their source, diagnosticity and reliability. They were presented either as separate bargraphs, or as rectangles. Their presentation was either simultaneous or sequential. The results indicated that greater proximity in time (simultaneous) and objectness (rectangular cues) lead to improved judgments. Furthermore, the rectangular format did no disrupt the memory for isolated cue values. In experiments 2 and 3, subjects were shown three numerical values and were required to combine them to predict a criterion value. Both equation relating the cues to the criterion and the display format of the cues were varied. Experiment 2 demonstrated that when the cues had to be selectively attended, performance was better with a bargraph display than with an integrated triangle display. No difference was observed when the cues had to be integrated. Experiment 3 demonstrated that the effects of display format are contingent upon the relation between the cues and the criterion. Discussion centers on display format and perception of relations between numerical data. Keywords: Decision making, Graphs, Object integration, Perception, Information, Judgment, Attention, Integration.