ABSTRACT

What specific activities do users engage in when using decision support software to solve complex problems and how do they unfold? This paper describes an experimental study where managers solved decision tasks of varying complexity on different computing devices. A video recording of their actions while using an assigned computing device (laptop or tablet) was created, then coded and analyzed using Simon’s three phase model of decision making. Differences in time spent during the Intelligence, Design and Choice phases were found and analyzed to determine if time spent could explain task performance. This study was the first to conduct an experiment with mid-level managers in the field to provide a more detailed description of how Simon’s model of decision-making occurs in practice. This research demonstrates that Simon’s model can be used to analyze decision processes and complements the work done by cognitive/neuroscientists on decision-making.

摘要

用户在使用决策支持软件解决复杂问题时会参与哪些具体活动，这些活动是如何展开的？本文描述了一项实验研究，其中管理者在不同的计算设备上解决了不同复杂度的决策任务。创建了他们在使用指定的计算设备（笔记本电脑或平板电脑）时的行为的视频记录，然后使用西蒙的三阶段决策模型进行编码和分析。发现并分析了在智能、设计和选择阶段花费的时间差异，以确定花费的时间是否可以解释任务绩效。这项研究是第一次与该领域的中层管理人员进行实验，以更详细地描述西蒙的决策模型在实践中是如何发生的。