An empirical investigation of the impact of process monitoring on computer-mediated decision-making performance

The need to support individuals in the implementation of their decision-making strategies has often been articulated. However, computerized decision support addressing this need is conspicuous by its absence. We argue that this lack is a consequence of the dearth of theoretical guidance for the derivation of practical design guidelines. This paper, utilizing research in psychology and cognitive engineering, attempts to fill this theoretical gap. A laboratory experiment testing the utility of a DSS incorporating the derived design guidelines is described. Results indicate that it is possible to incorporate implementation support into DSS, that such support increases decision making efficiency and effectiveness, and that need as well as usefulness of such support increases with the level of complexity of the decision strategy. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.