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Are perceptuo-motor decisions really more optimal than cognitive decisions?
Andreas Jarvstad1, Ulrike Hahn2, Paul A Warren3
1School of Psychology, Cardiff University, United Kingdom; School of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, United Kingdom.
Cognition
|January 14, 2014
Summary
Human decision-making, both high-level cognitive and perceptuo-motor, may not be as optimal as previously thought. Task difficulty significantly impacts performance, challenging absolute standards of human behavior optimality.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human-computer interaction
Background:
- High-level cognitive decisions are often considered sub-optimal.
- Perceptuo-motor decisions are frequently viewed as near-optimal.
- Previous comparisons of performance across domains may be limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate limitations in comparing performance between and within cognitive and perceptuo-motor domains.
- To re-evaluate the optimality of perceptuo-motor decision-making.
- To challenge the notion of perceptuo-motor systems outperforming higher-level cognitive systems.
Main Methods:
- Conducted two perceptuo-motor decision-making experiments.
- Analyzed fundamental performance factors like precision and time usage.
- Utilized simulations and cross-study comparisons to assess optimality.
Main Results:
- Participants did not optimize precision or time usage in perceptuo-motor tasks.
- Standard analyses might incorrectly classify participants as 'optimal'.
- Optimality is dependent on task difficulty, not an absolute measure.
Conclusions:
- A standard model of perceptuo-motor decision-making does not provide an absolute performance standard.
- Optimal models of human behavior face general limitations.
- Claims of perceptuo-motor superiority over cognitive systems are premature due to methodological differences and performance variability.
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