Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Probability and category redefinition in the fault tree paradigm.

E R Hirt1, N J Castellan

  • 1Indiana University, Bloomington.

Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance
|February 1, 1988
PubMed
Summary

Fault trees are useful problem-solving tools, but incomplete versions can mislead users. This study suggests people redefine categories rather than relying on memory heuristics when using pruned fault trees.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A NOTE ON THE EXPECTED VALUE OF A COEFFICIENT OF REPRODUCIBILITY.

Multivariate behavioral research·2016
Same author

When expectancy meets desire: motivational effects in reconstructive memory.

Journal of personality and social psychology·1997
Same author

Processing goals, task interest, and the mood-performance relationship: a mediational analysis.

Journal of personality and social psychology·1996
Same author

Self-reported versus behavioral self-handicapping: empirical evidence for a theoretical distinction.

Journal of personality and social psychology·1991
Same author

A model for the analysis of multiple strategies.

Psychometrika·1966
Same author

On the partitioning of contingency tables.

Psychological bulletin·1965

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Decision Making
  • Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

  • Fault trees are decision support tools, but their effectiveness is debated.
  • Previous research indicated users are insensitive to omissions in incomplete fault trees.
  • The availability heuristic was hypothesized as the reason for this insensitivity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate user judgment with complete versus incomplete fault trees.
  • To test the availability heuristic as the explanation for insensitivity to omissions.
  • To explore alternative mechanisms underlying judgment with incomplete fault trees.

Main Methods:

  • A within-subjects design was used across two experiments.
  • Experiment 1 involved estimating probabilities using full and pruned fault trees.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Experiment 2 utilized a sorting task to assess category redefinition.

    • Main Results:

    • The study replicated findings of insensitivity to omissions in pruned fault trees.
    • Results did not fully support the availability heuristic as the primary mechanism.
    • Evidence suggested users idiosyncratically redefine category content when omissions occur.

    Conclusions:

    • Fault trees may be less effective problem-solving aids than assumed, especially when incomplete.
    • User judgment with pruned fault trees is influenced by category redefinition, not solely by the availability heuristic.
    • The findings have implications for designing and utilizing decision support systems.