Incorporating the effect of display formats in cognitive modelling

Cognitive modelling provides a method for identifying strategies used by people to acquire and process information. Previous research has shown that the way in which problem information is represented can have a profound effect on performance. The purpose of this study is to integrate the effects of display formats into cognitive modelling by determining the locus of that effect in information processing strategies. The research accomplished that goal by constructing cognitive models of information processing strategies using verbal protocols, and then relating those models to performance. In the process of constructing models, the study establishes a link between previous research in display formats and cognitive modelling techniques by determining how the models must be adjusted to account for the differences in performance related to a specific type of display format. The ability of cognitive modelling techniques to predict performance is discussed, and issues for further research to improve the utility of such models are presented.