A Measurement Approach to Cognitive Complexity and Perception of Information: Implications for information Systems Design

> Business decision makers were asked to evaluate and use various information reports, as might be supplied by an information system, in several decision making scenarios. Multi-dimensional scaling was utilized to detect underlying perceptual dimensions of the information (differentiation ability), and to assess the importance or salience placed on each of these various dimensions (discriminant ability). Preference mapping was utilized to assess the underlying decision rules used by the decision makers in using the various information items in decision making tasks. As expected, individual differences were found with respect to differentiation, discrimination, and integration abilities. However, further analysis demonstrated that relatively homogeneous groupings of decision makers could be formed which utilized information in decision making in a similar manner. The implications of the study indicate that information systems designers need to consider the cognitive characteristics of decision makers, and that information reports may be ' tailored to relatively cognitively homogeneous groups of design makers who perceive information in the same manner. INTRODUCTION OVERVIEW OF HUMAN INFORMATION PROCESSING AND DECISION MAKING Information systems specialists are not only interested in their traditional role of Evaluation of the ways in which decision supplying information and in making makers process information is a necessary decisions regarding the manner in which it step toward realization of the goal of is supplied, but more recently have become improved information systems. This evalinterested in the decision making process. uation may include analysis of message or Information specialists can no longer say information attributes, the social environthat their job is merely to generate data ment of the decision making process, and and to report the facts, because the facts the individual decision maker's personal they report and the way they report them characteristics and attitudes. For determine the actions that the recipients example, individual characteristics to be of the reports will take. Consequently, considered may include perceived source information systems specialists should concredibility of the message, risk attitude, sider the recipient action required and/or problem familiarity, personality characterdesired before effective system outputs istics, values, attitudes, intelligence, can be designed. modes of perception, modes of encoding of