Verbal Protocols in Real-Time Dynamic Decision-Making

This study presents the results from the analyses of verbal protocols elicited from inexperienced and experienced participants of a real-time, Dynamic Decision-Making (DDM) task. This research intends to complement a series of studies performed in DDM environments analyzing the cognitive structures and processes involved in learning in DDM. Results show that inexperienced and experienced participants differ in several ways: in the way they distribute attention to different parts of the system, in their awareness of the relationship of the attributes involved in the decision making process, and in their coordination to make decisions in real time. These results have been used to support the refinement of a cognitive model developed to explain how people learn in DDM tasks.