THE THEORY OF COGNITIVE FIT - Human-Computer Interaction and Management Information Systems: Foundations - page 123

C HAPTER 8
THE THEORY OF COGNITIVE FIT
One Aspect of a General Theory
of Problem Solving?
I RIS V ESSEY
Abstract: The theory of cognitive fit was first introduced in 1991 to explain the numerous equiv-
ocal results from decades of studies on information presentation using graphs and tables. At that
time, Vessey introduced cognitive fit as part of a general theory of problem solving based on the
belief that the theory could be applied both across different domains and different concepts of fit.
Here we examine what has happened to the theory since that time. Has the theory withstood the
test of time? Has it been extended, deepened? To do so, we undertake an analysis of articles based
on the core concept of cognitive fit, viz, matching problem representations to problem-solving
tasks that have been published since 1991. We classified those studies according to whether they
tested concepts found in the two foundational papers that present the theory, whether they applied
the theory to new domains of investigation, and whether they used dimensions of fit other than the
spatial-symbolic dichotomy addressed in the foundational studies.
In addition to identifying studies similar to those on which the theory of cognitive fit was built, we
found that the theory has been applied quite extensively to two other domains, that of multi-attribute
judgments, largely in the domain of accounting, and that of multi-criteria decision making in map-
related domains. The theory has also been applied to new dimensions of fit. Certain studies have
investigated the traditional concept of fit, that is, the match-mismatch dichotomy, using new dimen-
sions, while others have applied the notions of fit to the complexity of the relationship between the
problem-solving task and the problem representation. Instead of addressing the match-mismatch
dichotomy, therefore, the latter approach addresses the degree of match between task and problem
representation. In all instances, the findings largely support the theory of cognitive fit. There are two
provisos: (1) it appears that problem solvers may solve very simple spatial problems better with
tables than with graphs because they are more familiar and therefore more effective with tables in
those settings; and (2) accuracy/time trade-off remains equivocal due to the numerous factors that
may influence the outcome. We then present recent extensions to the model of cognitive fit itself and
to the situation in which the concurrent solution of two tasks is essential to problem solving. In the lat-
ter, dual-task situation, we further distinguish between problem solving in well- and ill-defined tasks.
The analysis presented here supports the notion that the theory of cognitive fit is, indeed, one
aspect of a general theory of problem solving.
Keywords: Cognitive Fit, Task Complexity, Dimensions of Cognitive Fit, Extended Model of
Cognitive Fit, Dual-Task Problem Solving, Ill-Structured Tasks, Well-Structured Tasks
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