ADVANCING THE THEORY OF DSS DESIGN FOR USER CALIBRATION - Human-Computer Interaction and Management Information Systems: Foundations - page 59

ADVANCING THE THEORY OF DSS DESIGN FOR USER CALIBRATION 77

Figure 5.4 Spatial-Visual Depiction of People-and-Places Scenario

3. Close switch A and B

4. Close switch A and C

Note: B can be in one of three positions: on, off, or standby. 4

The same problem is presented using a visibility diagram shown in Figure 5.5, with the same
multiple choice options available from which to choose. The reader interested in a more detailed
discussion of the problems used in this study is directed to original material presented in Bauer
and Johnson-Laird (1993).

The Experiment's Procedure

Upon arrival, each subject was randomly assigned to one combination of the two treatment lev-
els: the expressiveness or visibility, and people-and-places or electric circuits problem scenarios.
A balanced number of subjects was assigned to each cell. The subject then read a two-page hand-
out of instructions that included an example of the expressiveness or visibility display and the
problem scenario, depending upon the treatment combination assigned. A description of the nav-
igation procedures and operations they would be using to answer the multiple-choice questions
was also presented. The instructions included a detailed discussion of the scoring rule, including
a table of all possible scoring-rule outcomes that could be referred to throughout the study. The
subject was then guided through a demonstration. Next, questions regarding the procedures and
objectives of the study were answered. Each subject completed a consent form, a short, eleven-
item questionnaire designed to collect descriptive demographic and background data, and the
Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (Marks, 1973). The subject then began answering the