James Shanteau - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by James Shanteau

The previous literature on experts presents two contrasting views. Judgment and decision research... more The previous literature on experts presents two contrasting views. Judgment and decision research has shown that experts make flawed decisions due, in part, to the biasing effects of judgmental heuristics. Cognitive science research, in contrast, views experts as competent and different from novices in nearly every aspect of cognitive functioning. An alternative view developed here, the Theory of Expert Competence, suggests that both analyses are correct, but incomplete. In particular, the theory assumes competence depends on five components: (1) a sufficient knowledge of the domain, (2) the psychological traits associated with experts, (3) the cognitive skills necessary to make tough decisions, (4) the ability to use appropriate decision strategies, and (5) a task with suitable characteristics. The latter is the focus of this paper.
Insufficient attention has been paid to task and domain characteristics in prior research. Decision researchers have looked primarily at experts in behavioral domains (e.g., clinical psychology), whereas cognitive investigators have concentrated on experts in static domains (e.g., physics). Thus, the discrepancy in the conclusions drawn from the two literatures appears to be a function of the different domains studied. Although similar to approaches such as Cognitive Continuum Theory, the proposed theory contains several new components. In addition, the theory has implications both for the analysis of experts and for the design and use of expert systems.

Suvremena Psihologija / Contemporary Psychology

In his often-cited 1996 address "The Challenge of Central Banking in a Democratic Society,&q... more In his often-cited 1996 address "The Challenge of Central Banking in a Democratic Society," Federal Reserve Board Chair Alan Greenspan asked, "How do we know when irrational exuberance has unduly escalated asset values?" A psychologist might ask, "How do we know what is rational or what is irrational?" Award-winning author Robyn M. Dawes offers a rational perspective on these questions in his latest book "Everyday Irrationality."

Series preface

The Psychology of Juror Decision Making, 1993

Telling it Like it is...Or is it?

PsycCRITIQUES, 1980

Right Book, Wrong Students

PsycCRITIQUES, 1996

Measureing the Performance of Experts: An Application to Air Traffic Control

Abstract The study applied the Cochran-Weiss-Shanteau (CWS) index, a behavioral-based measure of ... more Abstract The study applied the Cochran-Weiss-Shanteau (CWS) index, a behavioral-based measure of expertise that integrates discrimination and consistency. Larger CWS scores are indicative of better evaluation, ie, greater discrimination and consistency. CWS was used ...

Expert Opinion

Encyclopedia of Medical Decision Making, 2009

Training to Reduce the Use of Irrelevant Information in Personnel Selection

ABSTRACT This study represents a summary of work in progress on the role of irrelevant informatio... more ABSTRACT This study represents a summary of work in progress on the role of irrelevant information in personnel selection. The research was designed to advance previous work on training agricultural experts to avoid irrelevant information. This was accomplished in two ways. First, Nagy's (1981) results showing that subjects used irrelevant job applicant information in making hiring recommendations was replicated. It was found that in addition to relevant information, irrelevant information of age, sex, and physical attractiveness were used as a part of hiring judgments. Second, two training programs (one lecture based, one interactively based) designed to reduce the use of irrelevant information were evaluated. These training programs were adapted from ones successfully used in an earlier study involving soil judges (Shanteau & Gaeth, 1981). The two training programs were tested separately using a pre-test, training, post-test design. The results, although only tenative, show that both the lecture training and the interactive training reduced the influence of the irrelevant information. These results suggest that the training techniques developed previously for agricultural judgment can be successfully extended to improve personnel selection judgments. (Author)

Identification of expertise is vital to any application involving expert human performance. If a ... more Identification of expertise is vital to any application involving expert human performance. If a gold standard exists, then identification is directsimply compare individuals against the standard and select whoever is closest. However, such standards are unavailable in many domains where experts work. The purpose of this paper is to present an alternate method for identifying experts in the absence of a gold standard. The method, called CWS for Cochran-Weiss-Shanteau, is illustrated with applications to four domains. In each case, CWS provided new insights into identification of expertise.

The study applied the Cochran-Weiss-Shanteau (CWS) index, a behavioral-based measure of expertise... more The study applied the Cochran-Weiss-Shanteau (CWS) index, a behavioral-based measure of expertise that integrates discrimination and consistency. Larger CWS scores are indicative of better evaluation, i.e., greater discrimination and consistency. CWS was used to assess the performance of controllers operating in high-fidelity simulations of air traffic control (ATC). Large CWS scores were associated with superior performance, e.g., fewer separation errors. The CWS indices were also sensitive to changes in task complexity and controller efficiency, further validating the index. This research extended CWS to real controllers operating in high-fidelity simulations of ATC.

Expert versus novice decision makers: It's not how much information but what kind of information that matters

PsycEXTRA Dataset, 1991

Separating Memory-Retrieval and Decision-Making Time in Problem Solving

PsycEXTRA Dataset, 1975

Applied Cognitive Psychology, 2014

Encyclopedia of Medical Decision Making, 2009

What Do Experts Think About Expert Decision Makers?

PsycEXTRA Dataset, 2000

Individual expertise versus domain expertise

The American psychologist, 2014

Comments on the article by T. J. G. Tracey et al. (see record 2013-45602-001), which addressed th... more Comments on the article by T. J. G. Tracey et al. (see record 2013-45602-001), which addressed the question of whether "psychotherapy is a profession without any expertise." In the past two decades, new insights have emerged on expertise in various domains, including psychotherapy. In particular, the present authors have developed a general, relativistic perspective on expertise that invokes performance-based criteria (Weiss & Shanteau, 2003, 2014). In this commentary, they highlight three distinctions that have emerged from recent research on expertise.

PsycEXTRA Dataset, 2000

, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington. VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Manage... more , 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington. VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (07044188), Washington, DC 20503.

An alternative interpretation of framing effect in decision making

PsycEXTRA Dataset, 2000

The previous literature on experts presents two contrasting views. Judgment and decision research... more The previous literature on experts presents two contrasting views. Judgment and decision research has shown that experts make flawed decisions due, in part, to the biasing effects of judgmental heuristics. Cognitive science research, in contrast, views experts as competent and different from novices in nearly every aspect of cognitive functioning. An alternative view developed here, the Theory of Expert Competence, suggests that both analyses are correct, but incomplete. In particular, the theory assumes competence depends on five components: (1) a sufficient knowledge of the domain, (2) the psychological traits associated with experts, (3) the cognitive skills necessary to make tough decisions, (4) the ability to use appropriate decision strategies, and (5) a task with suitable characteristics. The latter is the focus of this paper.
Insufficient attention has been paid to task and domain characteristics in prior research. Decision researchers have looked primarily at experts in behavioral domains (e.g., clinical psychology), whereas cognitive investigators have concentrated on experts in static domains (e.g., physics). Thus, the discrepancy in the conclusions drawn from the two literatures appears to be a function of the different domains studied. Although similar to approaches such as Cognitive Continuum Theory, the proposed theory contains several new components. In addition, the theory has implications both for the analysis of experts and for the design and use of expert systems.

Suvremena Psihologija / Contemporary Psychology

In his often-cited 1996 address "The Challenge of Central Banking in a Democratic Society,&q... more In his often-cited 1996 address "The Challenge of Central Banking in a Democratic Society," Federal Reserve Board Chair Alan Greenspan asked, "How do we know when irrational exuberance has unduly escalated asset values?" A psychologist might ask, "How do we know what is rational or what is irrational?" Award-winning author Robyn M. Dawes offers a rational perspective on these questions in his latest book "Everyday Irrationality."

Series preface

The Psychology of Juror Decision Making, 1993

Telling it Like it is...Or is it?

PsycCRITIQUES, 1980

Right Book, Wrong Students

PsycCRITIQUES, 1996

Measureing the Performance of Experts: An Application to Air Traffic Control

Abstract The study applied the Cochran-Weiss-Shanteau (CWS) index, a behavioral-based measure of ... more Abstract The study applied the Cochran-Weiss-Shanteau (CWS) index, a behavioral-based measure of expertise that integrates discrimination and consistency. Larger CWS scores are indicative of better evaluation, ie, greater discrimination and consistency. CWS was used ...

Expert Opinion

Encyclopedia of Medical Decision Making, 2009

Training to Reduce the Use of Irrelevant Information in Personnel Selection

ABSTRACT This study represents a summary of work in progress on the role of irrelevant informatio... more ABSTRACT This study represents a summary of work in progress on the role of irrelevant information in personnel selection. The research was designed to advance previous work on training agricultural experts to avoid irrelevant information. This was accomplished in two ways. First, Nagy's (1981) results showing that subjects used irrelevant job applicant information in making hiring recommendations was replicated. It was found that in addition to relevant information, irrelevant information of age, sex, and physical attractiveness were used as a part of hiring judgments. Second, two training programs (one lecture based, one interactively based) designed to reduce the use of irrelevant information were evaluated. These training programs were adapted from ones successfully used in an earlier study involving soil judges (Shanteau & Gaeth, 1981). The two training programs were tested separately using a pre-test, training, post-test design. The results, although only tenative, show that both the lecture training and the interactive training reduced the influence of the irrelevant information. These results suggest that the training techniques developed previously for agricultural judgment can be successfully extended to improve personnel selection judgments. (Author)

Identification of expertise is vital to any application involving expert human performance. If a ... more Identification of expertise is vital to any application involving expert human performance. If a gold standard exists, then identification is directsimply compare individuals against the standard and select whoever is closest. However, such standards are unavailable in many domains where experts work. The purpose of this paper is to present an alternate method for identifying experts in the absence of a gold standard. The method, called CWS for Cochran-Weiss-Shanteau, is illustrated with applications to four domains. In each case, CWS provided new insights into identification of expertise.

The study applied the Cochran-Weiss-Shanteau (CWS) index, a behavioral-based measure of expertise... more The study applied the Cochran-Weiss-Shanteau (CWS) index, a behavioral-based measure of expertise that integrates discrimination and consistency. Larger CWS scores are indicative of better evaluation, i.e., greater discrimination and consistency. CWS was used to assess the performance of controllers operating in high-fidelity simulations of air traffic control (ATC). Large CWS scores were associated with superior performance, e.g., fewer separation errors. The CWS indices were also sensitive to changes in task complexity and controller efficiency, further validating the index. This research extended CWS to real controllers operating in high-fidelity simulations of ATC.

Expert versus novice decision makers: It's not how much information but what kind of information that matters

PsycEXTRA Dataset, 1991

Separating Memory-Retrieval and Decision-Making Time in Problem Solving

PsycEXTRA Dataset, 1975

Applied Cognitive Psychology, 2014

Encyclopedia of Medical Decision Making, 2009

What Do Experts Think About Expert Decision Makers?

PsycEXTRA Dataset, 2000

Individual expertise versus domain expertise

The American psychologist, 2014

Comments on the article by T. J. G. Tracey et al. (see record 2013-45602-001), which addressed th... more Comments on the article by T. J. G. Tracey et al. (see record 2013-45602-001), which addressed the question of whether "psychotherapy is a profession without any expertise." In the past two decades, new insights have emerged on expertise in various domains, including psychotherapy. In particular, the present authors have developed a general, relativistic perspective on expertise that invokes performance-based criteria (Weiss & Shanteau, 2003, 2014). In this commentary, they highlight three distinctions that have emerged from recent research on expertise.

PsycEXTRA Dataset, 2000

, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington. VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Manage... more , 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington. VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (07044188), Washington, DC 20503.

An alternative interpretation of framing effect in decision making

PsycEXTRA Dataset, 2000