Sequencing actions: an information-search study of tradeoffs of priorities against spatiotemporal constraints.
How people choose between sequences of actions was investigated in an everyday errand-planning task. In this task subjects chose the preferred sequence of performing a number of errands in a fictitious environment. Two experiments were conducted with undergraduate students serving as subjects. One group searched information about each alternative. The same information was directly available to another group. In Experiment 1 the results showed that for two errands subjects took into account all attributes describing the errands, thus suggesting a tradeoff between priority, wait time, and travel distance with priority being the most important. Consistent with this finding predominantly intraalternative information search was observed. These results were replicated in Experiment 2 for three errands. In addition choice outcomes, information search, and sequence of responding suggested that for more than two actions sequence choices are made in stages.
Gärling
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Department of Psychology, Göteborg University, Sweden.
D000328:Adult; D003657:Decision Making; D004215:Distance Perception; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009949:Orientation; D011340:Problem Solving; D012931:Social Environment; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D013998:Time Perception