Decision and Memory: The Effect of Stopping Rules on Memory Use

从记忆中回忆信息可以看作是一个搜索过程。因此，回忆的一个重要方面是决定何时停止搜索。无论是记住相当平凡的事情，比如回忆自己最喜欢的书的标题，还是记住至关重要的事情，比如医生提出的潜在诊断假设，都是如此。尽管在大多数当代记忆和决策模型中都认识到搜索终止标准的重要性，但对这些决策背后的过程知之甚少。多尔蒂博士及其同事进行的这项研究测试了成本效益框架在描述记忆搜索和搜索终止决策方面的适用性。在这个框架中，成本是由搜索行为产生的（这需要时间和精力），而收益是通过成功的结果实现的。搜索终止决策来自一个控制成本和收益的系统，这一概念提出了两个广泛的问题。首先，检索的成本和收益如何影响检索终止决策和检索的时间过程？其次，监控搜索过程（一种“元认知”形式）扮演什么角色？工作假设是，适当的搜索终止决定使人们能够最大化任何特定回忆尝试的效用，元认知监测在这一过程中起着重要作用。了解搜索终止决策的基本性质对于理解人类记忆的基本功能和记忆在决策中的作用具有重要意义。这对于各种现实环境都很重要。例如，在时间紧迫的分诊情况下，医务人员必须迅速从记忆中检索潜在的诊断假设，以做出治疗决定。过早的搜索终止可能导致不正确的诊断，而延长搜索可能损害其他时间紧迫的病人的护理。本研究有助于提高信息检索效率和决策质量。

Recalling information from memory can be thought of as a search process. Thus, an important aspect of recall is deciding when to stop searching. This is true whether remembering things that are fairly mundane, such as recalling the titles of one's favorite books, to remembering things that are crucial, such as a physician generating potential diagnostic hypotheses. Although the importance of criteria for search termination is recognized in most contemporary models of memory and decision making, very little is known about the processes that underlie these decisions. The research conducted by Dr. Dougherty and colleagues tests the applicability of a cost-benefit framework for describing both memory search and search termination decisions. Within this framework, costs are incurred by the act of searching (which takes time and effort), and gains are realized through successful outcomes. The notion that search termination decisions flow from a system that regulates costs and benefits raises two broad questions. First, in what ways do the costs and benefits of retrieval influence both search termination decisions and the time course of retrieval? Second, what role does monitoring the search process (a form of "metacognition") play? The working hypothesis is that appropriate search termination decisions enable one to maximize the utility of any particular recall attempt and that metacognitive monitoring plays an important role in this process. Understanding the fundamental nature of search termination decisions has important implications for understanding the basic functioning of human memory and the role of memory in decision making. This is important for a variety of real-world contexts. For example, in time-critical triage situations, medical personnel must quickly retrieve potential diagnostic hypotheses from memory to render a treatment decision. Premature search termination may lead to an incorrect diagnosis whereas protracted search may compromise the care of other time-critical patients. This research may help improve information search efficiency and decision making quality.