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

从记忆中回忆信息可以被认为是一个搜索过程。因此，召回的一个重要方面是决定何时停止搜索。无论是记住平凡的事情，比如回忆自己最喜欢的书的书名，还是记住至关重要的事情，比如医生提出潜在的诊断假设，都是如此。尽管大多数当代记忆和决策模型都认识到搜索终止标准的重要性，但人们对这些决策背后的过程知之甚少。多尔蒂博士和他的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。在这一框架内，搜索行为会产生成本(这需要时间和精力)，而收益是通过成功的结果实现的。认为终止搜索的决定来自一个监管成本和收益的系统的想法引发了两个广泛的问题。首先，检索的成本和收益在哪些方面影响搜索终止决策和检索的时间进程？第二，监控搜索过程(一种形式的“元认知”)起到了什么作用？工作假设是，适当的搜索终止决策使人能够最大限度地利用任何特定的回忆尝试，元认知监控在这一过程中发挥着重要作用。理解搜索终止决定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。这对于各种真实世界的环境都很重要。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。过早终止搜索可能会导致错误的诊断，而长期搜索可能会影响其他时间紧迫的患者的护理。本研究有助于提高信息搜索效率和决策质量。

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.