Feedback in DSS as a Source of Control: Experiments with the Timing of Feedback

Well‐designed feedback can improve decision making but to date there has been no comprehensive study of feedback in decision support systems (DSS) that could guide developers in its design. This work examines the opportunities and means to enhance cognitive control in decision making by providing appropriate feedback with DSS. It concentrates on the timing of feedback, which has been shown to affect the use of feedback and also demonstrates the potential advantages of using information technology over and above manual decision environments. Two experiments test the effects of controlling the timing of cognitive feedback on the user's cognitive control. The first tests the effect of timing one source of cognitive feedback, and the second tests the effect of timing two sources of feedback. The findings suggest that the design of feedback should become a routine part of the development of DSS.