"A Critical Decision Method (CDM) has been developed for knowledge elicitation. The CDM, an extension of the critical incident technique, includes protocol analysis and memory recall tasks to study cognitive performance. A set of probes is employed to trace the development of situation assessment during critical incidents, and to determine the decision strategies used. The outputs of the method include inventories of the critical cues, graphic portrayals of the situation assessment process, and categorization of the decision strategies. Thus far, the method has been used with a variety of decisions and appears especially well suited to studying cognitive performance in naturalistic settings. It also appears valuable for addressing the highly skilled decision maker, and for eliciting the analytical and perceptual bases of proficient performance. Applications have been made for training, decision support systems, and the development and evaluation of knowledge based systems." -- Abstract.

A Critical Decision Method (CDM) has been developed for knowledge elicitation. The CDM, an extension of the critical incident technique, includes protocol analysis and memory recall tasks to study cognitive performance. A set of probes is employed to trace the development of situation assessment during critical incidents, and to determine the decision strategies used. The outputs of the method include inventories of the critical cues, graphic portrayals of the situation assessment process, and categorization of the decision strategies. Thus far, the method has been used with a variety of decisions and appears especially well suited to studying cognitive performance in naturalistic settings. It also appears valuable for addressing the highly skilled decision maker, and for eliciting the analytical and perceptual bases of proficient performance. Applications have been made for training, decision support systems, and the development and evaluation of knowledge based systems. Keywords: Knowledge elicitation, Decision making, Situation assessment, Knowledge engineering, Expertise.

The decision ladder template, one of the tools of cognitive work analysis, attracts attention as a point of comparison for models of naturalistic decision making, such as the recognition-primed decision model. This report compares the decision ladder template and the recognition-primed decision model in terms of five main factors. These factors are origins, concepts, knowledge elicitation, knowledge representation, and implications for the design of decision support systems. The report concludes that while there are several similarities between the decision ladder template and the recognition-primed decision model, there are a number of significant differences as well.

The overall goal of this research program is to develop a descriptive model of decision making that can be applied to tactical and strategic decision making domains. We wish to explore variables such as time pressure, risk, and levels of expertise as they affect the use of decision strategies and situational assessment. We also want to contrast analytical and recognitional models of decision making. Year 1 was devoted to field studies and knowledge elicitation interviews with decision makers including urban fire ground commanders, wildfire incident commanders, and Army Armored Division platoon leaders. In addition a study we performed comparing the quality of chess moves under speeded and non-speeded conditions served as an analogue for real-world strategic and tactical decisions. All of these studies allow a comparison of the decision making at higher and lower-levels of expertise. These studies were designed to test the generality of a Recognition-Primed Decision model as a function of different domains, varying experience levels to group decision settings and varying levels of time pressure.

In this updated and expanded edition of The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance, some of the world's foremost experts on expertise share their scientific knowledge of expertise and expert performance and show how experts may differ from non-experts in terms of development, training, reasoning, knowledge, and social support. The book reviews innovative methods for measuring experts' knowledge and performance in relevant tasks. Sixteen major domains of expertise are covered, including sports, music, medicine, business, writing, and drawing, with leading researchers summarizing their knowledge about the structure and acquisition of expert skills and knowledge, and discussing future prospects. General issues that cut across most domains are reviewed in chapters on various aspects of expertise, such as general and practical intelligence, differences in brain activity, self-regulated learning, deliberate practice, aging, knowledge management, and creativity.