The purpose of this study was to determine if task type, task complexity, and search mechanism would have a significant affect on task performance. The problem motivating this study is the potential for systems online help designers to construct systems that can improve the performance of computer users when they need help.

Information system (IS) support of human problem solving during the complex task of auditing within a computer environment was investigated. 74 computer audit specialist professionals from nine firms participated in the field experiment. Task accomplishment behavior was recorded via a computerized activity-logging technique. Theoretical constructs of interest included: 1) IS problem-solving support, 2) task domain knowledge, and 3) decision-making behavior. It was theorized that task domain knowledge influences the type of IS most functionally appropriate for usage by that individual. IS task presentation served as the treatment variable. Task domain knowledge was investigated as a moderating factor of task accomplishment Task accomplishment, the dependent variable, was defined as search control strategy and quality of task performance. A subject's task domain knowledge was assessed over seven theoretical domains. Subjects were assigned to higher or lower task domain knowledge groups based on performance on professional competency examination questions. Research hypothesis one investigated the effects of task domain knowledge on task accomplishment behavior. Several task domain knowledge bases were found to influence both search control strategy and task performance. Task presentation ordering effects, hypothesis two, were not found to significantly influence search control strategy or task performance. The third hypothesis investigated interaction effects …

Information systems research tends to ignore individual differences in users. This laboratory experiment sought to illuminate contributions of decision-makers' cognitive processes to decision outcome as reflected in four hypothesis sets: the impact of imagery preference and presentation format upon (HI) recall accuracy and upon hemispheric activation during (H2) encoding and (H3) recall, and (H4) to examine the relationship between hemispheric activation differences and accuracy differences. Point-value (specific values) and intraset-pattern (relationships between values) recall were considered. Thirty MBA students, grouped by imagery preference (cognitive style) as favoring verbal (textual) or visual (graphical) information presentation, performed computer-based recall tasks using tabular and graphical formats in a repeated measures design. Hemispheric activation (cognitive process) was assessed using ratios of EEG activity in six frequency bands captured from six pairs of homologous electrode sites during encoding and recall.