The task they set their human subjects was to detect the direction of drift of random dot patterns against a background of interfering cues, asking them either to maximise speed or to maximise accuracy. I’ve not read their model building and model fitting, but their conclusion is in the title. Subjects got better accuracy by waiting to see what was there before deciding what to do.
I’m reminded of the classical advice “festina lente”. “Optimize decision-making by delaying decision onset” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.
An article just out in PlosONE could have been called “Don’t Panic!”, but is actually the more sober “Humans Optimize Decision-Making by Delaying Decision Onset”.
The task they set their human subjects was to detect the direction of drift of random dot patterns against a background of interfering cues, asking them either to maximise speed or to maximise accuracy. I’ve not read their model building and model fitting, but their conclusion is in the title. Subjects got better accuracy by waiting to see what was there before deciding what to do.
I’m reminded of the classical advice “festina lente”. “Optimize decision-making by delaying decision onset” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.