Data Quality Tags and Decision-making: A Cognitive Process Tracing Study

It has been suggested that metadata describing data quality (DQ), termed DQ tags, be made available in situations where decision-makers are unfamiliar with the data context, for example, in data warehouses. However, there have been conflicting reports as to the impact of such DQ tags on decision-making. Recent studies have not found evidence that DQ tags changed decision choice or confidence, but have reported that decision time can be negatively impacted in certain circumstances. This paper reports on a cognitive process tracing study intended to help us understand why it takes decision-makers longer to make a decision even when they are apparently ignoring the DQ tag information. Protocol analysis, which involves participants verbalizing thoughts while making a decision, is used to collect information on decision-makers’ cognitive process. Results suggest that DQ tags are associated with increased cognitive processing in the earlier phases of decision-making.