TY - JOUR
T1 - The effects of process and outcome accountability on judgment process and performance
AU - Langhe, Bart de
AU - Van Osselaer, Stijn M.J.
AU - Wierenga, Berend
PY - 2011/7
Y1 - 2011/7
N2 - This article challenges the view that it is always better to hold decision makers accountable for their decision process rather than their decision outcomes. In three multiple-cue judgment studies, the authors show that process accountability, relative to outcome accountability, consistently improves judgment quality in relatively simple elemental tasks. However, this performance advantage of process accountability does not generalize to more complex configural tasks. This is because process accountability improves an analytical process based on cue abstraction, while it does not change a holistic process based on exemplar memory. Cue abstraction is only effective in elemental tasks (in which outcomes are a linear additive combination of cues) but not in configural tasks (in which outcomes depend on interactions between the cues). In addition, Studies 2 and 3 show that the extent to which process and outcome accountability affect judgment quality depends on individual differences in analytical intelligence and rational thinking style.
AB - This article challenges the view that it is always better to hold decision makers accountable for their decision process rather than their decision outcomes. In three multiple-cue judgment studies, the authors show that process accountability, relative to outcome accountability, consistently improves judgment quality in relatively simple elemental tasks. However, this performance advantage of process accountability does not generalize to more complex configural tasks. This is because process accountability improves an analytical process based on cue abstraction, while it does not change a holistic process based on exemplar memory. Cue abstraction is only effective in elemental tasks (in which outcomes are a linear additive combination of cues) but not in configural tasks (in which outcomes depend on interactions between the cues). In addition, Studies 2 and 3 show that the extent to which process and outcome accountability affect judgment quality depends on individual differences in analytical intelligence and rational thinking style.
KW - Analytical intelligence
KW - Cue abstraction
KW - Dual-process models
KW - Epistemic motivation
KW - Exemplar memory
KW - Multiple-cue judgment
KW - Outcome accountability
KW - Process accountability
KW - Rational-Experiential Inventory
KW - Raven matrices
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79956274599&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.obhdp.2011.02.003
DO - 10.1016/j.obhdp.2011.02.003
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:79956274599
SN - 0749-5978
VL - 115
SP - 238
EP - 252
JO - Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
JF - Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
IS - 2
ER -