scholarly journals Structural properties of individual instances predict human effort and performance on an NP-Hard problem

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Pablo Franco ◽  
Nitin Yadav ◽  
Peter Bossaerts ◽  
Carsten Murawski
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Computational Complexity ◽  
Decision Quality ◽  
Np Hard ◽  
Average Complexity ◽  
Single Instance ◽  
Human Decision ◽  
Hard Problems ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Computational Difficulty

Life presents us with decisions of varying degrees of difficulty. Many of them are NP-hard, that is, they are computationally intractable. Two important questions arise: which properties of decisions drive extreme computational hardness and what are the effects of these properties on human-decision making? Here, we postulate that we can study the effects of computational complexity on human decision-making by studying the mathematical properties of individual instances of NP-hard problems. We draw on prior work in computational complexity theory, which suggests that computational difficulty can be characterized based on the features of instances of a problem. This study is the first to apply this approach to human decision-making. We measured hardness, first, based on typical-case complexity (TCC), a measure of average complexity of a random ensemble of instances, and, second, based on instance complexity (IC), a measure that captures the hardness of a single instance of a problem, regardless of the ensemble it came from. We tested the relation between these measures and (i) decision quality as well as (ii) time expended in a decision, using two variants of the 0-1 knapsack problem, a canonical and ubiquitous computational problem. We show that participants expended more time on instances with higher complexity but that decision quality was lower in those instances. These results suggest that computational complexity is an inherent property of the instances of a problem, which affect human and other kinds of computers.

Optimizing profit and logistics for precast concrete production

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 393-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jieh-Haur Chen ◽  
Shangyao Yan ◽  
Hsing-Wei Tai ◽  
Chao-Yu Chang
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Precast Concrete ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Concrete Production ◽  
Human Decision ◽  
National Production ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Corporate Profits ◽  
The Mathematical Model ◽  
Depth Interviews

This study serves as a practical model for optimizing production planning, allocation of precast component storage, and transportation sites as well as for making timely adjustments for contracted projects. To ensure that the structure of the research model is reasonable and matches actual applications, the study uses a field survey to directly observe the largest precast concrete plants in Taiwan for a period of 6 months, followed by in-depth interviews with experts involved with the planning, design, installation, and manufacturing for precast projects. The mathematical model is then established and evaluated using the data containing over 90% of national production in Taiwan. The results show that the tested corporate profits increase by an impressive 38.4% and performance is significantly increased by 97.75%. The proposed model can not only make up for oversights in human decision-making but improve the decision-making process boosting corporate competitiveness.

Computational Complexity and Human Decision-Making

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 917-929 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Bossaerts ◽  
Carsten Murawski
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Computational Complexity ◽  
Human Decision

scholarly journals Task-independent metrics of computational hardness predict performance of human problem-solving

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Pablo Franco ◽  
Karlo Doroc ◽  
Nitin Yadav ◽  
Peter Bossaerts ◽  
Carsten Murawski
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Computational Complexity ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Complexity Theory ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
Complex Tasks ◽  
Effort Allocation ◽  
Human Decision ◽  
Human Problem

The survival of human organisms depends on our ability to solve complex tasks, which is bounded by our limited cognitive capacities. However, little is known about the factors that drive complexity of the tasks humans face and their effect on human decision-making. Here, using insights from computational complexity theory, we quantify computational hardness using a set of task-independent metrics related to the computational requirements of individual instances of a task. We then examine the relation between those metrics and human behavior and find that these metrics predict both performance and effort allocation in three canonical cognitive tasks in a similar way. Our findings demonstrate that the ability to solve complex tasks can be predicted from generic metrics of their inherent computational hardness.

scholarly journals Strategic-Decision Quality in Public Organizations: An Information Processing Perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bert George ◽  
Sebastian Desmidt
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Decision Quality ◽  
Processing Theory ◽  
Rational Planning ◽  
And Performance

This study draws on information processing theory to investigate predictors of strategic-decision quality in public organizations. Information processing theory argues that (a) rational planning practices contribute to strategic-decision quality by injecting information into decision making and (b) decision makers contribute to strategic-decision quality by exchanging information during decision making. These assumptions are tested upon 55 Flemish pupil guidance centers. Rational planning practices are operationalized as strategic planning, performance measurement, and performance management. Information exchange by decision makers during decision making is operationalized as procedural justice of the decision-making process. Results suggest that procedural justice, strategic planning, and performance management contribute to strategic-decision quality while performance measurement does not.

Evaluating Human Decision-Making Theories With Monkey Data

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott D. Brown ◽  
Pete Cassey ◽  
Andrew Heathcote ◽  
Roger Ratcliff
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Human Decision

History among the Junipers: Hosea 14:2–10 as Metahistoriography

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-116
Author(s):  
Mark W. Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Moral Formation ◽  
Divine Agency ◽  
Human Decision

Abstract The dual endings of Hosea promoted reflection on Israel’s history as the movement from destruction to restoration based on Yhwh’s gracious decision for Israel. It thus clarifies the endings of the prior sections of the book (chs. 3 and 11) by locating Israel’s future in the realm of Yhwh’s activities. The final ending (14:10) balances the theme of divine agency in 14:2–9 with the recognition of human decision-making and moral formation as aspects of history as well. The endings of Hosea thus offer a good example of metahistoriography, a text that uses non-historiographic techniques to speak of the movements of history.

Network Theory of Human Decision Making

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Grigolini ◽  
Bruce J. West
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Network Theory ◽  
Human Decision
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