Experimental Analysis of Man-Computer Problem-Solving

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Abstract
Experimental methods and findings in human problem-solving using on-line and off-line computer systems are reviewed. For historical and technical reasons the field of applied man-computer communication has not been the subject of extensive scientific study. The advent of time-sharing systems in the last decade produced an initial body of empirical data from user statistics and experimental studies comparing time-sharing with batch-processing. This body of data is reviewed for its implications to the controversy over batch and time-sharing systems and to the understanding of human behavior in the man-computer setting. Although the available experimental data are meager and tentative, it is already apparent that behavioral principles of human problem-solving and learning theory can account for many of the trends observed. In turn, the theories can be enriched by new leads stemming from studies of man-computer dialog. A plea is made for interdisciplinary cross-fertilization between behavioral and computer sciences to bridge the humanistic lag in man-computer communication.

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