Can reduced processing decision support interfaces improve the decision-making of less-experienced incident commanders?

Computer-based decision support systems have been proposed as a tool to improve the decision-making ofless-experienced personnel by reducing the information processing demands necessary for decisionmaking.This study investigated the utility of three decision support system interfaces that differed in theircapacity for reduced processing. The participants comprised experienced and less-experienced FiregroundIncident Commanders who used the decision support system interfaces to identify the most appropriateentry point to extract a victim from a simulated burning building. The results revealed that reduced processinginterfaces enabled less-experienced participants to acquire information using a process equivalent totheir more experienced counterparts. However, this process did not result in improvements in the accuracyof the decision-making process. Indeed, the accuracy of experienced participants' decisions was consistentlygreater than the less-experienced participants, irrespective of the decision support system interface. It wasconcluded that the success of reduced processing decision support systems amongst less-experienced operatorsis significantly dependent upon their understanding of the relative value of key features associated withthe decision-making process