PEER-MEDIATED LEAP TO EFFICIENCY: COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS IN THESELECTION OF EFFICIENT STRATEGIES

摘要

There is ample evidence that computer users often do not progress from novice to expert levels ofperformance, particularly when efficiency is included in the definition of performance. This paper describesa theoretical argument that one of the pieces missing in the understanding of this process is an accurateassessment of how people calculate a cost/benefit analysis (CBA) of learning and using new techniques andstrategies. While there are many explanations for why people often do not use accurate methods ofcalculating this ratio, there is little discussion describing why some people do. We suggest that animportant and predictable influence on whether an individual uses an accurate CBA is the observation ofothers using efficient techniques. We propose that with a more full understanding of the CBA calculationprocess, it will be possible to predict when users will and will not utilize a more efficient technique.