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The intelligence cycle: a differentiated perspective on information processing

Published: 13 June 1977 Publication History

Abstract

This brief position paper presents a framework for mapping computer-based information aids onto the mental activities involved in the full problem-solving process. It argues that these activities are best described in terms of operators---the verbs and commands that the individual uses in a particular stage of the Intelligence Cycle.
The cycle begins with Discovery, the recognition of some signal requiring response. Discovery filters data into information and mainly involves operators that attenuate or amplify data: "alert", "keep track of" (amplification) and "summarize", "report averages" (attenuation). Few computer tools support amplification. The second stage, Interpretation is one where the machine generally outperforms the human mind, especially in inference and statistical analysis. Examples of operators for this stage are "compare", "review" and "suggest." The final stage, Analysis, is strongly supported by management science, especially through optimization models; typical operators are "test the impact of" and "evaluate."
None of our current tools supports the full Intelligence cycle. The position paper suggests that the development of a science of information-processing must both identify the cognitive operators underlying the activities within the cycle and match the technical building blocks to them.

References

[1]
cf Simon's model of the decision process: Intelligence, Design & Choice: Simon, H. A., Elements of a Theory of Human Problem Solving, Psychological Review Vol. 65, No. 3, May 1958.
[2]
More recently, the term "cognitive sciences" has been used by researchers to define a fusion between developmental psychology, Artificial Intelligence & information-processing theories.
[3]
Keen, P. G. W., and M. S. Scott Morton, Decision Support Systems: An Organizational Perspective, Addison-Wesley (in press), Chapter 3, Decision Making: Description versus Prescription.
[4]
This distinction is discussed in Leavitt, H. A., Beyond the Analytic Manager, California Management Review, Spring-Summer, 1975.
[5]
Miller, R. B., Psychology for a Man-Machine Problem-Solving System, Technical Report TR00 1246, IBM Data Systems Division, 1965.
[6]
Gerrity, T. P., Design of Man-Machine Decision Systems: An Application to Portfolio Management, Sloan Management Review, Winter 1971, for an example of a formal design strategy based on this approach.
[7]
Druzhinin, V. V., and D. S. Kontorov, Concept, Algorithm and Decision, Soviet Military Thought No. 6, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1972.
[8]
Beer, S., Platform for Change, Wiley, 1975.
[9]
Beer, S., "Fanfare for Effective Freedom", in Reference 8, pp. 423--451.
[10]
Dawes, R. M., "Objective Optimization under Multiple Subjective Functions", in J. L. Cochrane and M. Zeleny, eds., Multiple Criteria Decision Making, University of South Carolina Press, Columbia, South Carolina, 1973, 9--17.
[11]
Tversky, A., and D. Kahneman, Judgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases, Science, Vol. 185, September 1974.
[12]
Edwards' work is summarized in Beach's comprehensive survey: Beach, B. H., Expert Judgment About Uncertainty: Bayesian Decision Making in Realistic Settings, Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, Vol. 14, pp. 10--59, 1975.
[13]
Shortliffe, E. H., S. G. Axline, B. G. Buchanan, and S. N. Cohen, "Design Considerations for a Program to Provide Consultations in Clinical Therapeutics", Proceedings of the 13th San Diego Biomedical Symposium, February, 1974.
[14]
However, there are significant differences between individuals' cognitive strategies and styles of problem-solving. See McKenney, J. L., and P. G. W. Keen, How Managers' Minds Work, Harvard Business Review, May 1974.
[15]
Taylor, R. N., Psychological Determinants of Bounded Rationality and Implications for Decision Making Strategies, Decision Sciences, Vol. 6, No, S, pp. 409--429.
[16]
Simon, H. A., Administrative Behavior, (2nd Edition), McMillan, 1957.
[17]
See Reference 3, Chapter 1 for a discussion of the relevance of this distinction for the design of computer systems.

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AFIPS '77: Proceedings of the June 13-16, 1977, national computer conference
June 1977
1039 pages
ISBN:9781450379144
DOI:10.1145/1499402
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  • AFIPS: American Federation of Information Processing Societies

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

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Published: 13 June 1977

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