Gary Gaeth, Ph.D.
TITLE: Professor and Associate Dean, College of Business
COMPANY: University of Iowa
Advisor: Dr. James Shanteau
Dissertation Title
Reducing the influence of irrelevant information on decision makers
Dissertation Abstract
Two training procedures designed to reduce the adverse effect of irrelevant information were tested for their efficacy. One training procedure involved a lecture and was similar to the typical classroom experience, while the other involved interaction and practice and was similar to the typical laboratory experience. The subjects - 12 experienced college student soil judges - attended training sessions and performed judging tasks. A pretest revealed that irrelevant information influenced the judges; lecture training was of minimal help in reducing this influence. Interactive training, on the other hand, had a significant impact, reducing the influence of irrelevance and improving the accuracy of the judgments. In a followup study, where 5 of the subjects were reevaluated more than a year later, the training seemed to have a continued effect.
Education
Ph.D., Psychology, Kansas State University, 1984