The computer made me do it?

No Gravatar

You know it. Everyone has their own pace when it comes to assessing data- especially when we are under time pressures.  Someone like me can juggle mountains of data (in my head); others need to write things down, still others need to p-r-o-c-e-s-s  m—o—r—e   s—l—o—w—l—y still. Obviously, we wouldn’t feel very secure if that last group are among our air traffic controllers.

And, this becomes more important when the data upon which we are relying is not being conveyed properly to us.  Imagine this scenario.  You are operating a computer screen and are charged to determine which enemy unit is about to attack- and engage that unit promptly.  Of course, since it is a computer screen, the computer can help you, to some degree, to make that choice.  But, you only have 10 seconds with which to act.   You say, “That’s a snap!”

Now, just imagine if the computer program began giving you bad information.  (You do remember the movie “War Games” starring Matthew Broderick, right?)  Buy, you can verify that information yourself, right?   Well, it turns out, not everyone does.  We tend to rely on what’s called “automation bias”- if the computer tells us something, it must be right.  (Hmm.  Is there a related one called politician bias- if a politician makes a statement, it must be right- even if it makes no sense?)

It turns out that we are genetically programmed to fall prey to automation bias.  Not all of us- just some.  Drs. Parasuraman, de Vissser, Lin, and Greenwood (George Mason University, VA) published the results of their study proving just that.   It seems that the DBH (dopamine beta hydroxylase) gene (chromosome 9, 23000 base pairs) regulates the secretion and production of dopamine (you remember that chemical… we discussed it here and here and here, among others).  As you know, dopamine controls our decision making (in the prefrontal cortex of the brain).  And, those of us with more dopamine (low DBH gene activity) are those of us that can make quicker decisions- and we are more likely to cross-check what that computer could be telling us, when we make our own decisions.  As the graph shows, those with higher dopamine verified the results of the faulty computer twice as frequently as the others.

Automation Bias- maybe not

 

As you can guess, the military and aviation industry are going to be very interested in this research.  Because we should be selecting our pilots from those that can discern – quickly- actions that must be taken and avoiding accidents (or bombing the wrong targets).

Share this:
Share this page via Email Share this page via Stumble Upon Share this page via Digg this Share this page via Facebook Share this page via Twitter
Share

18 thoughts on “The computer made me do it?”

  1. The COMPUTER made me do it? Wow, I could go all kinds of places with that. Teens, cheating spouses, politicians…. This could be the excuse of all time…. But, seriously though, I can relate to that false feeling of confidence that something “superior” (but programmed by humans – garbage in, garbage out) must be right.
    Carolina HeartStrings recently posted..AUTISM – SUMMER OF LEARNING

    1. I think we all have a tendency to quack, Ann… And, some of us are just plain quacks…

      But, I think our government already tried the reprogramming route- and, my guess is this is where they plan to head…

  2. Does this mean that you could medicate someone into quicker thinking, or slow down their thinking with medication that raises or lowers dopamine levels? I feel a clinical trial coming on! I don’t normally do this, but I think I will be blaming my parents now..and that was a quick on my part!
    Lisa Brandel recently posted..Midnight Angel by Lisa Brandel

    1. I know we can medicate folks to think (or at least express themselves) more slowly, since I have had that opportunity (???)…
      Is this another concept for Dupont? (better living through chemistry, used to be their motto…)

      Roy

  3. Politicians here in Britain, definitely have a bias in favour of the most wealthy. They are unable to tell the truth too. I think all the half-decent policies they dream up on their way to office are piled up and burned as soon as they are elected, leaving them just making laws and policies to please people like themselves.
    David Verney recently posted..Success: a Roadmap to Your Destiny

    1. I wish (ok, maybe not) that I could say that it’s only British politicians… The way things go nowadays, these guys are looking to get reelected, so its a money grub- and the wealthy provide the sauce and get the attention of the politicians….

      Thanks for the visit and comment, David…

  4. Roy: My question would be does the nature vs nurture theory play into this at all? So many times the theories and studies don’t actually represent what happens in reality. Think about it…how many studies have we seen on why some people are great leaders while others fail miserably. Additionally, think about all the “data” suggesting birth order dictates how successful you will be in life. The list of studies goes on and on, but I tend to think science can’t and often isn’t an accurate predictor of all behaviors. What do you think?
    Lynn Brown recently posted..Are You Getting Ahead? 5 Time-Saving Social Media Tips

    1. I’m not sure this falls under this category. First, I’ll state why i don’t think so and then i will go into your secondary implications.
      This concept, that we have an innate nature to do something more or less frequently based upon our genetic makeup is not an argument of nature and nurture. It says, given our genetic component, we are twice as likely to do something. it does not say we can train our selves- or have others train us to do even more. It’s similar to the fact that some of us have musical ability, the ability to run at faster speeds, etc. It does not mean that if I lack lavish musical gifts, I could not play a sonata to bring tears to your eyes (in a good way- not in “how could roy make me listen to this…) But, if I had musical ability, I could do it easier, perhaps add more nuance, etc…

      Now, to your more extended query, Lynn…

      Nurture and nature arguments are often misunderstood by the public. For example, we amy be born with certain genes that can cause us to develop cancer. Let’s say that provide 40% of the probability. But, given our actions (smoking, eating poorly, working with hazardous materials) (the nurture component) can tip those scales to INSURE we develop cancer.
      Most folks lack the conceptual knowledge of risk, probability, and the like. So, the second they hear a genetic component, they assume it’s foreordained 100% of the time. It’s not.

      I hope that clears up the situation…

      Roy

  5. Wouldn’t want to be on that flight. I remember being on a flight once and we were caught in an unexpected storm. The pilot took around 15 minutes to make the judgement – whether we should land now or some place closer to the destination till the storm slows down. The communication was all messed up. Clearly not the best 15 minutes of my life!

    I read a study somewhere that says that laughter might be related to increased levels of dopamine. Maybe we could laugh our way to better and quicker decision making?
    Hajra recently posted..Stop Giving Crappy Gifts

    1. Hmm. Hajra, are you sure you would want a room full of laughing desk jockeys advising your planes of the best flight patterns? And, how much fun would someone find in dropping a bomb remotely on a target?

      Roy

Comments are closed.