All Theses and Dissertations

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science

Faculty / School

School of Mathematics and Computer Science (SMCS)

Department

Department of Computer Science

Date of Award

Fall 2024

Advisor

Dr. Zaheeruddin Asif

Committee Member 1

Dr. Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, Examiner, University of Karachi, Karachi

Committee Member 2

Dr. Suleman Shahid, Examiner, LUMS, Lahore

Project Type

Dissertation

Access Type

Restricted Access

Keywords

decision support systems, human decision making, information systems, NeuroIS, recommender systems.

Subjects

Computer Science

Abstract

Human decision-making is a complex behavior. A replication of human decision making offers a potential to enhance the capacity of intelligent systems by providing additional user assistance in decision making. By reducing the effort and task complexity on behalf of the user, such replication would improve the overall user experience, and affect the degree of intelligence exhibited by the system. This study explores individuals' decision-making processes when using recommender systems, and its related outcomes. In this study, human decision-making (HDM) refers to the selection of an item from a given set of options that are shown as recommendations to a user. The goal of our study was to identify IS constructs that contribute towards such decision-making, thereby contributing towards creating a mental model of HDM. This was achieved through recording Electroencephalographic (EEG) readings of subjects while they performed a decision-making activity. Readings from 16 righthanded healthy avid readers reflect that reward, theory of mind, risk, calculation, task intention, emotion, sense of touch, ambiguity and decision making are the primary constructs that users employ while deciding from a given set of recommendations in an online bookstore. In all 10 distinct brain areas were identified. These brain areas that lead to their respective constructs were found to be cingulate gyrus, precentral gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, posterior cingulate, medial frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate, postcentral gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, and middle frontal gyrus (also referred to as dorsolateral prefrontal gyrus (DLPFC)). The identified constructs would help in developing a design theory for enhancing user assistance, especially in the context of recommender systems.

Download

The full text of this document is only accessible to authorized users.

Share

COinS