DECISION MAKING AT BORDER CROSSINGS

IHSS RESEARCH:  VIRTUAL WORLD ENVIRONMENT DEVELOPED TO EVALUATE DECISION MAKING AT BORDER CROSSINGS

The Institute for Homeland Security Solutions is pleased to announce the publication of its latest research report:

Gaining Insight into Decision Making through a Virtual World Environment Application

Jerry W. Hedge (RTI International)

Many homeland security functions that depend on rapid decisions based on limited information may require security officials to use intuitive decision strategies rather than the rational analysis of information and deductive reasoning.  A virtual world environment which provides the participant with realistic decision making scenarios, including backgrounds and distractions, while enabling measurement of factors such as eye gaze and response time can be used to evaluate the decision making process.  This project involves the development of a virtual world environment simulating a land border crossing and a comprehensive set of measurements and procedures for examining decision making strategies for individuals immersed in this environment.  This study demonstrates the feasibility of creating such a test bed platform for future studies to improve our understanding of rational and intuitive decision making strategies, with possible applications for hiring and training decisions.  

The full report can be viewed here.

For more information on this project, please contact Jerry Hedge at (***@***.***).

IHSS is a research consortium between RTI International, Duke University, the Foundation established to conduct applied research in the social and behavioral sciences to advance the national homeland security mission. For additional information about IHSS, visit www.ihssnc.org.