Self-Reported Effort versus Actual Performance in Information Processing Paradigms

This study provided data supporting Ericsson and Simon's (1980) conclusion that, within the framework of human information processing, verbal reports can provide a valid and informative source of data. One hundred nine volunteer participants were tested on a battery of microcomputerized tasks. After each task, participants were given a self-report questionnaire concerning perceived difficulty and effort expended. One hundred participants returned and were randomly assigned to either an incentive or a no-incentive condition for retest. As a group, participants in the incentive condition reported expending significantly more effort than did participants who received no incentive. There was a parallel between verbal reports (metacognition) and actual performance on the more difficult task, whereas, for some participants, verbal report data proved to be a more sensitive indicator than performance on less difficult tasks. In each case, verbal data either paralleled or augmented the analysis of performance.