A COMPARISON OF 2 PROCESS TRACING METHODS FOR CHOICE TASKS

Process tracing methods, particularly those based on information acqui sition, are becoming commonplace. Because of this, it is important to examine both the reactivity and the validity of these techniques. This research compares information acquisition behavior for choice tasks u sing Mouselab, a computerized process tracing tool, and Eyegaze, an ey e tracking system, in an experiment using apartment selection tasks an d gambles, we found significant differences contingent upon the proces s tracing method for 10 process tracing measures including subsequent choices. Computerized process tracing tools increase the amount of tim e needed to acquire information compared with eye tracking equipment. ils a result, subjects using Mouselab tend to have more systematic inf ormation acquisition behavior than that observed with eye tracking equ ipment. Additional research is needed to explore, the magnitude and co nsequences of these differences. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.