INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES IN UNDETECTED ERRORS IN SKILLED COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE

Skilled performers of cognitive tasks make fewer errors than novices, but they continue to make some errors. A number of these errors, which occur in near-transfer situations, go undetected by the performer. Su ch errors can have disastrous consequences. We investigated a number o f individual differences variables that were correlated with undetecte d error making in a laboratory task (number reduction) requiring subje cts to apply reduction rules to strings of digits to arrive at a singl e digit answer. In two experiments, we determined: (a.) self-report me asures of the propensity to make cognitive slips and lapses were stati stically unrelated to performance on our experimental task; and (b) pe rformance-based cognitive resource measures (i.e., working memory capa city) were related to performance. Self-report measures appear to be i nfluenced by social desirability or some correlated construct.