Use of the Critical Decision Method to Elicit Expert Knowledge: A Case Study in the Methodology of Cognitive Task Analysis

The Critical Decision Method (CDM) is an approach to cognitive task analysis. The method involves multiple-pass event retrospection guided by probe questions. The CDM has been used in the elicitation of expert knowledge in diverse domains and for applications including system development and instructional design. The CDM research illustrates the sorts of knowledge representation products that can arise from cognitive task analysis (e.g., Situation Assessment Records, time lines, decision requirements). The research also shows how one can approach methodological issues surrounding cognitive task analysis, including questions about data quality and method reliability, efficiency, and utility. As cognitive task analysis is used more widely in the elicitation, preservation, and dissemination of expert knowledge and is used more widely as the basis for the design of complex cognitive systems, and as projects move into even more field applications and real-world settings, the issues we discuss become increasingly critical.