Using ACT-R and SGOMS to Predict Micro Strategies Used by Experts During Routine Tasks

Micro strategies refer to fast, low level, unconscious strategies that constitute a control structure for information processing within a specific task (Newell, 1973). Micro strategies determine how we process low level information, such as perceptual inputs (Shiffrin & Cousineau, 2004) or procedural information (Gray & Boehm-Davis, 2000). Using an SGOMS/ACT-R model I was able to predict expert, individual performance on a stimulus-response reaction time game involving a memorized hierarchical structure. I found that slightly different micro strategies were used by the participants, indicating that micro strategies have a very real influence on individual performance. These findings represent an understudied area of research that has larger implications for many Psychology and Cognitive Science studies.