Quiz experts gradually identify the answer while novices suddenly identify the answer: Pilot study.

Abstract

Even if people can obtain sufficient information if they want to, they sometimes have to make fast judgments (e.g., to get ahead of others) when information is incomplete. This is a common feature of buzzer quizzes, where players are required to identify the correct answer even in the middle of a question to get the right to answer before other players do so. Although quizzes have become popular entertainment, it remains unclear how quiz experts (vs. novices) consider a question. This pilot study aimed to provide scaffolding for examining cognitive processes in quizzes, from the perspectives of behavioral science. We modeled time-series processes assuming that individuals accumulated evidence over time (by hearing words) and became more likely to respond (pushing an answering button) as more evidence accumulated. We fitted the model into actual experts' and novices' behavioral data obtained from an experiment simulating buzzer quizzes. The observed data revealed that, overall, experts made faster and more accurate judgments than novices. Using the model, we predicted at which time-window in a question experts and novices would likely respond. As a result, experts were likely to gradually identify the answer by capturing various words in a question as useful cues even if each of them seemed trivial, while novices tended to respond around the timing when highly critical words (e.g., interrogative words) appeared toward the end of a question. We discuss limitations and future directions of this pilot study.