Cited by 129Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI)Human-Automation Interaction and SafetyDecision-Making and Behavioral Economics

Do People Engage Cognitively with AI? Impact of AI Assistance on Incidental Learning

Open access
Gajos, Krzysztof Z., Mamykina, Lena·2022·27th International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces

Abstract

When people receive advice while making difficult decisions, they often make better decisions in the moment and also increase their knowledge in the process. However, such incidental learning can only occur when people cognitively engage with the information they receive and process this information thoughtfully. How do people process the information and advice they receive from AI, and do they engage with it deeply enough to enable learning? To answer these questions, we conducted three experiments in which individuals were asked to make nutritional decisions and received simulated AI recommendations and explanations. In the first experiment, we found that when people were presented with both a recommendation and an explanation before making their choice, they made better decisions than they did when they received no such help, but they did not learn. In the second experiment, participants first made their own choice, and only then saw a recommendation and an explanation from AI; this condition also resulted in improved decisions, but no learning. However, in our third experiment, participants were presented with just an AI explanation but no recommendation and had to arrive at their own decision. This condition led to both more accurate decisions and learning gains. We hypothesize that learning gains in this condition were due to deeper engagement with explanations needed to arrive at the decisions. This work provides some of the most direct evidence to date that it may not be sufficient to include explanations together with AI-generated recommendation to ensure that people engage carefully with the AI-provided information. This work also presents one technique that enables incidental learning and, by implication, can help people process AI recommendations and explanations more carefully.

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  • Previous studies have attributed the cause of overreliance on AI to a lack of cognitive engagement [10,32,55].

    “Previous studies have attributed the cause of overreliance on AI to a lack of cognitive engagement [10,32,55].”

    From Understanding the Role of Human Intuition on Reliance in Human-AI Decision-Making with Explanations (2023) · cites this paper as [32]

    The Introduction (p. 1) links overreliance on AI recommendations to potentially superficial processing, and Related Work (p. 2) suggests that interventions may reduce overreliance by encouraging deeper engagement. Both passages frame the link as a possibility, not an established cause; the paper also says its own study did not test overreliance (Discussion, p. 10). (LLM, conf=0.85)

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  • It is possible that when not thinking aloud, especially in a lowstakes setting, people will be less cognitively engaged with AI explanations [32] and some effects found in the study will not be observed.

    “It is possible that when not thinking aloud, especially in a lowstakes setting, people will be less cognitively engaged with AI explanations [32] and some effects found in the study will not be observed.”

    From Understanding the Role of Human Intuition on Reliance in Human-AI Decision-Making with Explanations (2023) · cites this paper as [32]

    The Discussion (p. 10) says the study involved low-risk decisions and suggests people might engage more deeply with AI in more consequential settings. The Introduction (p. 2) also suggests people may engage less deeply with explanations when given an AI recommendation. The paper does not address whether thinking aloud changes engagement or whether the citing study’s effects would disappear without it. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • People achieved learning gains from interacting with AI explanations when they critically engaged with AI explanations.

    “Similarly, Gajos and Mamykina (2022) found that people achieved learning gains from interacting with AI explanations when they critically engaged with AI explanations.”

    From The role of critical thinking on undergraduates' reliance behaviours on generative <scp>AI</scp> in problem‐solving (2025) · cites this paper as Gajos & Mamykina, 2022

    The Discussion (p. 10) reports incidental learning when participants received AI explanations without recommendations and had to process them to make a decision. But the Introduction (p. 2) says deeper cognitive engagement was hypothesized to explain the learning gain; the paper does not establish that participants critically engaged as an observed condition of learning. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • The actual impact of explanations can be influenced by various factors, including task difficulty, decision-maker expertise, decision design, and the cognitive load required to comprehend the explanation, and also the type of explanations and the way it is presented.

    “The actual impact of explanations can be influenced by various factors, including task difficulty [44], decision-maker expertise, decision design [45], and the cognitive load required to comprehend the explanation [46] and also the type of explanations and the way it is presented.”

    From AI Trust: Can Explainable AI Enhance Warranted Trust? (2023) · cites this paper as [45]

  • Active cognitive processes involved in evaluating AI explanations are key to effective collaboration between humans and AI.

    “The results indicate that active cognitive processes involved in evaluating AI explanations are key to effective collaboration between humans and AI.”

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Cites

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Authors
Gajos, K. Z., & Mamykina, L.
Affiliations
  • Harvard University (US)
  • Columbia University (US)
Venue
27th International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces
Publisher
ACM
Published
2022-03-22
Pages
794-806
OpenAlex
W4220961556
Cited by
127
References
50
Citations by year
2026: 34 · 2025: 47 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 3
FWCI
12.86
Type
conference paper
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • ACM International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces (IUI) (publishedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University)
Funders
National Science Foundation (IIS-2107391)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI)
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Human-Automation Interaction and Safety
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
Keywords
incidental learning, AI assistance, AI explanations, AI recommendations, decision-making, cognitive engagement, advice taking, human-AI interaction

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