Cognitive and Behavioral Consistency in a ComputerBased Marketing-Simulation-Game Environment: An Empirical Investigation of the Decision-Making Process

Past research investigating participant adaptability to game parameters in computer-based, business simulation games has focused primarily on the nature of the decisions actually made (e.g., actual price set) in order to determine the validity of this experiential approach to management education and training. The present study moves back one step in the decision-making process and examines, as well, the cognitive nature of the decisions on which the behavioral responses were based (e.g., perceived importance of price to game success). A study of seven cognitive and seven behavioral measures obtained from 68 single-player competitive companies that were randomly assigned to two experimentally manipulated environments in a 10-period game was undertaken. The results indicate that between environment differences were obtained but not always as expected.