Applying Cognitive Fit Theory on Financial Information Visualization: recognizing Cognitive Load

Using earlier research explaining the efficiency and effectiveness of cognitive processes in in-formation visualisation the current study enhances the theory of cognitive fit by borrowing from perspectives of the multi-store model of memory, the theory of working memory and the theory of cognitive load in order to contribute to the field of InfoVis. The additional perspectives allow a sharper focus on the human cognitive architecture and decision maker behavior during infor-mation processing and therefore help clustering the often observed heterogeneity of previous studies. This paper proposes an integrative model based on partial least square structural equa-tions, which builds on an innovative combination of the underlying constructs and subsumes the said theories into a unified holistic schema. For an empirical validation of the proposed en-hancements we analyze gaze behavior during information acquisition and processing. For this we use eye tracking data to gain detailed insights into the participants’ cognitive state. The model improvements result in a R² of 0.567 and a high predictability as measured by Q² (0.301). With our paper, we contribute to theory by critically evaluating well known constructs and by provid-ing a novel holistic configuration with high predictability. What is more, it informs practice of how to test for an optimum visualization given specific tasks for a specific audience.