Augmented or Overloaded? Exploring Cognitive Fit and GenAI Reliance in Decision Making

Human decision-making is profoundly influenced by cognitive style, which shapes how individuals perceive, interpret, and respond to complex problems. With the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI (GenAI), individuals increasingly rely on these technologies to guide and augment their decision-making processes. Despite research on human-AI collaborative decision-making, important questions remain about how GenAI impacts decision quality, particularly due to individual differences in cognitive processing. This study examines the role of GenAI as a decision-support assistant and its interplay with a user's cognitive style and task structure in shaping decision outcomes. Specifically, we investigate how a user's GenAI reliance, which is influenced by the fit between their cognitive style and task structure, can impact decision accuracy. Preliminary findings suggest that variations in both cognitive style and the degree of GenAI reliance can lead to noteworthy differences in decision performance, underscoring the importance of cognitive fit in AI-assisted decision-making.