Automation vs. human intervention: Is there any room left for the analyst in the data mining process?

In the contemporary context of knowledge discovery, the amount of information and the process itself has increased in complexity. Relevant to the present chapter is the increased reliance on automaticity in knowledge discovery. Although, there are positive benefits of automation, there is reason to believe that a process that emphasizes greater human participation may produce more meaningful results. Through a description of the human information processing system and its attributes, this chapter discusses why an analyst-centered approach to a knowledge discovery system is a desirable goal. We argue that a perspective based on cognitive psychology can serve as a useful guide in achieving a desirable synergy between automated knowledge discovery tools and the human analyst.