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Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews.... Mar 2022Memories affect nearly every aspect of our mental life. They allow us to both resolve uncertainty in the present and to construct plans for the future. Recently, renewed... (Review)
Review
Memories affect nearly every aspect of our mental life. They allow us to both resolve uncertainty in the present and to construct plans for the future. Recently, renewed interest in the role memory plays in adaptive behavior has led to new theoretical advances and empirical observations. We review key findings, with particular emphasis on how the retrieval of many kinds of memories affects deliberative action selection. These results are interpreted in a sequential inference framework, in which reinstatements from memory serve as "samples" of potential action outcomes. The resulting model suggests a central role for the dynamics of memory reactivation in determining the influence of different kinds of memory in decisions. We propose that representation-specific dynamics can implement a bottom-up "product of experts" rule that integrates multiple sets of action-outcome predictions weighted based on their uncertainty. We close by reviewing related findings and identifying areas for further research. This article is categorized under: Psychology > Reasoning and Decision Making Neuroscience > Cognition Neuroscience > Computation.
Topics: Decision Making; Humans; Memory; Neurosciences; Problem Solving; Uncertainty
PubMed: 34665529
DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1581 -
The Journal of Adolescent Health :... Jul 2021
Topics: Adolescent; Decision Making; Decision Making, Shared; Humans; Patient Participation
PubMed: 34172143
DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.04.009 -
The European Journal of Neuroscience Jan 2017Different cognitive impairments have been reported as a result of long-term MDMA/ecstasy use. Increased impulsivity and altered decision-making have been shown to be... (Review)
Review
Different cognitive impairments have been reported as a result of long-term MDMA/ecstasy use. Increased impulsivity and altered decision-making have been shown to be associated with the development and maintenance of addictive disorders pointing toward the necessity to understand a potential impairment of decision-making due to MDMA use. Thus, assessing the long-term effects of MDMA is crucial in order to evaluate its controversially discussed therapeutic use. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the scientific literature on potential effects of chronic MDMA use on higher order decision-making processes in humans. Therefore, a systematic search for controlled trials relevant to the topic has been performed. Only studies using specific tasks on decision-making were included that involved subjects in the drug-free interval with drug-naïve, and/or polydrug control groups. A total of 12 studies could be identified that met the inclusion criteria, all of which were cross-sectional studies. The findings on decision-making disturbances in MDMA users were heterogeneous. Seven studies reported increased risky decisions, whereas five studies did not find MDMA-specific influences on decision-making. Increased impulsivity was observed both in MDMA groups and in (poly)drug control groups in almost all studies. Thus, the current state of research does not allow for the conclusion that long-term use of MDMA affects decision-making behavior in general. More detailed specifications as well as further investigations of the relevant processes are needed. Significant tendencies toward risky decision-making among long-term MDMA use have been observed, but need to be confirmed by studies using a longitudinal design.
Topics: Animals; Cognition Disorders; Decision Making; Humans; Memory Disorders; N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine; Neuropsychological Tests; Time
PubMed: 27859780
DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13480 -
Journal of Vision May 2023Human decision-making and self-reflection often depend on context and internal biases. For instance, decisions are often influenced by preceding choices, regardless of...
Human decision-making and self-reflection often depend on context and internal biases. For instance, decisions are often influenced by preceding choices, regardless of their relevance. It remains unclear how choice history influences different levels of the decision-making hierarchy. We used analyses grounded in information and detection theories to estimate the relative strength of perceptual and metacognitive history biases and to investigate whether they emerge from common/unique mechanisms. Although both perception and metacognition tended to be biased toward previous responses, we observed novel dissociations that challenge normative theories of confidence. Different evidence levels often informed perceptual and metacognitive decisions within observers, and response history distinctly influenced first- (perceptual) and second- (metacognitive) order decision-parameters, with the metacognitive bias likely to be strongest and most prevalent in the general population. We propose that recent choices and subjective confidence represent heuristics, which inform first- and second-order decisions in the absence of more relevant evidence.
Topics: Humans; Metacognition; Decision Making; Heuristics
PubMed: 37200046
DOI: 10.1167/jov.23.5.14 -
Applied Neuropsychology. Child 2022Adaptive decision-making strategies are critical for dealing with the complexity of the social world. The present study investigated the use of decision-making...
Adaptive decision-making strategies are critical for dealing with the complexity of the social world. The present study investigated the use of decision-making strategies in preschoolers and their association to prosocial behavior and peer problems. Eighty-six preschoolers aged 3- and 4-years completed the preschool decision-making task (PGT), a child variant of the Iowa Gambling task . Win-stay/lose-shift responses along with exploration (consecutive choices from the advantageous deck) and exploitation (shifting between options) were examined. Preschoolers showed a range of strategies, with 4-year-olds adapting their approach as the game progressed and making better use of feedback in comparison to 3-year-olds. Children who differed in terms of choices from the advantageous deck were distinguished by different combinations of exploration and exploitation. Furthermore, unique combinations of decision-making strategies also distinguished children who were rated as high versus low in prosocial behavior as well as children rated as having a high versus low level of peer problems. The findings suggest that consideration of strategies used in decision-making tasks could provide useful insight in a clinical setting, particularly for populations with social difficulties.
Topics: Child; Child, Preschool; Decision Making; Gambling; Humans
PubMed: 34505556
DOI: 10.1080/21622965.2021.1973470 -
Physical Therapy May 2023Mobility dysfunction can have an impact on safety, and this fact is particularly relevant to hospital settings. There are no clear standards for how health care... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
Mobility dysfunction can have an impact on safety, and this fact is particularly relevant to hospital settings. There are no clear standards for how health care professionals should approach the aim to encourage mobility without compromising safety. The objective of this scoping review was to identify factors that shape health care professionals' decision making for people in hospitals, in situations in which mobility and safety are taken into consideration.
METHODS
For this scoping review, 4 databases (Medline, CINAHL, PubMed, and Scopus) were searched. Terms previously agreed upon were used to identify peer-reviewed articles related to decision making by health care professionals in hospital settings (acute and rehabilitation), in which safety and mobility were factors for consideration. An initial screening of titles and abstracts was conducted by a single reviewer. Two reviewers independently screened the full texts of the remaining articles. The key findings of the articles were synthesized to determine common themes.
RESULTS
After 10,717 articles were screened, 28 met the inclusion criteria. Ten themes influencing decision making were identified: Clinical factors assessed; health care professional experience; limited use of standardized tests; impact of institutional governance; risk/benefit trade-off; capacity for decision making; role of the multidisciplinary team; families and others; communication; and fear of negative outcomes.
CONCLUSION
A wide range of factors influence health care professionals' decision making. The decisions can be complex, and individual priorities may vary in the balancing of safety with promotion of independence. Health care professionals rely on experience, clinical judgment, and shared decision making.
IMPACT
This review brings attention to many factors that contribute to decision making when mobility and safety are the factors. Health care professionals should include patients' values and monitor the impact of their personal preferences on this process.
Topics: Humans; Patients; Hospitals; Communication; Decision Making, Shared; Health Personnel; Decision Making
PubMed: 37249531
DOI: 10.1093/ptj/pzad024 -
Journal of Neuroscience Research Jun 2015For a number of decades, different fields of knowledge, including psychology, economics, and neurosciences, have focused their research efforts on a better understanding... (Review)
Review
For a number of decades, different fields of knowledge, including psychology, economics, and neurosciences, have focused their research efforts on a better understanding of the decision-making process. Making decisions based on the probability of future events is routine in everyday life; it occurs whenever individuals select an option from several alternatives, each one associated with a specific value. Sometimes subjects decide knowing the precise outcomes of each option, but commonly they have to decide without knowing the consequences (because either ambiguity or risk is involved). Stress has a broad impact on animal behaviors, affects brain regions involved in decision-making processes, and, when maladaptive, is a trigger for neuropsychiatric disorders. This Mini-Review provides a comprehensive overview on how stress impacts decision-making processes, particularly under uncertain conditions. Understanding this can prove to be useful for intervention related to impairments to decision-making processes that present in several stress-triggered neuropsychiatric disorders.
Topics: Cognition Disorders; Decision Making; Humans; Stress, Psychological; Uncertainty
PubMed: 25483118
DOI: 10.1002/jnr.23521 -
Cirugia Espanola Jan 2023
Topics: Humans; Decision Making, Shared; Decision Making; Patient-Centered Care
PubMed: 35809786
DOI: 10.1016/j.cireng.2021.10.022 -
Cognition & Emotion Sep 2020Decision-making literature has demonstrated that individuals' preferences are strongly affected by the way in which choices are presented. This cognitive bias, termed...
Decision-making literature has demonstrated that individuals' preferences are strongly affected by the way in which choices are presented. This cognitive bias, termed the framing effect, is influenced by the importance of the possible outcomes that a decision can have. However, the direction of this influence remains poorly understood. The aim of this paper was to examine the role of the importance of a decision in framing susceptibility and to explore a potential mechanism underlying this influence. Our first study revealed that participants display a framing effect when their decision implies a high importance outcome, but resist framing manipulation when their decision implies a low importance outcome. Our second study confirmed that an increase in the importance of a decision is associated with increasing framing susceptibility. Moreover, a moderated mediation analysis revealed that the more a decision was important, the more the gain and loss frames aroused opposite emotions, and this accounted for the increase in framing susceptibility. The results of these two studies confirmed that an increase in the importance of a decision is associated with increasing framing susceptibility and suggest that this influence on framing susceptibility is underpinned by emotion. Implications and direction for future studies are discussed.
Topics: Bias; Choice Behavior; Decision Making; Emotions; Female; Humans; Male; Young Adult
PubMed: 32193991
DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2020.1741340 -
The Spanish Journal of Psychology Mar 2019Numerical skills are essential to make informed decisions in our daily life. Unfortunately, many people lack basic numeracy, which limits their ability to accurately... (Review)
Review
Numerical skills are essential to make informed decisions in our daily life. Unfortunately, many people lack basic numeracy, which limits their ability to accurately interpret risks (i.e., risk literacy). In this paper, we provide an overview of research investigating the role of numeracy in two prominent domains, where most research was concentrated, health and finance. We summarize what has been learned so far in these domains and suggest promising venues for future research. We conclude that it is important to conduct interventions to improve numeracy in less numerate individuals and to help them make informed decisions and achieve better life outcomes.
Topics: Aptitude; Decision Making; Humans; Mathematical Concepts
PubMed: 30892170
DOI: 10.1017/sjp.2019.16