scholarly journals Memory and Decision Making: Determining Action when the Sirens Sound

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Drost
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Precautionary Behavior ◽  
Precautionary Action ◽  
Tornado Warning ◽  
Episodic Memories ◽  
Memory Group

Abstract Memories, both semantic, or learned knowledge, and episodic, or personal experiences, play an important role in an individual’s decision making under risk. In addition, varying levels of knowledge and experience exist in each individual. These memories enable individuals to make informed decisions based on previous knowledge or experience, and ultimately influence one’s behavior under risk. In this study, 49 undergraduate students participated in a 1-h, classroom-based experiment focusing on decision making. The sample contained n = 23 “episodic” participants, referred to as “high episodic,” who reported having personally experienced a tornado and n = 24 participants, referred to as “low episodic,” who had no reported tornado experience. Incomplete data reported by the remaining participants were not included in this study. All participants completed a decision-making task both before and after viewing a 5-min slideshow stimulus related to tornadoes and associated damage. This decision-making task prompted participants to describe the actions they would anticipate taking during an actual tornado warning. Prior to the stimulus, high episodic participants exhibited a marginally higher tendency to ignore a tornado warning than those participants without episodic (low episodic) memories. After the tornado stimulus, all participants reported a greater likelihood to engage in precautionary action than reported prior to the stimulus. It is also found that 1) those participants with low episodic memory showed greater precaution than the high episodic memory group, and 2) participants with greater knowledge of tornadoes showed the greatest gains in anticipated precautionary behavior. This study suggests that increasing a population’s general knowledge of tornadoes could result in greater individual precaution and overall safety during a tornadic event.

Memory and Idea Generation Applied to Product Repurposing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Arabian ◽  
D. R. Addis ◽  
L. H. Shu
Keyword(s):  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Divergent Thinking ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Idea Generation ◽  
Standard Test ◽  
Wind Turbine Blades ◽  
Engineering Problems ◽  
Episodic Memories

Abstract Many engineering problems still require novel solutions, e.g., the repurposing of retired wind-turbine blades. Increasing evidence suggests that the recall of episodic memories enhances idea generation, but its application to engineering problems has been limited. The current work investigates the effectiveness of a memory induction on generating ideas. Engineering undergraduate students in a fourth-year design course (N = 38) completed a study under both of two conditions, a memory induction and a control (non-episodic-memory) induction. Participants underwent the induction before generating ideas on the Alternate Uses Task (AUT), a standard test of divergent thinking, and a wind-turbine-blade repurposing task (WRT). AUT responses following the memory induction were deemed significantly more flexible (p = .045) and elaborate (p = .041) than responses following the control induction. No difference in response fluency (p = 0.205) followed the two inductions, possibly due to limited time allotted for the AUT. In line with this explanation, fluency was inversely related to elaboration. In the WRT, more appropriate (p = 0.009) and more feasible (p = 0.015) ideas for repurposing wind-turbine blades were generated following the memory than the control induction. These results suggest that strategies increasing access to episodic memory may improve generation of alternative-use ideas for both common objects and wind-turbine blades.

scholarly journals Perceptions, Uses, and Interpretations of Uncertainty in Current Weather Forecasts by Spanish Undergraduate Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-94
Author(s):  
I. Gómez ◽  
S. Molina ◽  
J. Olcina ◽  
J. J. Galiana-Merino
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Protective Action ◽  
Precipitation Amount ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Uncertainty Range ◽  
Temperature Forecast ◽  
Probabilistic Forecasts ◽  
Precautionary Action

AbstractThis quantitative study evaluates how 71 Spanish undergraduate students perceive and interpret the uncertainty inherent to deterministic forecasts. It is based on several questions that asked participants what they expect given a forecast presented under the deterministic paradigm for a specific lead time and a particular weather parameter. In this regard, both normal and extreme weather conditions were studied. Students’ responses to the temperature forecast as it is usually presented in the media expect an uncertainty range of ±1°–2°C. For wind speed, uncertainty shows a deviation of ±5–10 km h−1, and the uncertainty range assigned to the precipitation amount shows a deviation of ±30 mm from the specific value provided in a deterministic format. Participants perceive the minimum night temperatures as the least-biased parameter from the deterministic forecast, while the amount of rain is perceived as the most-biased one. In addition, participants were then asked about their probabilistic threshold for taking appropriate precautionary action under distinct decision-making scenarios of temperature, wind speed, and rain. Results indicate that participants have different probabilistic thresholds for taking protective action and that context and presentation influence forecast use. Participants were also asked about the meaning of the probability-of-precipitation (PoP) forecast. Around 40% of responses reformulated the default options, and around 20% selected the correct answer, following previous studies related to this research topic. As a general result, it has been found that participants infer uncertainty into deterministic forecasts, and they are mostly used to take action in the presence of decision-making scenarios. In contrast, more difficulties were found when interpreting probabilistic forecasts.

scholarly journals The Dutch Citizen Forum on Public Reimbursement of Healthcare: A Qualitative Analysis of Opinion Change

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maarten Jansen ◽  
Rob Baltussen ◽  
Leon Bijlmakers ◽  
Marcia Tummers
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Critical Discussion ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Public ◽  
Opinion Change ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The One ◽  
Insight Into

Background: A deliberative Citizen Forum ‘Choices in healthcare’ was held in the Netherlands to obtain insight into the criteria informed citizens would propose for the public reimbursement of healthcare. During 3 weekends, 24 citizens participated in evidence-informed deliberation on the basis of 8 case studies. The aim of this study was to assess how the opinions of 8 participants in the deliberative Citizens Forum changed and if so, why participants themselves believe their opinions have changed, whether participation influenced their perceived reasonableness of other participants in the forum and whether it influenced their opinions about involvement of citizens in decision-making. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were held with 8 participants before and after their participation in the Citizen Forum. Using the method of reconstructing interpretive frames opinions about the public reimbursement of healthcare were reconstructed. Results: Participants’ opinions changed over time; they became more aware of the complexity of decision-making and came to accept that there are limits to the available resources and accept cost as a criterion for reimbursement decisionmaking. Participants report that exchanging arguments and personal experiences with other participants made them change their initial opinions. Participants ascribed increases in the perceived reasonableness of other participants’ opinions to feelings of group-bonding and becoming more familiar with each other’s personal circumstances. Participants further believe that citizens represent an additional opinion to that of other stakeholders and believe their opinions should be considered in relation to those of other stakeholders, given they are provided with opportunities for critical discussion. Conclusion: Organized deliberation should allow for the exchange of arguments and the sharing of personal experiences which is linked to learning. On the one hand this is reflected in the uptake of new arguments and on the other hand in the revision, specification or expansion of personal argumentation. Providing opportunities for critical deliberation is key to prevent citizens from adhering to initial emotional reactions that remain unchallenged and which may no longer be supported after deliberation.

Modulating Episodic Memory Alters Risk Preference during Decision-making

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 1433-1441 ◽  
Author(s):  
David St-Amand ◽  
Signy Sheldon ◽  
A. Ross Otto
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Training Procedure ◽  
Risky Decision ◽  
Memory Processes ◽  
Brief Training ◽  
Baseline Group ◽  
Episodic Memories ◽  
Repeated Choice

When choosing between options that vary in risk, we often rely on our experience with options—our episodic memories—to make that choice. Although episodic memory has been demonstrated to be critically involved in value-based decision-making, it is not clear how these memory processes contribute to decision-making that involves risk. To investigate this issue, we tested a group of participants on a repeated-choice risky decision-making task. Before completing this task, half of the participants were given a well-validated episodic induction task—a brief training procedure in recollecting the details of a past experience—known to engage episodic memory processes, and the other half were given a general impressions induction task. Our main finding was that risk-taking following the general impressions induction task was significantly lower than following the episodic induction task. In a follow-up experiment, we tested risk-taking in another group of participants without any prior induction task and found that risk-taking from this no-induction (baseline) group was more similar to the episodic induction than to the general impression group. Overall, these findings suggest engaging episodic memory processes when learning about decision outcomes can alter apparent risk-taking behavior in decision-making from experience.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Implementation of the “Build-Back-Better” Concept for Critical Infrastructure Systems: Lessons from Saint-Martin’s Island Following Hurricane Irma

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3133
Author(s):  
Rita Der Sarkissian ◽  
Anas Dabaj ◽  
Youssef Diab ◽  
Marc Vuillet
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Conceptual Analysis ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Infrastructure Systems ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Study Offer ◽  
Hurricane Irma ◽  
Operational Aspects

A limited number of studies in the scientific literature discuss the “Build-Back-Better” (BBB) critical infrastructure (CI) concept. Investigations of its operational aspects and its efficient implementation are even rarer. The term “Better” in BBB is often confusing to practitioners and leads to unclear and non-uniform objectives for guiding accurate decision-making. In an attempt to fill these gaps, this study offers a conceptual analysis of BBB’s operational aspects by examining the term “Better”. In its methodological approach, this study evaluates the state of Saint-Martin’s CI before and after Hurricane Irma and, accordingly, reveals the indicators to assess during reconstruction projects. The proposed methods offer practitioners a guidance tool for planning efficient BBB CI projects or for evaluating ongoing programs through the established BBB evaluation grid. Key findings of the study offer insights and a new conceptual equation of the BBB CI by revealing the holistic and interdisciplinary connotations behind the term “Better” CI: “Build-Back-resilient”, “Build-Back-sustainable”, and “Build-Back-accessible to all and upgraded CI”. The proposed explanations can facilitate the efficient application of BBB for CI by operators, stakeholders, and practitioners and can help them to contextualize the term “Better” with respect to their area and its CI systems.

The Legislative Decision-Making Process

1982 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
pp. 7-8
Author(s):  
Richard DeGraw ◽  
Bette F. DeGraw
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
American Indians ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Community Organization ◽  
Role Play ◽  
The Political ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
List Type ◽  
Provision Of Services ◽  
Legislative Decision

The Legislative Decision Making Process is an educational role play for graduate or undergraduate students concerning the political and pressure relationships involved in the political decision-making process. The role play reviews the implications of the decision-making processes upon the provision of services by governmental agencies.The role play engages from twenty to sixty students in a simulated budget-making and lobbying experience and utilizes this experience to teach students:1.The values and pressures considered by bureaucracies and the Legislature in decision-making;2.The relationships which exist between clients, community groups, administrators and politicians;3.The various techniques of Community Organization for lobbying and Legislative influence.The role play consists of various groups of students in roles which include legislators, administrators of three major state departments, two minor state departments, parent groups, Concerned Citizen groups, American Indians disabled individuals and ex-clients.

scholarly journals Bi-Temporal Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation during Slow-Wave Sleep Boosts Slow-Wave Density but Not Memory Consolidation

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 410
Author(s):  
Simon Ruch ◽  
Kristoffer Fehér ◽  
Stephanie Homan ◽  
Yosuke Morishima ◽  
Sarah Maria Mueller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Slow Wave ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Memory Consolidation ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Slow Wave Sleep ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Sleep Parameters ◽  
Episodic Memories

Slow-wave sleep (SWS) has been shown to promote long-term consolidation of episodic memories in hippocampo–neocortical networks. Previous research has aimed to modulate cortical sleep slow-waves and spindles to facilitate episodic memory consolidation. Here, we instead aimed to modulate hippocampal activity during slow-wave sleep using transcranial direct current stimulation in 18 healthy humans. A pair-associate episodic memory task was used to evaluate sleep-dependent memory consolidation with face–occupation stimuli. Pre- and post-nap retrieval was assessed as a measure of memory performance. Anodal stimulation with 2 mA was applied bilaterally over the lateral temporal cortex, motivated by its particularly extensive connections to the hippocampus. The participants slept in a magnetic resonance (MR)-simulator during the recordings to test the feasibility for a future MR-study. We used a sham-controlled, double-blind, counterbalanced randomized, within-subject crossover design. We show that stimulation vs. sham significantly increased slow-wave density and the temporal coupling of fast spindles and slow-waves. While retention of episodic memories across sleep was not affected across the entire sample of participants, it was impaired in participants with below-average pre-sleep memory performance. Hence, bi-temporal anodal direct current stimulation applied during sleep enhanced sleep parameters that are typically involved in memory consolidation, but it failed to improve memory consolidation and even tended to impair consolidation in poor learners. These findings suggest that artificially enhancing memory-related sleep parameters to improve memory consolidation can actually backfire in those participants who are in most need of memory improvement.

College Student Commitment and Outdoor Orientation Programming

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-316
Author(s):  
Curt Davidson ◽  
Alan Ewert
Keyword(s):  
College Student ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Emotional Reactivity ◽  
Social Activity ◽  
The United States ◽  
College Life ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Reactivity Study ◽  
Outdoor Orientation

Background: Increasingly colleges and universities are utilizing Outdoor Orientation Programs (OOPs) to help incoming students assimilate into college life. These programs have shown promise in recent analyses for enhancing desired outcomes with particular consideration shown to pro-social behavior and retention outcomes. Purpose: To examine how effective OOPs are in preparing students for a successful college student experience, particularly with variables known to influence student success and commitment to college. Methodology/Approach: Data were collected from four universities across the United States. Participants in this study were 205 undergraduate students from 17 to 25 years old who self-enrolled in their respective institutions OOP. This study used the College Student Readiness Inventory to generate a hypothesis concerning the possible effects of an OOP experience concerning predictive and outcomes variables relative to college student commitment. Findings/Conclusions: Using SmartPLS, the main effects of the OOP indicated predictive relationships between Commitment to College and Goal Striving, Communication Skills, Social Activity, Emotional Reactivity, Study Skills, and Social Connection. Academic Self-Discipline, Academic Self-Confidence, and Self-Determination on Commitment to College. Implications: Study findings suggest specific connections between predicting college student commitment before and after an OOP.

scholarly journals Eficácia da simulação na autoconfiança de estudantes de enfermagem para ressuscitação cardiopulmonar extra-hospitalar: um estudo quase experimental

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 32694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Genesis Souza Barbosa ◽  
Caio Guilherme Silva Bias ◽  
Lorene Soares Agostinho ◽  
Luciana Maria Capurro de Queiroz Oberg ◽  
Rafael Oliveira Pitta Lopes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Students ◽  
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
The Self ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Intervention Protocol ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Confidence Scale

AIMS: To verify the effectiveness of the simulation in the self-confidence of nursing students for extra-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation. METHODS: A quasi-experimental, before and after, single-group study, was performed with nursing undergraduate students. The sample was recruited among university students who were in the second or third year of graduation and accepted to participate in the research. The intervention protocol consisted of individual participation in a emergency simulated clinical scenario. The simulated scenario adopted consisted of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in extra-hospital cardiorespiratory arrest, using the Mini Anne Plus® low fidelity manikin. In addition to the sociodemographic variables, students' self-confidence for emergency action was analyzed, evaluated by the Self-Confidence Scale, before and after each simulation. Marginal and homogeneous Wilcoxon homogeneity tests were applied, and the accepted significance level was 5%.RESULTS: Thirteen two undergraduate students in nursing between the ages of 18 and 38 participated in the study. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.001) were observed in the answers of all the questions of the Self-confidence Scale when compared before and after the simulation. There was also a statistically significant increase (p < 0.001) in cardiological, respiratory and neurological scores after simulation.CONCLUSIONS: The simulation proved to be an effective educational strategy in increasing the self-confidence of nursing students to perform extra-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

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