Evaluating Risk-Propensity Assessment Methods: Patterns in Repeated Exposure to Emotional Stimuli

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 283-287
Author(s):  
Sahinya Susindar ◽  
Harrison Wissel-Littmann ◽  
Terry Ho ◽  
Thomas K. Ferris
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Risk Propensity ◽  
Emotional Stimuli ◽  
Comparison Results

In studying naturalistic human decision-making, it is important to understand how emotional states shape decision-making processes and outcomes. Emotion regulation techniques can improve the quality of decisions, but there are several challenges to evaluating these techniques in a controlled research context. Determining the effectiveness of emotion regulation techniques requires methodology that can: 1) reliably elicit desired emotions in decision-makers; 2) include decision tasks with response measures that are sensitive to emotional loading; and 3) support repeated exposures/trials with relatively-consistent emotional loading and response sensitivity. The current study investigates one common method, the Balloon Analog Risk Task (BART), for its consistency and reliability in measuring the risk-propensity of decision-makers, and specifically how the method’s effectiveness might change over the course of repeated exposures. With the PANASX subjective assessment serving for comparison, results suggest the BART assessment method, when applied over repeated exposures, is reduced in its sensitivity to emotional stimuli and exhibits decision task-related learning effects which influence the observed trends in response data in complex ways. This work is valuable for researchers in decision-making and to guide design for humans with consideration for their affective states.

scholarly journals Lapses in perceptual decisions reflect exploration

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sashank Pisupati ◽  
Lital Chartarifsky-Lynn ◽  
Anup Khanal ◽  
Anne K Churchland
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Reward Magnitude ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Strategic Trade ◽  
Evidence Strength ◽  
Constant Rate ◽  
Brain States

Perceptual decision-makers often display a constant rate of errors independent of evidence strength. These 'lapses' are treated as a nuisance arising from noise tangential to the decision, e.g. inattention or motor errors. Here, we use a multisensory decision task in rats to demonstrate that these explanations cannot account for lapses' stimulus dependence. We propose a novel explanation: lapses reflect a strategic trade-off between exploiting known rewarding actions and exploring uncertain ones. We tested this model's predictions by selectively manipulating one action's reward magnitude or probability. As uniquely predicted by this model, changes were restricted to lapses associated with that action. Finally, we show that lapses are a powerful tool for assigning decision-related computations to neural structures based on disruption experiments (here, posterior striatum and secondary motor cortex). These results suggest that lapses reflect an integral component of decision-making and are informative about action values in normal and disrupted brain states.

THE INTERACTION OF INTUITION AND RATIONALITY DURING ESCALATED NPD DECISIONS: AN INVESTIGATION OF DECISION-MAKERS’ AFFECTIVE STATES

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (04) ◽  
pp. 2050033
Author(s):  
TOBIAS ROETH ◽  
PATRICK SPIETH ◽  
VERENA JOACHIM
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
New Product Development ◽  
Affective State ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Escalating Commitment ◽  
Decision Making Styles ◽  
Intuitive Decision Making ◽  
Affect Infusion Model ◽  
Commitment Escalation

Decision-makers often struggle to terminate unsuccessful new product development (NPD) projects, so that escalating commitment occurs. Although research shows that rational and intuitive decision-making styles (DMS) as well as a decision-maker’s affective state determines the performance of NPD decisions, little is known about their influences on escalating commitment. By applying the affect infusion model in an experimental study, we investigate how a decision-maker’s affective state influence their escalating commitment by focusing on their use of a rational and an intuitive DMS. Our findings, based on 366 respondents, show that a rational DMS is unable to reduce commitment escalation. Surprisingly, an intuitive DMS is able to reduce a decision-maker’s commitment in the case of a positive affect, whereas a rational DMS increases their commitment in the case of a negative affect. Thus, our interdisciplinary research on affect and decision-making extends and contributes to research into decision-making during the NPD process as well as into escalating commitment.

scholarly journals The Feeling is Real: Emotion Elicitation in Virtual Reality

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 252-256
Author(s):  
Sahinya Susindar ◽  
Mahnoosh Sadeghi ◽  
Lea Huntington ◽  
Andrew Singer ◽  
Thomas K. Ferris
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Emotional Responses ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Desktop Computer ◽  
Emotion Elicitation ◽  
Human Decision ◽  
Display Systems

Classical methods for eliciting emotional responses, including the use of emotionally-charged pictures and films, have been used to study the influence of affective states on human decision-making and other cognitive processes. Advanced multisensory display systems, such as Virtual Reality (VR) headsets, offer a degree of immersion that may support more reliable elicitation of emotional experiences than less-immersive displays, and can provide a powerful yet relatively safe platform for inducing negative emotions such as fear and anger. However, it is not well understood how the presentation medium influences the degree to which emotions are elicited. In this study, emotionally-charged stimuli were introduced via two display configurations – on a desktop computer and on a VR system –and were evaluated based on performance in a decision task. Results show that the use of VR can be a more effective method for emotion elicitation when study decision-making under the influence of emotions.

Self–Other Differences in Decision-Making Under Risk

2018 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 226-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingyi Lu ◽  
Xuesong Shang ◽  
Bingjie Li
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Risk Averse ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Decision Making Under Risk ◽  
Behavioral Consequences ◽  
Decisions Under Risk ◽  
Decisions For Others ◽  
Interpersonal Concerns ◽  
Risky Decisions

Abstract. Decisions made for others reflect not only decision-makers’ cognitive and emotional states but also decision-makers’ interpersonal concerns. People who make choices for others will potentially be blamed for unappealing outcomes by others. Therefore, we hypothesize that individuals will seek sure gains (which increase individuals’ responsibility for desirable outcomes) and avoid sure losses (which decrease individuals’ responsibility for undesirable outcomes) when making risky decisions for others more than when making such decisions for themselves. The results of two studies show that making decisions for others (vs. oneself) promotes risk-averse choices over gains. This effect may be driven by the perceived responsibility associated with different options. When both options exhibit variance in outcomes, such self–other difference disappears. However, no self–other difference over losses was observed. Taken together, our research highlights interpersonal concerns in making decisions for others, as well as the behavioral consequences of these concerns in decisions under risk.

scholarly journals Lapses in perceptual decisions reflect exploration

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sashank Pisupati ◽  
Lital Chartarifsky-Lynn ◽  
Anup Khanal ◽  
Anne K. Churchland
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Reward Magnitude ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Strategic Trade ◽  
Evidence Strength ◽  
Constant Rate ◽  
Brain States

ABSTRACTPerceptual decision-makers often display a constant rate of errors independent of evidence strength. These “lapses” are treated as a nuisance arising from noise tangential to the decision, e.g. inattention or motor errors. Here, we use a multisensory decision task in rats to demonstrate that these explanations cannot account for lapses’ stimulus dependence. We propose a novel explanation: lapses reflect a strategic trade-off between exploiting known rewarding actions and exploring uncertain ones. We tested the model’s predictions by selectively manipulating one action’s reward magnitude or probability. As uniquely predicted by this model, changes were restricted to lapses associated with that action. Finally, we show that lapses are a powerful tool for assigning decision-related computations to neural structures based on disruption experiments (here, posterior striatum and secondary motor cortex). These results suggest that lapses reflect an integral component of decision-making and are informative about action values in normal and disrupted brain states.

The Poliheuristic Theory of Crisis Decision Making and Applied Decision Analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inbal Hakman ◽  
Alex Mintz ◽  
Steven B. Redd
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Decision Analysis ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Second Stage ◽  
Choice Sets ◽  
Stage Process ◽  
Choice Set

Poliheuristic theory addresses the “why” and “how” of decision making. It focuses on how decision makers use heuristics en route to choice by addressing both the process and the choice related to the decision task. More specifically, decision makers use a two-stage process wherein a more complicated choice set is reduced to one that is more manageable through the use of these heuristics, or cognitive shortcuts. In the second stage, decision makers are more likely to employ maximizing and analytical strategies in making a choice. Poliheuristic theory also focuses on the political consequences of decision making, arguing that decision makers will refrain from making politically costly decisions. While poliheuristic theory helps us better understand how decision makers process information and make choices, it does not specifically address how choice sets and decision matrices were created in the first place. Applied decision analysis (ADA) rectifies this shortcoming by focusing on how leaders create particular choice sets and matrices and then how they arrive at a choice. It does so by first identifying the decision maker’s choice set or decision matrix; that is, the alternatives or options available to choose from as well as the criteria or dimensions upon which the options will be evaluated. ADA then focuses on uncovering the decision maker’s decision code through the use of multiple decision models. Combining poliheuristic theory with ADA allows researchers to more fully explain decision making in general and crisis decision making in particular. An application of poliheuristic theory and ADA to decision making pertaining to the Fukushima nuclear disaster reveals that even in this high-stress crisis environment decision makers followed the two-stage process as predicted by poliheuristic theory. More specifically, in the first stage, decision makers simplified the decision task by resorting to cognitive heuristics (i.e., decision making shortcuts) to eliminate politically damaging alternatives such as voluntary evacuation. In the second stage, decision makers conducted a more analytical evaluation of the compulsory evacuation options.

Applying linguistic information and intersection concept to improve effectiveness of multi-criteria decision analysis technology

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (02) ◽  
pp. 291-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping-Feng Pai ◽  
Chen-Tung Chen ◽  
Wei-Zhan Hung
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Specific Problem ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Linguistic Variables ◽  
Simulation Test ◽  
Linguistic Information ◽  
Comparison Results ◽  
Ranking Order ◽  
Decision Alternatives ◽  
Intersection Method

Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) is one of the most widely used decision methodologies. Because every kind of MCDM approach has unique strengths and weaknesses, it is difficult to determine which kind of MCDM approach is best suited to a specific problem. Therefore, a new decision-making method is proposed herein, based on linguistic information and intersection concepts; it is called the linguistic intersection method (LIM). Notably, the linguistic variables are more suited to expressing the opinion of each decision maker. There are four MCDM methods: TOPSIS, ELECTRE, PROMETHEE and VIKOR which are included in the LIM. First, each MCDM approach is used to determine the ranking order of all alternatives in accordance with the linguistic evaluations of decision makers. Then, the intersection set is determined with regard to the better alternatives of all methods. Third, the final ranking order of alternatives in the intersection set can be determined by the proposed method. Lastly, an example is given to describe the procedure of the proposed method. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, a simulation test is provided to compare the LIM with the linguistic MCDM method. According to the comparison results, the proposed method is more stable in determining the ranking order of all decision alternatives.

Managerial decision making under specific emotions

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 861-874 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre A. Bachkirov
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Human Resources Management ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Managerial Decision ◽  
Managerial Decision Making ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Processing Effects

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate decision-processing effects of incidental emotions in managerial decision-making situations. Design/methodology/approach – A complex multi-attribute, multi-alternative decision task related to international human resources management is used as a research vehicle. The data are obtained by means of an electronic information board. Findings – Happiness and anger cause the decision maker to process less decision-relevant information, whereas fear activates more detail-oriented processing. The results are explained within the valence model and cognitive-appraisal framework. Research limitations/implications – A boundary condition of the study is the level of induced emotions. Processing effects of extremely high levels of emotions are not examined, which necessarily limits the generalizability of the findings. Also, the experiment focusses on the decision-processing effects of single isolated emotions extracted by manipulations; future research needs to examine decision-making implications of an entire emotion episode, which is likely to contain emotion mixtures. Practical implications – For managers, this study demonstrates the importance of being mindful of how incidental emotional states can bias choice processing in complex managerial decisions. Originality/value – This study extends earlier organizational research by focussing on decision-making consequences of emotion, rather than those of mood or stress. It brings together research on incidental emotions and process-tracing methodologies, thereby allowing for more direct assessment of the observed effects. Decision-processing consequences of emotion are shown to persist throughout a content-rich managerial decision task without being neutralized by an intensive cognitive engagement.

The effects of implicit evaluation of emotion regulation on electrical brain activity

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Yujia Yao ◽  
Yuyang Xuan ◽  
Biao Sang ◽  
Liqing Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Psychological Intervention ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Emotional Stimuli ◽  
Implicit Representation ◽  
Electrical Brain Activity ◽  
Processing Depth

Implicit evaluation of emotion regulation (IE-ER) refers to an implicit representation of individuals' attitudes about whether emotion should be regulated, and comprises positive (PIE-ER) and negative (NIE-ER) emotion regulation components. In this study we used the picture position decision task to investigate participants' electrical brain responses to both types of IE-ER. Electroencephalogram data were recorded simultaneously. Analysis of variance results show that the PIEER (vs. NIE-ER) group had significantly higher N1 amplitudes, shorter N1 latencies, and lower P1 amplitudes. The P1 amplitude in the left (vs. right) frontal brain region was significantly higher in both groups. In addition, as the PIE-ER (vs. NIE-ER) group had a greater ability to orient themselves to emotional stimuli, the cognitive resources they allocated to processing emotional stimuli decreased: Processing depth gradually became shallow, and emotion regulation elicited left frontal electrical asymmetry. Our findings provide a new understanding of unconscious emotion regulation, which may impact on physical and psychological intervention for the treatment of individuals' emotional problems and mental health, and well-being promotion.

scholarly journals Wetland Restoration Planning Approach Based on Interval Fuzzy Linear Programming under Uncertainty

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (18) ◽  
pp. 9549
Author(s):  
Yang Zhang ◽  
Jing Shen
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Linear Programming ◽  
Wetland Restoration ◽  
Fuzzy Linear Programming ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Ecological Environment ◽  
Planning Problem ◽  
Restoration Planning ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Comparison Results

When planning wetland restoration projects, the planting area allocation and the costs of the restoration measures are two major issues faced by decision makers. In this study, a framework based on the interval fuzzy linear programming (IFLP) method is introduced for the first time to plan wetland restoration projects. The proposed framework can not only effectively deal with interval and fuzzy uncertainties that exist in the planning process of wetland restorations but also handle trade-offs between ecological environment benefits and economic cost. This framework was applied to a real-world wetland restoration planning problem in the northeast of China to verify its validity and examine the credibility of the constraints. The optimized results obtained from the framework that we have developed indicate that higher ecological and social benefits can be obtained with optimal restoration costs after using the wetland restoration decision-making framework. The optimal restoration measure allocation schemes obtained by IFLP under different credibility levels can help decision makers generate a range of alternatives, which can also provide decision suggestions to local managers to generate a satisfactory decision-making plan. Furthermore, a comparison was made between the IFLP model and ILP model in this study. The comparison results indicate that the IFLP model provides more information regarding ecological environment and economic trade-offs between the system objective, certainty, and reliability. This framework provides managers with an effective way to plan wetland restoration projects, while transference of the model may help solve similar problems.

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