In Game as in Life? Linking Decision-making to Real-world Behavior

Decision-making processes in everyday life are complex. Research on decision-making has focused on self-report or experimental paradigms to understand this process. Recent work has highlighted the potential for complex iterative decision-making frameworks. We developed a simulated decision-making paradigm to assess the relationship between in-game and real-world behaviors and symptoms of depression through exploratory and then pre-registered, confirmatory analyses. Our pre-registered and post-hoc confirmatory analyses highlighted the link between in-game technology use and real-world technology use. We also explored decision-making through transition probabilities to evaluate how specific decisions might unfold over time. The findings emphasized the stability of discrete decision-making in two independent samples. Taken together, these findings suggest that some behavioral patterns appear to be quite stable. Our novel “game” has the potential to provide important insights into decision-making processes and may provide a unique method for identifying and intervening on specific targeted behaviors.

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Shared leadership in tertiary care: design of a simulation for patient safety decision-making in healthcare management teams

BMJ Simulation and Technology Enhanced Learning ◽

10.1136/bmjstel-2020-000627 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. bmjstel-2020-000627

Author(s):

Lisa Aufegger ◽

Emma Soane ◽

Ara Darzi ◽

Colin Bicknell

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Patient Safety ◽

Real World ◽

Shared Leadership ◽

Improve Patient Safety ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

Management Training ◽

Healthcare Management ◽

Self Report ◽

Good Opportunity

IntroductionSimulation-based training (SBT) on shared leadership (SL) and group decision-making (GDM) can contribute to the safe and efficient functioning of a healthcare system, yet it is rarely incorporated into healthcare management training. The aim of this study was design, develop and validate a robust and evidence-based SBT to explore and train SL and GDM.MethodUsing a two-stage iterative simulation design approach, 103 clinical and non-clinical managerial students and healthcare professionals took part in an SBT that contained real-world problems and opportunities to improve patient safety set within a fictional context. Self-report data were gathered, and a focus group was conducted to address the simulation’s degree of realism, content, relevance, as well as areas for improvement.ResultsParticipants experienced the simulation scenario, the material and the role assignment as realistic and representative of real-world tasks and decision contexts, and as a good opportunity to identify and enact relevant tasks, behaviours and knowledge related to SL and GDM. Areas for improvement were highlighted with regard to involving an actor who challenges SL and GDM; more preparatory time to allow for an enhanced familiarisation of the content; and, video debriefs to reflect on relevant behaviours and team processes.ConclusionsOur simulation was perceived as an effective method to develop SL and GDM within the context of patient safety and healthcare management. Future studies could extend this scenario method to other areas of healthcare service and delivery, and to different sectors that require diverse groups to make complex decisions.

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Perceived Injustice Moderates the Relationship between Pain and Depressive Symptoms among Individuals with Persistent Musculoskeletal Pain

Pain Research and Management ◽

10.1155/2012/501260 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 17 (5) ◽

pp. 335-340 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Whitney Scott ◽

Michael Sullivan

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Musculoskeletal Pain ◽

Pain Catastrophizing ◽

Self Report ◽

Pain Severity ◽

Hierarchical Regression ◽

Perceived Injustice ◽

Symptoms Of Depression ◽

Post Hoc ◽

The Relationship

BACKGROUND: Numerous investigations report that depressive symptoms frequently coexist with persistent pain. However, evidence suggests that symptoms of depression are not an inevitable consequence of pain. Diathesis-stress formulations suggest that psychological factors interact with the stress of pain to heighten the risk of depressive symptoms. Perceptions of injustice have recently emerged as a factor that may interact with the stress of pain to increase depressive symptoms.OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to examine whether perceived injustice moderates the relationship between pain and depressive symptoms.METHODS: A total of 107 individuals with persistent musculoskeletal pain completed self-report measures of pain severity, depressive symptoms, perceived injustice and catastrophizing.RESULTS: A hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the interaction between pain severity and perceived injustice uniquely contributed an additional 6% of the variance to the prediction of depressive symptoms, beyond the main effects of these variables. Post hoc probing indicated that pain was significantly related to depressive symptoms at high, but not low levels of perceived injustice. This finding remained statistically significant even when controlling for pain catastrophizing.CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that perceived injustice augments the relationship between pain severity and depressive symptoms. The inclusion of techniques specifically targeting perceptions of injustice may enhance the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing symptoms of depression for individuals presenting with strong perceptions of injustice.

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National Inequality and Individual Readiness to Cooperate

10.31234/osf.io/f79rw ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Joshua Skewes

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Social Welfare ◽

Public Goods ◽

Real World ◽

Behavioral Model ◽

Economic Cooperation ◽

Laboratory Research ◽

Economic Games ◽

Public Goods Games ◽

Decision Making Processes

People in societies with higher inequality spend less time volunteering, and participate less in social organizations. Nations with higher inequality spend less money on social welfare, and have more conflict. Laboratory research has shown that when inequality is simulated in cooperative economic games, people who are given more resources contribute less than is optimal, and people who are given fewer resources contribute more. This study links these findings to real world inequality, and applies a model to explain these effects in terms of decision-making processes. Using a dataset of 255 groups playing public goods games in thirteen economically diverse societies, I show that in nations with higher inequality, economic cooperation decays more quickly. Using a behavioral model, I show that this occurs because people living in less equal nations have a lower readiness to match one another’s contributions. I discuss the importance of these results for understanding trust and conflict.

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Fiscal Policy and Macroeconomic Stabilisation in the Euro Area: Possible Reforms of the Stability and Growth Pact and National Decision-Making Processes

Designing the European Model ◽

10.1057/9780230236653_7 ◽

2009 ◽

pp. 177-228

Author(s):

Seppo Honkapohja ◽

Frank Westermann

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Fiscal Policy ◽

Euro Area ◽

Stability And Growth Pact ◽

Growth Pact ◽

Decision Making Processes ◽

The Stability

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Initial Evaluation of the LifeForce Yoga Program as a Therapeutic Intervention for Depression

International Journal of Yoga Therapy ◽

10.17761/ijyt.18.1.6x535022m2g37732 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 49-57 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shannon Bennett ◽

Amy Weintraub ◽

Sat Bir Khalsa

Keyword(s):

Repeated Measures ◽

Self Report ◽

Initial Training ◽

Home Practice ◽

Repeated Measures Anova ◽

Symptoms Of Depression ◽

Main Effect ◽

Symptom Scores ◽

Assessment Time ◽

Post Hoc

There is a growing body of literature citing Yoga as an effective intervention for decreasing symptoms of depression. This naturalistic pilot study investigated the efficacy of the LifeForce Yoga Program in decreasing reported symptoms of depression and other mood symptoms. The sample consisted of 94 individuals who completed self-report questionnaire before participating in a five-day LifeForce Yoga training. 54 of these individuals completed the same questionnaire after two weeks of home practice following the training, and 33 participants completed these questionnaires two months after the initial training. Repeated measures ANOVA tests demonstrated a main effect for time, indicating that mean symptom scores decreased significantly across the assessment time points on nearly all of the outcome measures of interest. Post hoc t-tests showed that the statistically significant change occurred between Time 1 and Time 2, and was then largely maintained from Time 2 to Time 3. These results suggest that participation in a comprehensive Yoga program, designed specifically to address mood, can lead to decreased symptoms of depression and associated physical or mood states.

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Does scheduling matter? When unscheduled decision making results in more effective meetings

Journal of Strategy and Management ◽

10.1108/jsma-03-2014-0017 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 15-38 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Boris Eisenbart ◽

Massimo Garbuio ◽

Daniele Mascia ◽

Federica Morandi

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Real World ◽

Group Discussion ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Content Type ◽

Distributed Information ◽

Critical Design ◽

Meeting Scheduling ◽

Decision Making Processes ◽

Potential Impact

Purpose – Managers spend a great deal of time in meetings making decisions critical to organisational success, yet the design aspects of meetings remain largely understudied. The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on the potential impact of one critical design aspect of meetings – namely, whether a decision to be taken (or the meeting in general) was scheduled or not – on the use of distributed information, information elaboration, conflict, speed of decision making, and, ultimately, decision-making effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach – The research presented in this paper combines a literature review with empirical data obtained from questionnaires and direct observation of decision making meetings on organisational issues in a hospital. One meeting was scheduled, the other two were unscheduled. A second questionnaire was administered 12 months after the respective decision making meetings to explore and evaluate the efficiency of the decisions made and their implementation. Findings – This paper suggests that a scheduled meeting with a shared agenda of all decisions to be taken may induce decision makers to form opinions upfront at the meeting, with these opinions eventually serving as sources of conflict during group discussion. Because of the nature of the conflict generated, these meetings are more likely to run long and to not deliver the expected outcomes. Originality/value – The study contributes to the debate on group decision-making processes by examining the effect of meeting scheduling on information elaboration and conflict in real-world decision-making settings. Although robust evidence has supported the existence of relationships between information elaboration, conflict, and decision-making effectiveness, previous studies have mainly focused on the effects of these processes during scheduled meetings and experimental settings. The findings of the present study show the effect of meeting scheduling on decision-making effectiveness in real-world settings.

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Determining E-Bike Drivers’ Decision-Making Mechanisms during Signal Change Interval Using the Hidden Markov Driving Model

Journal of Advanced Transportation ◽

10.1155/2019/7341097 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sheng Dong ◽

Jibiao Zhou ◽

Shuichao Zhang

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Traffic Control ◽

Hidden Markov ◽

Video Data ◽

Trajectory Data ◽

Dilemma Zone ◽

Driving Model ◽

Decision Making Processes ◽

The Stability ◽

The Impact

Rapidly increasing e-bike use in China has resulted in new traffic problems including rising accident rates at intersections related to e-bike drivers’ decision-making during multiple signal phases. Traditional one-step decision models (such as GHM) lack randomness and cannot adequately model e-bike drivers’ complex behavior. Therefore, this study used a Hidden Markov Driving Model (HMDM) to analyze e-bike drivers’ decision-making process based on high-resolution trajectory data. Video data were collected at three intersections in Shanghai and processed for use in the HMDM model. Five decision types (pass, stop, stop-pass, pass-stop, and multiple) composed of speed and acceleration/deceleration information were defined and used to analyze the impact of flashing green signals on e-bike drivers’ behavior and decision-making processes. Approximately 40% of drivers made multiple decisions during the flashing green and yellow signal phases, in contrast to the traditional GHM model assumption that drivers only make one decision. Distance from stop-line had the most obvious influence on the number of decisions. The use of flashing green signals nearly eliminated the dilemma zone for e-bike drivers but enlarged the option zone, inducing more stop/pass decisions. HMDM can be applied to improve the accuracy of traffic simulation, the fine design of traffic signals, the stability analysis of traffic control schemes, and so on.

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Convergence's Democracy Problem: A Critique of Kogelmann and Stich

American Political Science Review ◽

10.1017/s000305541700065x ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 112 (2) ◽

pp. 423-427

Author(s):

BENJAMIN R. HERTZBERG

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Political Science ◽

Public Reason ◽

American Political Science Review ◽

Political Stability ◽

Review Article ◽

Science Review ◽

Decision Making Processes ◽

The Stability ◽

American Political Science

In their 2016 American Political Science Review article, Kogelmann and Stich argue that public reason fails to provide the assurance reasonable citizens require to act justly and that, as a consequence, Rawls's account of political stability fails. Convergence discussions, because they are a costly signal, provide such assurance. Kogelmann and Stich fail to recognize that constituents influence representatives such that the costs of convergence discourse are unknown. It thus cannot assure. Constituents’ influence also undermines convergence's ability to show how decision-making processes that follow its norms result in justified laws. Far from supporting convergence, then, the stability question demands revision of the view. This response develops these objections, extends them from Kogelmann and Stich's analysis to other convergence theorists and political liberals, and explores what political theorists can learn from convergence's difficulties.

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Real-world decision making in the upstream oil and gas industry—prescriptions for improvement

The APPEA Journal ◽

10.1071/aj07022 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 48 (1) ◽

pp. 329

Author(s):

Steve I Mackie ◽

Steve H Begg ◽

Chris Smith ◽

Matthew Welsh

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Real World ◽

Oil And Gas ◽

Oil And Gas Industry ◽

Gas Industry ◽

The Real ◽

Decision Outcomes ◽

Decision Making Processes ◽

Decision Making Model

Business under-performance in the upstream oil and gas industry, and the failure of many decisions to return anticipated results, has led to a growing interest in the past few years in understanding the impacts of decision-making processes and their relationship with decision outcomes. Improving oil and gas decision making is, thus, increasingly seen as reliant on an understanding of the processes of decision making in the real world. There has been significant work carried out within the discipline of cognitive psychology, observing how people actually make decisions; however, little is known as to whether these general observations apply to decision making in the upstream oil and gas industry. This paper is a step towards filling this gap by developing the theme of decision-making process. It documents a theoretical decision-making model and a real-world decision-making model that has been distilled from interviews with many Australian upstream oil and gas professionals. The context of discussion is to review the theoretical model (how people should make decisions) and the real-world model (how people do make decisions). By comparing and contrasting the two models we develop a prescriptive list of how to improve the quality of decisions in practice, specifically as it applies in the upstream oil and gas industry.

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