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In gut we trust when it comes to choices

A study published by the American Psychological Association suggests that focusing on feelings instead of logic in decision-making leads to increased attitude certainty and stronger advocacy for chosen options. This approach can also change behavior, as seen in experiments where participants who made intuitive decisions shared their ch...

Managing multiple health conditions

A study of older adults with multiple chronic health conditions and their caregivers revealed key findings about supportive and conflicted caregiver-care recipient relationships. Supportive behaviors included agreement on caregiving levels, mutual understanding, and collaborative decision-making. Conflicts arose from disagreements over...

SourceAmerican Geriatrics Society·JournalJournal of the American Geriatrics Society·DateAug 31, 2018

Parrots' economics

Researchers found that parrots make deliberate, profit-maximizing decisions, prioritizing higher-value food over immediate rewards. However, individual motivation plays a role, with some birds valuing the token itself over economic gain.

SourceMax-Planck-Gesellschaft·JournalScientific Reports·DateAug 22, 2018

Doctor-patient discussions neglect potential harms of lung cancer screening, study finds

A study by researchers from the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center found that doctor-patient discussions about lung cancer screening are often brief and one-sided, failing to address potential harms. The conversation quality was rated as poor, with only a few minutes spent discussing the issue on average.

SourceUNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center·JournalJAMA Internal Medicine·DateAug 13, 2018

Penalty kick research hits the spot

A new study from the University of Portsmouth suggests that implicit practice methods can help football players improve their penalty kick accuracy. The research found that using these methods, which encourage independent decision-making, results in higher kicking accuracy compared to explicit training methods.

SourceUniversity of Portsmouth·JournalHuman Movement Science·DateAug 9, 2018

Moral decision making is rife with internal conflict, say developmental psychologists

A new study reveals that people are capable of articulating multiple considerations when making moral decisions, including harm, welfare, individual rights, fairness, and justice. Despite the complexity of scenarios like the trolley dilemma, participants were able to provide reasons for their judgments, indicating that moral reasoning ...

SourceUniversity of California - Santa Cruz·JournalMonographs of the Society for Research in Child Development·DateAug 2, 2018

A RACIPE for success

Jackson Laboratory Assistant Professor Mingyang Lu has developed a computational approach called RACIPE to capture genetic events in cellular decision-making. The algorithm could have broad impact on basic research and designing new therapeutic interventions in genomic medicine.

Focusing on next 10 years could lead to better use of recommendations for cancer screening

A recent study found that asking individuals to set up a long-term screening schedule can increase adherence to evidence-based guidelines for cancer screening. In the study, 62.6% of participants made decisions reflecting USPSTF's recommendations when asked to choose a screening schedule for the next 10 years.

SourceSociety for Personality and Social Psychology·JournalSocial Psychological and Personality Science·DateJun 20, 2018

Speed-accuracy tradeoff turns up gain in the brain

A recent study published in eNeuro resolves a long-standing issue in decision-making by showing how the brain optimizes speed and accuracy. Researchers found that the brain adjusts signal-to-noise ratio to balance speed and accuracy, shedding light on the neural mechanisms underlying this crucial aspect of human behavior.

SourceSociety for Neuroscience·JournaleNeuro·DateJun 4, 2018

New in the Hastings Center Report, May-June 2018

The article discusses the ethical implications of genetic testing and the duty to warn family members of hereditary disease risks. Experts argue that patients have a moral obligation to share their genetic information with relatives, citing the principle of rescue as a framework for decision-making.

SourceThe Hastings Center·JournalHastings Center Report·DateJun 1, 2018

This is your brain detecting patterns

The brain processes pattern learning in a distinct way compared to probabilistic learning, with different parts of the brain being activated. Participants showed increased activity in the hippocampus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex when figuring out patterns, indicating a sense of reward and improved learning speed.

SourceOhio State University·JournalNeuron·DateMay 31, 2018

Effective methods for automated design of complex technical objects and systems

Researchers at Lobachevsky University have proposed a two-fold approach to overcome the computational complexity of multicriteria problems. By re-using search information and using effective global search algorithms, they aim to find multiple compromise options that cannot be improved simultaneously with respect to all partial criteria.

SourceLobachevsky University·JournalJournal of Global Optimization·DateMay 18, 2018

Study reveals how the brain decides to make an effort

A new study published in PNAS found that the brain's ventromedial prefrontal cortex plays a key role in forming expectations underlying effort-based choices. The study used fMRI to model neural computations for effort and reward, revealing a clear role for three brain regions: the vmPFC, dACC, and aI.

SourceEmory Health Sciences·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateMay 14, 2018

Computerized test may help improve ADHD diagnoses

A new clinical trial published in Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry shows that a computerised test of attention and activity (QbTest) can reduce the time needed to make a diagnostic decision on ADHD, increase the likelihood of excluding ADHD when it is not present, and improve clinicians' confidence in their decision-making. T...

SourceWiley·JournalJournal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry·DateMay 4, 2018

Understanding fear of guilt key in better treating OCD

A new study at University of Waterloo found that fear of guilt evokes feelings of doubt in decision-making, leading to indecisiveness and repetition in OCD patients. The study's results suggest that addressing this specific factor could improve treatment outcomes for individuals with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

SourceUniversity of Waterloo·JournalJournal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders·DateMay 2, 2018

How do people die in Switzerland today?

A study by the universities of Zurich and Geneva found significant differences in end-of-life decisions across Switzerland's three linguistic regions. In all regions, deaths were preceded by one or more end-of-life decisions, with a common legislative framework governing life-sustaining treatment and assisted suicide. The involvement o...

SourceUniversité de Genève·JournalBMC Medicine·DateApr 20, 2018