Research on how people make decisions. Covers workplace food choices, medication risk trade-offs, and treatment selection in mental health.
Researchers analyzed data from clinics and surveys to examine the outcomes of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide requests. They found that patients with somatic conditions or cognitive decline had higher rates of granted requests, while those with psychological conditions had lower rates.
A new statistical model developed by Michael Braun and collaborators can help businesses estimate the value of customer relationships and optimize marketing efforts. The model considers factors such as service quality and price paid during transactions to assess the impact of marketing activities on customer retention.
A new study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology reveals that remembering self-control failures can actually lead to repeated failure, rather than improved decision-making. The research found that recalling past successes is more effective in improving self-control, while recalling failures has a negative impact.
A study published in European Journal of Neuroscience found that the hippocampus and nucleus accumbens work together to make decisions about time and reward. Effective 'disconnection' of these structures can lead to impulsive behavior, suggesting potential therapeutic targets for psychiatric disorders.
Peter Lichtenberg's Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University has developed the Lichtenberg Financial Decision-Making Screening and Rating Scales, a tool to profile an older adult's vulnerability to exploitation. The scales have shown initial studies confirm their reliability in identifying those at risk of financial abuse.
The American Society of Human Genetics recommends genetic testing for children only when results could have an immediate impact on healthcare decisions. Predictive testing is particularly complicated and may affect family relationships and mental health. ASHG advises against direct-to-consumer DNA testing, especially in healthy children.
Clemson University researchers found that poor sleep habits increase the risk of impulsive desires, inattentiveness, and questionable decision-making. Better sleep habits can contribute to improved health and worker performance, as well as reduced risks of addictions and excessive spending.
According to new research, millennials are more accepting of working mothers and traditional gender roles compared to gen xers. A growing minority still holds onto traditional gender-based views. The study found that support for working mothers increased significantly over the years.
India's abortion law is criticized for its arbitrary 20-week cut-off, compelling women to continue pregnancies against their wishes. This can lead to physical and mental trauma, unsafe abortions, and related maternal mortality.
A new study found that individual baboons can contribute to a troop's collective movement and that decision-making is largely a shared process. The majority rule suggests that the subgroup with the most initiators determines the direction of movement, reducing conflict in complex societies.
A new study found that people allocate medical resources equally across groups, but make more efficient decisions when presented with individual patient information. This bias towards equality can lead to suboptimal allocation decisions, but may also have positive outcomes in certain contexts.
Researchers have discovered a set of neurons in the medial temporal lobe that is indicative of an individual's confidence level in their memories. The study found that the activity of these neurons, known as familiarity and novelty neurons, is proportional to confidence, suggesting that they play a key role in assessing memory quality.
Older adults perform just as well as younger adults in simple decision-making, according to a study published in Cognition. However, in more complex decisions, older adults may struggle due to age-related cognitive decline. The study suggests that simple learning strategies can be useful for aging decision makers despite limitations.
MIT researchers discovered a neural circuit that underlies approach-avoidance conflict, a type of decision-making that elicits anxiety. By manipulating this circuit in rodents, they showed that it can transform preferences for lower-risk choices into those for bigger payoffs despite their costs.
Researchers found strong association between hospital admissions and progression of disability among older adults during last year of life. Hospitalizations were a key predictor of mortality and disability severity among these patients.
A large study found that routine hospital admission for patients with chest pain and negative emergency department evaluations is rarely associated with adverse cardiac events. The study suggests that judicious follow-up in the outpatient setting may be more effective, improving patient outcomes while reducing unnecessary hospitalization.
The UK is launching a Choosing Wisely programme to tackle overdiagnosis and unnecessary care, following a US initiative. The programme aims to promote evidence-based care by identifying tests and procedures with no benefit, and reducing waste in healthcare.
Medical ethicists propose a solution to the US organ shortage crisis by introducing an 'uncontrolled donation after circulatory determination of death' (UDCDD) approach. This method considers deceased individuals for donation even outside hospitals, allowing families to decide later if they want to preserve organs for potential donation.
A recent study published in Biological Psychiatry found that dopamine signals the value of delayed rewards, revealing a sophisticated role in guiding decision-making behavior. The research used rodent models to examine the neurotransmitter's dynamic tracking of specific elements of value-based decision making.
A WSU study reveals that sleep deprivation can lead to catastrophic decisions in crisis situations, affecting doctors, first responders, and military personnel. The experiment simulated real-world scenarios, showing that sleep-deprived individuals struggle to adapt to changing circumstances.
A new study found that individuals with a high need for closure tend to freeze their investment decisions despite new market information, increasing the risk of their portfolios. Clear guidance can help mitigate this behavior.
Iowa State researchers used EEG to measure brain activity and found people with high self-control took longer to contemplate high-risk situations. The study suggests that organizations should focus on internal security measures to protect sensitive information.
The study found that two specific brain regions, the posterior cingulate cortex and rostral anterior cingulate cortex, are activated when making defensive or offensive strategies. This suggests that intuition plays a key role in rapid strategic decisions, rather than deliberate reasoning.
A special issue of JCEDM explores the current state of situation awareness, a construct that has driven advances in human factors/ergonomics fields. The articles discuss the perception and interpretation of surroundings, workload effects on SA, and its applications in complex work domains.
Research reveals that Dutch doctors are withholding treatment from a substantial proportion of elderly patients, driven by considerations of comfort and respect rather than ageism. Treatment was withheld in 37% of cases, with the oldest patients being more likely to have artificial feeding and fluids or antibiotics withdrawn.
New research from the University of Missouri shows a significant increase in end-of-life discussions among individuals. The study found that advance care planning is not strongly linked to socioeconomic status or education level, but rather household income plays a role in designating a healthcare proxy.
A mathematical model proposes that parties form coalitions based on interactions with voters and constituents, analyzing the likelihood of coalition formation. The model accounts for eight different possibilities that can change over time.
Syngenta's use of advanced analytics and operations research led to improved crop production, reducing the time and cost required to develop crops with high productivity. The company's innovative tools have resulted in over $287 million in cost savings and a high probability of delivering a portfolio value exceeding $1.5 billion.
A study of veterans in Connecticut found that nearly 7% of patients have a next of kin who is not a nuclear family member, often a friend or intimate partner. States should consider adopting uniform default consent statutes to reflect evolving social ties.
Research by University of Missouri professor Chris Robert found that people tend to overestimate the likelihood of new technologies' success, influencing important decisions. This phenomenon, known as the 'technology effect,' is driven by constant exposure to technology and associations with successful outcomes.
A new study suggests that using plain language, graphics, and stories can simplify the health insurance enrollment process for people who have never had insurance before. The research found that these methods helped participants make informed choices about their coverage options and increased their confidence in their decisions.
A new study reveals that women are more open to trying new products and services when they are ovulating. This increased desire for variety is not due to conscious decision-making but rather a natural response driven by their reproductive cycle.
Consumers who consider themselves more independent are more likely to rely on their feelings when making decisions. In one study, consumers chose smaller, prettier apartments over larger, more conveniently located ones when they felt independent.
A new dynamic geo-simulation model integrates Multi-agent System (MAS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) to simulate complex urban public safety emergency response processes. The model enables policy makers to learn the complexity of the process quickly with more scientific and reliable emergency decisions.
Researchers at MIT suggest that consumers use a simple index strategy to make decisions, ranking products based on factors like price and quality. This approach is more efficient than complex models, requiring less cognitive effort and time.
A study by Lund University researchers found that people's moral responses can be influenced by what they're looking at when making a decision. The findings suggest that the thought process needed to reach a moral position is interlinked with the process of viewing the world.
New research reveals that bats can gather information from their environment and process it extremely fast to determine how to attack or call off the hunt. The study shows that bats can adjust their attack until approximately 100 milliseconds away from their prey.
Researchers used remote eye-trackers to monitor participants' gaze while thinking about complex moral questions. The results showed that participants' moral decisions were systematically biased towards the target alternative, with a 58% success rate for choosing the randomly selected option.
Researchers at the University of Bonn found that traffic light labels are more effective in helping consumers resist high-calorie foods than traditional nutrition labels. The study participants were willing to pay significantly more for healthy products with green labels and less for unhealthy products with red labels.
A study suggests that supervisors can distinguish between selfless and self-servingly motivated employees based on their organizational citizenship behavior. Selfless employees are more likely to contribute positively to the organization, while self-servingly motivated employees focus on personal advancement.
A recent study published in the Lancet found that babies with severely restricted growth in the womb who were monitored using late ductus venosus changes had better neurodevelopmental outcomes than those who were monitored using other techniques. The researchers recommend that these babies should be supervised in specialist centers whe...
A new study suggests that realistic consumers who create budgets are more successful in prioritizing their spending and managing finances. Consumers who budget beforehand tend to report fewer dysfunctional behaviors such as overspending and impulsive shopping.
Highly anxious people struggle to read environmental cues, leading to poor decision-making under uncertainty. They may catastrophize or have trouble adjusting to changing situations, resulting in worse choices.
An interactive online education tool has been developed to help practicing oncologists with therapeutic decision-making for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by providing feedback from an expert panel. The tool integrates clinical, histological, and molecular features into treatment plans, leading to a change in treatment cho...
A new study in the Journal of Marketing Research found that marketing managers' attempts to imagine themselves as consumers lead to biased predictions, with their own preferences taking over. The researchers conducted four studies and discovered that by acknowledging this bias, managers can overcome it and make more customer-centric de...
Researchers found that asking people to compare a donation to an indulgent product increases charitable donations. People feel less selfish when envisioning a treat, leading to more generous giving.
Researchers at Columbia University find that brain neurons apply Wald's sequential probability ratio test to make simple decisions, just like Alan Turing did with the Enigma code. This neural implementation of the test allows for rapid weighing of probabilities and rational decision-making.
A new study found that cancer patients' preferences for involving family members in treatment decisions differ significantly by ethnic background, marital status, sex, age, and insurance status. Non-English speaking Asian patients and Spanish-speaking Hispanic patients were more likely to share decision-making with their families.
A study found that watching a video explaining CPR and intubation procedures improved patient understanding, with 72% opting against intubation and 64% refusing CPR. Videos helped patients express their choices to doctors, promoting patient-centered care.
A new study found that women who understand the risks of over-detection and over-diagnosis associated with mammography screening are less likely to have a breast screening test. The Lancet study suggests that clear decision support materials can help women make more informed decisions about their screening choices.
A study from the University at Buffalo School of Management analyzed surveys and interviews with Mumbai Police officers involved in the response to terrorist attacks. The researchers found that first responders who received timely information access made better decisions, while those without proper training were less effective. To impr...
A large study found that hot flashes and night sweats lasted for more than 7 years in half of all midlife women, with African American women reporting the longest total VMS duration. Women with lower educational attainment, greater stress, and higher depressive symptoms experienced longer symptom durations.
Research suggests that how people visualize hackers affects their cybersecurity decisions. Those who picture a teenage hacker make better decisions, while those who visualize a foreign hacker focus on more lucrative targets. This study aims to influence the development of cybersecurity by understanding social behaviors and rationales b...
Professor John Savage argues that a multistakeholder model is key to maintaining a free and open Internet. He suggests disaggregating governance into smaller, manageable issues and utilizing existing international organizations for non-technical public policy matters.
The EU and GBIF are launching a €3.9 million project to enhance capacity and mobilize data from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. The BID initiative aims to improve biodiversity management in these regions and support human well-being.
Researchers found that rhesus macaques were willing to give up a significant portion of a potential prize to quickly find out if they selected the winning option in a game of chance. The study suggests that the brain's Orbitofrontal cortex plays a crucial role in processing curiosity and evaluating rewards.
Patients who preferred physician-controlled decisions had lower reported quality of care compared to those with shared decision-making. Patients' reports about the quality of their care are increasingly important health care performance measures.
After 40 years of work, experts conclude that securing individual rights, improving caregiving relationships, and reforming healthcare systems are crucial to advancing end-of-life care. Strategies include training clinicians in communication skills, designing systemic improvements, and enacting financing reforms.
A new electronic model developed by McMaster University researchers aims to revolutionize shared decision-making in doctor's offices. The SHARE-IT decision aids provide simple formats for patients to review medical information and evidence, promoting meaningful conversations between patients and doctors.
Researchers found that dividing options into smaller piles and choosing the best option from each pile produced the best outcomes. In contrast, considering all options together led to poor decisions due to choice overload. The sequential tournament approach was the most effective but also the least liked by study subjects.