Articles tagged with Decision Making
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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...
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...
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.
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...
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.
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 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 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.
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
A Canadian multicenter survey of over 1,200 hospital-based clinicians identified key barriers to end-of-life care discussions with seriously ill patients and their families. The study found that factors such as difficulty accepting a poor prognosis, limited understanding of life-sustaining treatments, and disagreements among family mem...
Carnegie Mellon researchers highlight the challenges of navigating complex tradeoffs in privacy decision-making, citing context dependence and malleability of privacy concerns. Effective policies must focus on achieving a greater balance of power between individuals and data holders to protect privacy.
Researchers found that individuals carrying a single copy of the KLOTHO allele, associated with better cognition and longevity, have larger volumes in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. This brain region is vulnerable to atrophy as people age, impacting planning and decision-making abilities.
A recent study by Robert Mai and Stefan Hoffmann found that healthy food is often perceived as tasting bad, leading to overconsumption of unhealthy options. Despite education on ingredients, consumers prioritize taste over healthiness, making it challenging to combat obesity rates.
A new study in the Journal of Marketing shows that the scent surrounding a store atmosphere can influence consumer choices. Researchers found that warm fragrances make consumers perceive crowded spaces, leading them to compensate by buying prestigious items and increasing their purchases overall.
A new algorithm is a useful tool for measuring chronic kidney disease patients' readiness to make decisions about initiating dialysis. Patients with knowledge and fewer lifestyle barriers to home dialysis are more likely to be ready to make decisions, while clinicians who explain treatment options can increase readiness.
A new study from Columbia Business School found that 'crystallized intelligence,' gained through experience and accumulated knowledge, is more important than 'fluid intelligence' in making sound financial decisions. The research suggests guidelines for policymakers to help older adults with complex financial decisions.
A new study reveals that hospital case managers rarely provide patients with quality data on at-home care providers, despite state and federal reports being available online. The researchers found that only a few case managers were aware of these reports, and even fewer shared this information with patients.
Researchers recommend increasing documentation of racial disparities in policing and trial outcomes to prevent inequality. They also suggest implementing bias training and promoting institutional diversity to reduce racial biases in legal decision-making.
A study by the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston found that patients in the highest risk category were less likely to receive gallbladder removal surgery. Despite this, only 22% of those in high-risk group had their gallbladders removed. The researchers used a predictive model to identify low-, moderate-, and high-risk ca...
A new study published in PLOS Computational Biology suggests that animals can make efficient decisions by controlling the amount of effort invested within each unit of time, rather than just speed and accuracy. This ability allows them to adapt to changing environments and gain a fitness advantage over those with limited flexibility.
A team of neuroscientists has found that our brains use elapsed time as a proxy for task difficulty to calculate how confident we should be when faced with making choices but lacking sufficient evidence. This association helps untangle the different factors that contribute to the decision-making process.
A study published in Psychological Science found that people with extreme political beliefs are less influenced by outside information and more resistant to the anchor bias, suggesting they make more confident judgments. The results suggest that political extremists' strong belief in the superiority of their ideology may be a key factor.
A recent study published in the Royal Society journal Interface suggests that humans have evolved to rely too heavily on social information, leading to a decrease in responsiveness to changes in their environment. This phenomenon, known as herd mentality, can result in groups becoming less effective at making decisions.
A new study in the Journal of International Marketing reveals that subsidiary desire for autonomy is driven by psychology, leading to dysfunctional business relationships. Subsidiaries strive for independence to influence local markets, which can backfire if not managed carefully.
A new online tool, Cities Impact Assessment Tool (CIAT), helps cities in the Great Lakes region anticipate and prepare for climate-related challenges. The tool provides climate histories, projections, and adaptation strategies to support informed policy and infrastructure decisions.
A new Duke University study finds that older adults recruit an additional brain area to remember competing consumer products and choose the better one. The study suggests that this brain activity, involving the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, allows them to perform at a higher level.
A recent study found that feelings of disgust can increase behaviors like lying and cheating, while cleanliness can help people return to ethical behavior. The researchers used three randomized experiments to test the impact of emotions on decision-making.
Dwarf mongooses show real-time behavioral plasticity in response to threat indicators, altering their behavior based on environmental conditions and social signals. This flexible decision-making allows them to optimize foraging time versus vigilance, ensuring survival in a vulnerable predator-rich environment.
A Michigan State University study explores how attitudes about knowledge and power drive the wolf debate, identifying four themes: mistrust among decision-makers, special interest groups disenfranchising voters, political influencers overriding science, and local sources of information being ignored.
Most organizations prioritize analytics maturity, but few have a plan to assess their analytics best practices. INFORMS' survey reveals that only 18% of respondents have an analytics maturity model in place, with many citing lack of resources or affordability as barriers.
A study of the volunteer advocate program found that it provided comprehensive care to incapacitated patients, including end-of-life decisions and Medicaid applications. The program's success demonstrates a viable alternative to overwhelmed state agencies and provides hope for vulnerable individuals without surrogates.
A new report from The Gerontological Society of America highlights the importance of advance directives in securing appropriate advanced illness care. It presents new models and tools that family members and providers can use to provide person- and family-centered care, which may be cost-effective.
Researchers at MIT have created a new visualization system that projects a robot's intentions in real-time, enabling engineers to better understand and optimize their decisions. This technology has the potential to significantly improve the development of self-driving cars, package-delivering drones, and other autonomous vehicles.
The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care recommends against using the PSA test to screen for prostate cancer in most men, citing an increased risk of false positives and overdiagnosis. The guideline aims to balance potential benefits with substantial harms.
A flexible approach to managing disease outbreaks, called adaptive management, allows for real-time updates to contain outbreaks more quickly and efficiently. This approach could lead to significant savings in livestock losses and improved outcomes in cases like foot-and-mouth disease.
Research shows that people associate specific facial traits with personality traits, leading to biased decisions. Studies have found that faces associated with competence, dominance, and friendliness influence social outcomes, such as election results and military rank attainment.