Articles tagged with Decision Making
Comprehensive exploration of living organisms, biological systems, and life processes across all scales from molecules to ecosystems. Encompasses cutting-edge research in biology, genetics, molecular biology, ecology, biochemistry, microbiology, botany, zoology, evolutionary biology, genomics, and biotechnology. Investigates cellular mechanisms, organism development, genetic inheritance, biodiversity conservation, metabolic processes, protein synthesis, DNA sequencing, CRISPR gene editing, stem cell research, and the fundamental principles governing all forms of life on Earth.
Comprehensive medical research, clinical studies, and healthcare sciences focused on disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Encompasses clinical medicine, public health, pharmacology, epidemiology, medical specialties, disease mechanisms, therapeutic interventions, healthcare innovation, precision medicine, telemedicine, medical devices, drug development, clinical trials, patient care, mental health, nutrition science, health policy, and the application of medical science to improve human health, wellbeing, and quality of life across diverse populations.
Comprehensive investigation of human society, behavior, relationships, and social structures through systematic research and analysis. Encompasses psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, political science, linguistics, education, demography, communications, and social research methodologies. Examines human cognition, social interactions, cultural phenomena, economic systems, political institutions, language and communication, educational processes, population dynamics, and the complex social, cultural, economic, and political forces shaping human societies, communities, and civilizations throughout history and across the contemporary world.
Fundamental study of the non-living natural world, matter, energy, and physical phenomena governing the universe. Encompasses physics, chemistry, earth sciences, atmospheric sciences, oceanography, materials science, and the investigation of physical laws, chemical reactions, geological processes, climate systems, and planetary dynamics. Explores everything from subatomic particles and quantum mechanics to planetary systems and cosmic phenomena, including energy transformations, molecular interactions, elemental properties, weather patterns, tectonic activity, and the fundamental forces and principles underlying the physical nature of reality.
Practical application of scientific knowledge and engineering principles to solve real-world problems and develop innovative technologies. Encompasses all engineering disciplines, technology development, computer science, artificial intelligence, environmental sciences, agriculture, materials applications, energy systems, and industrial innovation. Bridges theoretical research with tangible solutions for infrastructure, manufacturing, computing, communications, transportation, construction, sustainable development, and emerging technologies that advance human capabilities, improve quality of life, and address societal challenges through scientific innovation and technological progress.
Study of the practice, culture, infrastructure, and social dimensions of science itself. Addresses how science is conducted, organized, communicated, and integrated into society. Encompasses research funding mechanisms, scientific publishing systems, peer review processes, academic ethics, science policy, research institutions, scientific collaboration networks, science education, career development, research programs, scientific methods, science communication, and the sociology of scientific discovery. Examines the human, institutional, and cultural aspects of scientific enterprise, knowledge production, and the translation of research into societal benefit.
Comprehensive study of the universe beyond Earth, encompassing celestial objects, cosmic phenomena, and space exploration. Includes astronomy, astrophysics, planetary science, cosmology, space physics, astrobiology, and space technology. Investigates stars, galaxies, planets, moons, asteroids, comets, black holes, nebulae, exoplanets, dark matter, dark energy, cosmic microwave background, stellar evolution, planetary formation, space weather, solar system dynamics, the search for extraterrestrial life, and humanity's efforts to explore, understand, and unlock the mysteries of the cosmos through observation, theory, and space missions.
Comprehensive examination of tools, techniques, methodologies, and approaches used across scientific disciplines to conduct research, collect data, and analyze results. Encompasses experimental procedures, analytical methods, measurement techniques, instrumentation, imaging technologies, spectroscopic methods, laboratory protocols, observational studies, statistical analysis, computational methods, data visualization, quality control, and methodological innovations. Addresses the practical techniques and theoretical frameworks enabling scientists to investigate phenomena, test hypotheses, gather evidence, ensure reproducibility, and generate reliable knowledge through systematic, rigorous investigation across all areas of scientific inquiry.
Study of abstract structures, patterns, quantities, relationships, and logical reasoning through pure and applied mathematical disciplines. Encompasses algebra, calculus, geometry, topology, number theory, analysis, discrete mathematics, mathematical logic, set theory, probability, statistics, and computational mathematics. Investigates mathematical structures, theorems, proofs, algorithms, functions, equations, and the rigorous logical frameworks underlying quantitative reasoning. Provides the foundational language and tools for all scientific fields, enabling precise description of natural phenomena, modeling of complex systems, and the development of technologies across physics, engineering, computer science, economics, and all quantitative sciences.
A new online resource called PREPARE has been developed to help people make complex medical decisions through user-friendly content, videos, and a step-by-step process. The website addresses key aspects of advance care planning and decision making, providing concrete examples and tools for patients and their families.
A new study published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes found that experts are more effective when making intuitive decisions, especially in tasks with less structure. In two studies, researchers compared expert and non-expert participants on basketball shot difficulty and designer handbag authenticity tasks. Resu...
A study published in Medical Care finds that negative news coverage of nursing homes outweighs positive stories by five to one. Negative articles often focus on negligence, fraud, or industry issues, while positive stories discuss quality of care and community impact.
Research found that both men and women prefer female candidates with masculine voices, regardless of the leadership role. The results suggest that voice pitch can influence perceptions of leadership capacity across different domains.
A new study reveals that consumers seek to punish fellow shoppers who break rules, yet make exceptions depending on the situation. Consumers are less likely to punish someone if they've been punished by a store employee or have experienced adversity themselves.
A new study published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that consumers make emotional assessments when making decisions closer to their future. The study suggests that companies should tailor their messages to appeal to feelings or objective assessments based on the proximity of the decision outcome.
Researchers found that individuals with better decision-making skills have lower cortisol levels in saliva during stressful situations. The study used virtual reality technology to induce stress in healthy women and measured cortisol levels in saliva.
A study by Concordia University researchers found that consumers' gazes naturally draw towards centrally placed products. This subconscious visual focus influences purchasing decisions. By understanding these unconscious habits, shoppers can make more informed choices and train themselves to thoroughly scan product displays.
A recent study finds that Fortune 1000 companies using marketing analytics see an average 8% increase in return on assets, with potential gains of $70-180 million in net income. The research highlights the key role of management support and analytics skills in successful marketing analytics deployments.
A new study from the University of Missouri found that brief interventions, as short as 30 minutes, can significantly improve exercise habits in college students. Participants who received personalized feedback and set health goals reported increased physical activity compared to those who did not receive the intervention.
A new study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine has identified the orbitofrontal cortex as a critical brain area involved in value-guided behavior, decision-making, and learning. The research suggests that damage to this area can lead to decreased ability to use prior experience to make good decisions.
A new neuroimaging study suggests that negative messages are not an effective way to deter drug and alcohol abuse, particularly among those who are substance-dependent. The study found that the brains of substance-dependent individuals show lower brain activity in response to negatively framed messages, leading to riskier decisions.
A Mayo Clinic case study validates teleconcussion as a useful means to assess concussed patients in rural Arizona. The program uses telemedicine technology to bring concussion expertise to underserved areas, addressing the lack of access to neurological expertise in metropolitan areas.
Researchers found that subjects in a sadness condition exhibited impatience and myopia, leading to financial decisions that prioritized immediate gratification over future rewards. This study has implications for public policy, particularly in estate planning and credit card regulations.
Researchers at Penn State used scenario-based games to detect confirmation bias in intelligence analysts. The study found that teams trained in considering alternative hypotheses outperformed others in identifying perpetrators and targets. The game was designed to mimic real-life situations faced by U.S. intelligence analysts in Iraq.
A new set of policy considerations was released by the Alliance to Reduce Disparities in Diabetes to address systemic barriers and structural barriers that hinder effective diabetes care. The document proposes concepts to realign financial incentives, enhance patient self-management, and optimize healthcare systems.
Pediatricians at CHOP developed a three-part survey to help families and doctors make informed decisions about ADHD treatment. The results show that shared decision-making improves healthcare outcomes, but is not widely used in pediatric settings.
A UK-based research project is debating the future of Mongolia's rural areas and its impact on herders' livelihoods. Herders face multiple pressures due to climate change, mining and new policies on land, threatening their traditional nomadic lifestyle.
The implementation of a 24-h ICU in-house staff intensivist coverage significantly improved mortality rates and reduced hospital length of stay by nearly half a day. This model also led to quicker decision-making and a positive trend in end-of-life care quality.
Researchers found that high indoor CO2 concentrations can impair people's decision-making performance, particularly in schools and other spaces with high occupant density. The study used a novel test to assess cognitive performance, revealing large reductions in decision-making ability at CO2 levels of 1,000 ppm.
A RAND Corporation study identified five causes that underlie the failure of many comparative effectiveness studies to create change, including misaligned financial incentives, ambiguous results, and limited use of decision support tools. The study recommends three approaches to improve the impact of such research, including developing...
A new study published in PLOS ONE found that rhesus monkeys prefer a highly-valued food item alone to the same item paired with a lower-value item. This behavior is similar to what has been seen in human studies, where participants rated a highly-valued item more highly than one with multiple items of lesser value.
A recent study published in Psychological Science found that people tend to prefer the option they chose over the one they rejected, and this preference can last for years. The researchers used a vacation destination rating task to demonstrate this effect, which was only observed when participants made their own choices.
A Canadian study found that smoking after a stroke significantly affects problem-solving skills and decision-making abilities. Patients who quit smoking achieved the same scores as lifetime non-smokers, emphasizing the importance of quitting for cognitive health.
The University of Oklahoma has received an award to develop a research ethics program for international students collaborating with US universities. The program aims to enhance students' awareness of cultural expectations and research policies in global research contexts.
Researchers at Arizona State University found that ants use collective decision-making to handle complex choices, beating individual selection. By sharing the load, colonies avoid mistakes made by solo animals overwhelmed by too much information.
The Modeling Good Research Practices Task Force provides comprehensive guidance on designing, implementing, and validating model-based studies. The seven reports offer recommendations for conceptualizing models, dealing with uncertainty, and validating models transparently.
An Indiana University assistant professor will evaluate the effectiveness of a nationwide training program to aid people with impaired vision in making safe street-crossing decisions. The research aims to improve pedestrian safety and quality of life for elderly, visually impaired, or blind individuals.
A study by Gita Johar and Cecile K. Cho found that consumers often compare results to the highest potential outcomes, leading to low satisfaction even when goals are met. However, reminding participants of their original goals reverses this trend, making low performers as satisfied as high performers.
A new CU-Boulder study found that consumer preferences and willingness to pay are influenced by the depth of explanation about novel products. 'Explanation foes' prefer shallow explanations, while 'explanation fiends' require deep details.
Nine Stanford researchers received seed grants to explore promising new technologies in clean energy and energy efficiency. These projects include the development of high-performance batteries, ultrathin solar cells, and methods for capturing atmospheric carbon dioxide. The research has the potential to impact energy production and use...
A large European-wide study has confirmed that work stress is associated with a small but consistent increase in the risk of experiencing a first coronary heart disease event. The study found that individuals with highly demanding jobs and little freedom to make decisions are 23% more likely to experience a heart attack.
Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center used an electronic prosthetic system to tap into existing brain circuitry and record neural pulses. The device restored and improved decision-making ability in monkeys, even when exposed to a drug that disrupts cognitive activity.
Researchers developed a neural prosthesis to restore decision-making processes in monkeys with disrupted cognitive function. The device, which stimulated specific brain cells, improved performance and even surpassed normal conditions.
Researchers investigated whether altruism influences parental decisions to vaccinate their children against preventable diseases. Despite studies showing benefit to others motivates adults to vaccinate themselves, the review found no conclusive evidence that herd immunity plays a role in parents' decision-making.
A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research found that reminders of money cause consumers to focus on primary features and brand name. This can lead to overlooking certain product attributes when making purchasing decisions.
A team of researchers at Kansas State University is working on a project to develop improved security warning messages that prompt users to make gut decisions about online safety. They aim to minimize traditional text warnings and icons, instead using visual images to convey the importance and danger level of certain choices.
A study found that people under time pressure are more likely to lie, while those with time constraints are less likely. With more time, individuals can justify their behavior and refrain from dishonesty.
Group Health's video-based decision aids for arthritis patients led to a sharp decline in knee and hip replacement surgeries by 38% and 26%, respectively, over six months. The cost of caring for those patients also decreased by 12-21%.
A new lineup technique, 'deadline confidence judgments,' improves accuracy by 20-30% compared to traditional methods. Witnesses are presented with individual photos and must rate their confidence within seconds.
Researchers found that managers and non-managers exhibit differential brain activation patterns during decision-making, with managers showing a more heuristic, automated approach. This study provides insight into the neural basis of managerial decision-making and its differences from non-managerial decisions.
A study published in Frontiers in Neuroscience found that people's performance worsened when they had to make sense of feedback while performing a main task. The research highlights the importance of considering task complexity when providing feedback to avoid hindering performance.
A new prediction model for long-term functional outcomes after traumatic spinal cord injury is presented, combining acute functional measures with imaging factors. The model has the potential to guide treatment decisions and improve patient care.
A new study highlights the importance of frequent and coordinated communication between healthcare providers and family members who make decisions for hospitalized older adults with impaired cognition. Surrogate decision-makers crave detailed information, emotional support, and regular updates from clinicians to alleviate stress and an...
Patients with hoarding disorder showed abnormal brain activity when deciding about possessions, with reduced activity for items not belonging to them and increased activity for items that did. The study found that these patients had difficulty discarding possessions, with fewer items discarded compared to healthy individuals.
A University of Alberta researcher says that when it comes to deciding on issues from human rights to balancing conflicting rights, cooler, secular heads should prevail. The emergence of Western democratic states gave rise to a separation of church and state, which guarantees freedom of religion and conscience for all.
The American College of Physicians recommends against routine electrocardiogram (ECG) screening for asymptomatic adults at low risk for coronary heart disease, as it may lead to unnecessary procedures and overtreatment. The Task Force also found inadequate evidence that ECG screening in this population reduces the risk for CHD events.
Researchers propose a mechanism of individual interaction to understand collective macroscopic behavior, finding power-law tails in some models. The diversity of saving propensity among individuals plays a role in shaping the distribution of wealth.
Research finds that experiencing awe can alter an individual's subjective experience of time by slowing it down. Awe also influences decisions, makes life feel more satisfying, and increases willingness to volunteer time to help others.
A recent study by Clemson University psychologist Richard Pak found that humanizing computer aids can significantly alter perceptions of their reliability, leading to increased trust and dependence among adults. The design of decision-support aids on consumer devices plays a crucial role in shaping user behavior.
A study published in Biology Letters found that humans punish cheats only when they end up better off than the punisher, challenging the notion of revenge-based motivation. The researchers aimed to clarify the relationship between punishment and cooperation by investigating underlying motivations.
A new study reveals that consumers frequently face situations where competing goals struggle for dominance, causing conflicts and changing preferences. This phenomenon, known as goal reversion, occurs when ignored goals resurface stronger than initially thought.
A new study found that consumers focus on unique features when evaluating services based on faith due to greater uncertainty. This increased uncertainty undermines consumer confidence and leads to a greater emphasis on standard attributes.
A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research found that consumers perceive longer time periods when facing greater spatial distances, influencing impatience and decision-making choices.
Experts say lack of privacy, safety fears and ageism deny elderly care home residents the right to consensual sex. Formal policies are needed to address this, despite research showing residents want their sexual expression acknowledged.
Researchers at University of Calgary developed a biometric security system that combines different measurements like eye colour and fingerprints to create a learning system simulating the brain. The algorithm can learn new patterns and adapt to changing conditions, improving accuracy and recognition process.
The EUREAPA tool analyzes environmental impacts of different policies and scenarios, allowing policymakers to investigate how different policy changes affect future environmental pressures. It also helps track effects of decisions and ensure meeting of environmental goals.
The First Responder Support Tools (FiRST) application provides critical information to first responders in bomb threat scenarios, including safe distances, roadblock analysis and HAZMAT response guidance. The app is available for smartphones and laptops and can be used by anyone responding to a potential bomb or HAZMAT spill.
Researchers at RIKEN Brain Science Institute found two brain signals involved in predicting others' decisions, enabling humans to balance expected and observed rewards and choices. The signals, located in distinct prefrontal circuits, strike a balance between the other's values and their own, allowing for accurate predictions.
A global collaboration led by the University of York is examining key areas of reproductive, maternal and newborn care within midwifery services. The project will culminate in a special series on midwifery in The Lancet, providing evidence to guide national decision-making and improve midwifery services.