A quality improvement project at Dartmouth Cancer Center increased serious illness conversations between patients and providers from 0% to 70%, reflecting the importance of early discussions on prognosis and treatment options. The project's success was attributed to standardized work, an engaged interdisciplinary team, and system-level...
Researchers from Osaka University found that facial similarity plays a crucial role in ratings of trustworthiness for observers of the same sex, but not for observers of opposite sex. The study suggests that facial similarity is an important factor affecting social judgments for same-sex interactions.
A cross-sectional study found significant differences between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and directly measured GFR (mGFR), highlighting the importance of considering uncertainty in eGFR calculations. Researchers suggest renaming eGFR as a population average GFR to improve accuracy.
A new study from Carnegie Mellon University suggests that presenting government programs with a cost-per-person price tag can increase public understanding and participation in policy debates. By scaling large numbers into smaller units, people can better comprehend funding choices, potentially leading to more informed citizenship.
Researchers found that secret purchases can positively impact close relationships by driving investment and increased partner satisfaction. Marketers should ask consumers about their secret usage to better support it.
New research reveals NHS weight policies are associated with a decline in knee replacement surgery rates, disproportionately affecting less affluent groups. The study found that regions introducing BMI-based policies saw a decrease in surgery, potentially worsening health inequalities.
A new study found that banded mongooses engage in lethal intergroup battles, with the number of adult males and age of oldest male being crucial factors. Experienced individuals are vital for success, while older males become liabilities beyond a certain age.
Researchers developed an algorithm to improve matching efficiency, considering user preferences and behavior. The new algorithm shows improved results in field experiments, with at least 27% more matches than the current one.
Research found that decisive people are more confident in their judgments than those who second-guess themselves. The study discovered a link between action control and post-decisional metacognitive bias, suggesting that individual differences play a crucial role in decision-making.
A team of researchers found that jackdaws use a form of 'consensus decision-making' to decide when to leave their roosts en masse. By combining recorded calls with tests in which pre-recorded calls were played, the team discovered that birds effectively 'cast a vote' through calling out to reach a consensus.
Research suggests that immigrants who prefer to stay in host countries develop valuable skills and social contacts, leading to better job prospects and increased economic contribution. Policymakers should consider location preferences and planned migration duration when designing immigration policies to maximize fiscal benefits.
A study by Hebrew University researchers reveals that individuals overestimate the presence of minority groups in social settings. This 'diversity illusion' can hinder policies promoting diversity and leads to less support for related initiatives. The research team suggests that awareness and education are key to addressing this bias.
The pandemic has led to increased adoption of virtual meeting platforms like Zoom, affecting team trust and knowledge sharing. This can result in time and cost over-runs or negatively impact work quality.
A new grant will help Missouri parents make informed decisions about vaccinating their children against various diseases. The grant aims to provide factual, evidence-based information to address common concerns and promote public health outcomes.
Researchers have demonstrated the efficacy of a six-week interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) intervention for addressing depression often experienced by individuals with multiple sclerosis. IER strategies, such as turning to others for emotional support, significantly reduced depression levels in the treatment group.
Vervet monkeys have excellent cognitive skills for quickly appraising social context and planning routes accordingly. They make complex, multifactor decisions that consider contextual information, such as individual skill, rank, and competitor distance.
A decision-support framework was developed by management science researchers to help clinicians make informed decisions about opioid prescribing. The framework incorporates multiple factors, including recovery time, pain intensity, and patient history, to provide a quantitative model of the prescribing process.
Research suggests top reviews are a key factor in consumer purchasing decisions when comparing products. The study found that concrete details in reviews can sway consumers, and businesses should focus on responding to negative reviews rather than gaming the rating system.
A new study from the University of Utah examines the impacts of decentralizing homeless service locations in Salt Lake County, Utah. The research found that people using the relocated resource centers tended to travel less, with visits to community services declining by as much as 40%.
A new early warning detection system implemented at a hospital reduced medical emergencies and mortality rates by detecting subtle changes in patients' vital signs and cardiac rhythm. The system, which includes real-time alerts and collaboration between nurses, aims to improve the quality of care delivered to critically ill patients.
Researchers discovered a group of neurons in the striatum that encodes information about potential decision-making outcomes, including rewards and penalties. These 'error signals' help the brain adapt to changing circumstances and make impulsive decisions or become paralyzed with indecision.
A study by Salk researchers has identified an area of the brain responsible for encoding social rank in mammals, including mice. The discovery sheds light on how the brain represents social hierarchy and its impact on behavior, particularly in competitive situations.
A Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare study found that people's ability to lead their lives, strive for important things, and make decisions supporting well-being is linked to manageable life circumstances, financial resources, sense of belonging, equal opportunities, and experiencing meaning. Social security provides faith in the...
Bighorn sheep use a combination of past experience and visual information about habitat quality to make informed migratory decisions. The research found that these perception-informed decisions allow the species to better adapt to changing environmental conditions, increasing their chances of survival.
A new study explores how to reduce bad behavior at work by focusing on moral self-efficacy, a set of beliefs that individuals have about their capabilities to self-reflect and regulate moral behavior. The results show that highly morally efficacious individuals are more likely to bounce back after a failure and learn from their mistakes.
A new report warns that current pathways to net zero climate targets in the UK are flawed and may lead to losses in biodiversity, human wellbeing, and cultural knowledge. The study recommends a more inclusive approach to landscape management, involving experts from diverse fields, to achieve sustainable futures.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School developed a COVID-19 prediction model that performed well across gender, race, and ethnicity for three different outcomes. The logistic regression algorithm created to predict severe COVID-19 facilitated shared decision-making with patients regarding discharge, reducing undue de...
Climate change sentiments were overwhelmingly pro-human activity action, while vaccine sentiments showed a significant gap between pro and neutral views. The study analyzed 87 million tweets from 2007 to 2016 and found less interaction among users with opposing views on vaccines compared to climate change.
A NTU study found that entrepreneurs quickly build trust in work-related situations and adapt to dishonesty. They also recover more easily from losing trust, making them valuable assets for organisations in negotiation and trust-building roles.
A study by Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona found that spending revenues on climate projects increases social acceptability of carbon taxes. The research also revealed that providing information on carbon taxes can increase acceptability, while the perception of fairness is a stronger factor in acceptability than effectiveness.
A study published in iScience reveals that strategic disinformation can outperform honesty in winning over and retaining human clients in a competitive environment. The researchers found that misreporting evidence about facts that clients care about is an effective strategy for social influencers to gain an advantage over their rivals.
A new project aims to provide peer support and research opportunities for students with caring responsibilities. The study reveals that without adequate support, caring can negatively impact physical and mental health, university performance, and social life.
The RT-CIRAM system analyzes public-domain data to determine the best times to avoid crowds and minimize COVID-19 infection risk. The mobile phone app provides personalized recommendations based on user input and factors like vaccination rates and cultural norms.
A new Digital Solutions Hub will provide a gateway to interconnected toolkits and resources, integrating existing data sources on pollution, flooding, biodiversity, geology, carbon capture, and environmental health. The hub aims to improve decision-making by providing cross-sectional data for informed decisions in various sectors.
A new patient decision aid developed by Duke-NUS Medical School's experts empowers patients with ESKD to choose care strategies consistent with their values and goals. The tool provides a balanced overview of dialysis, kidney supportive care, and other treatment options.
The five-year project will focus on four themes: climate-informed planning, governance and collaborative capacity, extreme events, and climate justice. The program aims to help communities build resilience to climate-related challenges through research, tools, and knowledge.
A new study found that people tend to listen to and believe information that supports their existing biases, rather than seeking out contradictory evidence. This phenomenon, known as motivated reasoning, can lead to the amplification of biases and the spread of misinformation in online communities and financial markets.
A new study found that Republican control of state legislatures is associated with increased infant mortality rates, especially among Black infants. The research suggests that the party's influence on social determinants of health, such as safety-net programs and minimum wage, contributes to these disparities.
SourceElsevier·JournalAmerican Journal of Preventive Medicine·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateSep 14, 2021
A study by Indiana University researchers found that individuals' socioeconomic status and social networks play a significant role in shaping their decisions about health controversies. Higher-status people faced fewer consequences for resisting medical guidelines, while those with lower statuses experienced more scrutiny. The study em...
A new study analyzes millions of Twitter posts during three major hurricanes to develop a method for measuring social cohesion. The researchers found that monitoring social media chatter can help decision makers understand how communities communicate during disasters and identify areas for improvement.
A study found that people who feel their sense of autonomy is unmet by government incentives like vaccine passports are less likely to take the COVID-19 vaccine. The research highlights that public health incentives might affect people's vaccination decisions in unintended ways, potentially undermining herd immunity.
Researchers developed a mathematical framework that captures the influence of multiple interactions among group members. The model predicts that social learners can impair collective performance if they are above a certain threshold, and committed minorities can be bolstered by these social learners.
A new study from the University of South Australia reveals that Australian firms with large gender pay gaps are not only perpetuating inequality but also harming their overall performance. The research found that women executives in top management teams can lower a firm's annual return on assets by 2.2%.
Researchers from University of Notre Dame discovered that behavioral inertia can be beneficial in service center operations, particularly when agents are experts or handling difficult calls. The study suggests striking a balance between automated routing systems and agent discretion to maximize efficiency and effectiveness.
Researchers found that individuals have a threshold for opting out of offending, which varies across criminal situations. The study identified reverse bandwagon effects, where group presence both promotes and deters offending intentions.
A new study from Rice University finds that middle-class people who made plans to stay in their neighborhoods before flooding are less likely to relocate even if they suffered significant damage. Long-term planning and social pressure played a key role in residents' decisions to stay or leave flooded homes.
A new cognitive construct called 'decision acuity' was identified as a stable factor underlying diverse decision-making abilities in adolescents and young adults. Decision acuity was linked to factors such as fast learning, reward sensitivity, and low propensity for retaliation, and predicted performance in decision-making tasks.
Researchers at Swansea and Cardiff universities have developed the Risk of Suicide Protocol (RoSP), a guide for health professionals to identify individuals at risk of taking their own lives. The protocol assesses 20 key aspects of a person's life, enabling clinicians to formulate problems and develop safety plans to help those in need.
Researchers at NYU are developing new methods and tools to address public sector policy impacts, including assessing and correcting biases in city housing inspections, policing, and courts. The project aims to create open-source tools for eliminating implicit biases and enhancing human decision-making.
A research team from RUDN University created an algorithm to help large groups of people make optimal decisions quickly. They applied it to a real-life example, where the outbreak of COVID-19 required the administration and sellers to agree on compensation amounts within just three steps.
New research from Florida State University finds that groups with diverse thinkers make quicker and better decisions than homogenous groups. Mathematical modeling reveals that impulsive individuals can quickly reveal correct options to others, leading to faster and more accurate collective decision-making.
A new study published in The Review of Economic Studies found that using a coin toss to decide on an important change leads to higher satisfaction and happiness. People who made changes were more likely to report the same decision again in the future.
Researchers at Dartmouth College and Harvard Medical School have confirmed that single-cell eukaryote Stentor roeseli can make complex decisions, demonstrating avoidance behavior and a hierarchy of responses to stimulus. The study uses modern technology to recreate an early experiment that was debunked decades ago.
A meta-analysis of 17 studies reveals the brain regions activated during social punishment tasks, including the claustrum, superior frontal gyri, and interior frontal gyrus. These areas are responsible for attention, error detection, and processing contextual information, essential components for punishment decision-making.
A recent study by Robert Hofmann and colleagues discovered that Tripolye mega-structures served as public spaces for ritual, economic, and decision-making purposes. The researchers found a hierarchy of mega-structures based on their architecture and location, indicating sequential decision-making at various levels of society.
A study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that information gerrymandering can induce strong biases in collective decisions, even without fake news. The phenomenon occurs when individuals interact with predominantly like-minded groups, leading to a filter bubble effect that can sway outcomes.
Researchers develop method to mimic human decision-making, enabling computers to render multiple acceptable decisions. This allows for variability in computer systems, similar to human experts, and can lead to better performance.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed an approach called Unremarkable AI that aims to make transformational AI seem unobtrusive in clinical decision making. This approach is designed to enable seamless human-AI collaboration by embedding AI-generated predictions and evaluations into existing clinical routines.
A recent study published in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery found that coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery is associated with lower mortality rates and reduced hospital readmission compared to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The research analyzed data from two major clinical outcomes registries and identified patien...
Researchers found that exposure to violence impairs the ability to place trust in individuals who are likely to be helpful, leading to increased disciplinary infractions. The study suggests that this cognitive disruption can have long-lasting effects on social functioning and stability.