Articles tagged with Social Decision Making
New research by Albert Kao and Iain Couzin found that information loss due to modular groups can actually enhance accuracy, especially in complex environments. This challenges previous assumptions about the benefits of free-flowing communication among group members.
Researchers identified special brain cells that allow animals to reconstruct their social partner's state of mind and predict their intentions. Dysfunction in these 'simulation neurons' may contribute to social cognition difficulties in conditions like autism and social anxiety.
A recent study found that individuals who prioritize making the best choices in their relationships, known as maximizers, tend to be more satisfied in their marriages. Maximizing men with attractive wives reported higher satisfaction, while maximizing women with high-status husbands experienced less decline in satisfaction over time.
A study found that negative emotions suppress trust by disrupting brain activity and connectivity in key social cognition regions. Negative affect also impairs the strength of connections between these regions, predicting lower levels of trust.
A new study by psychologists and information scientists found that the ability to forget information can lead to better economic decisions and reduced cognitive load. Participants who used an information system reported feeling less stressed and having more time to recall details of other products.
A recent NUS study reveals that older adults make similar financial decisions for themselves and others, while younger adults take more risks when making decisions for others. This suggests that older adults care more about strangers' welfare in financial decision-making.
A Cornell University-led team developed modular robots that can perceive surroundings, make decisions and reconfigure themselves for different tasks. The robots' autonomous behavior and shape changes mark a significant step towards real-world applicability.
The ESMERALDA MAES Explorer is an online tool that helps EU member states map and assess ecosystems and their services. The platform provides practical guidance to policymakers, scientists, and businesses on implementing ecosystem services mapping.
A study by Isabelle Côté and Emily Darling found that scientists with fewer than 1,000 followers primarily reach other scientists, while those with more followers have a broader range of non-scientific followers. This suggests that Twitter can be an effective tool for increasing scientific outreach, but its impact depends on various fa...
A new study published in Nature Communications suggests that individuals who are tolerant of ambiguity are more likely to cooperate with and trust others. The study found a positive correlation between ambiguity tolerance and cooperation, as well as willingness to trust others despite uncertainty about their intentions.
A neuroimaging study found that control aversion is linked to connectivity between brain regions and feelings of distrust. The study provided new insight into the influence of choice restriction on personal decisions.
A Drexel University study found that mayors' political beliefs influence their opinions on civic policies reducing health disparities. Approximately 8% of socially conservative mayors believed city policies could have a major impact, compared to 29% of liberal mayors.
Researchers found that social role, not causal influence, determines blame distribution in real life. The study tested this assumption in an online experiment with 209 test participants and found that bosses received more criticism than employees even when they didn't make the decision.
Researchers at New York University found that our brains use a Pavlovian learning mechanism to make judgments about strangers' trustworthiness based on past experiences. The study suggests that moral information encoded from previous encounters guides future choices, influencing how much we trust or distrust strangers.
Recent advances have shed light on neural circuits and mechanisms driving social behaviors, revealing a complex interplay of brain areas involved in cooperation and aggression. These findings suggest that shared neuronal activity between social partners plays a key role in cooperative behavior and learning.
A new study by Martin G. Kocher and colleagues reveals that groups are more likely to behave unethically than individuals, with honest participants often deciding to misreport in a team setting. The researchers attribute this phenomenon to the exchange of arguments over the validity of honesty norms, which leads to a shift in behavior.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that people with supportive spouses are more likely to take on potentially rewarding challenges, leading to personal growth and happiness. Those who experienced a supportive relationship had better psychological well-being and relationship functioning months later.
A study by UCL and University of Oxford researchers found that people tend to align their confidence levels when working in teams, even when one person has more expertise. This 'confidence matching' behavior can lead to poor decisions if individuals do not calibrate their confidence levels to the reliability of their opinions.
Research highlights the importance of non-visual factors like voice and scent in social perception, which can influence attractiveness. Studies have shown that people can accurately guess characteristics like gender, age, and body size from a voice or scent.
A collaborative effort between psychologists and economists reveals that combining both disciplines leads to better understanding of decisions. The research focuses on individuals' expectations for major life events, such as finding work or having children, and shows that teens are capable of estimating numerical probabilities with acc...
A new study from UT Dallas finds that bestowing considerable power in the CEO does not create value for the firm during industrywide downturns. Concentrated power among CEOs leads to worse decision-making and a decrease in firm value, especially in competitive industries and high-discretion industries.
The author's approach to decision processes uses game theory and spatial geometry to create a unified deterministic extension. This foundation allows for the extrapolation of local behaviors to entire social structures, with significant consequences for understanding stable social structures.
A multidisciplinary team led by USC Viterbi Professor Maryam Shanechi aims to develop brain-machine interfaces enhancing human decision making through multimodal data modeling and multi-sensory processing.
Researchers found CEOs of large US firms made fewer acquisitions following an independent director's death. The analysis suggests CEOs may reevaluate priorities and place less emphasis on external goals.
A new study by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that children who participate in collaborative group work to learn about significant social issues become better decision-makers than their peers. The study compared the efficacy of collaborative group work with conventional direct instruction, and found that students ...
A nationwide survey of 1,000 Americans seeking depression treatment and 250 clinicians reveals a disconnect between patients' and clinicians' prioritization of information needed for treatment decisions. Patients prioritize cost and insurance information, while clinicians do not always share this priority.
A new study from the University of Texas at Dallas found that social responsibility leads to more conservative risk behavior in group decision-making. This means individuals become more cautious when making decisions that affect others, as they consider the potential impact on their reputation.
A de-centralized decision-making model shows how positive feedback during exploration proves useful for making good and quick decisions. The model explains how trends take off, such as the popularity of Beats headphones, and the success of word-of-mouth marketing tactics.
Websites for national and state health insurance marketplaces have shown improved efforts to assist patients in choosing health insurance plans, such as providing decision support tools. Despite this, many sites still lack helpful features like lay-person definitions and cost calculators.
Researchers found that people form trait impressions of others' character, such as generosity, before considering material benefits. This study provides insights into how we learn about people through interactions and challenges existing scholarship on the role of reward value.
Gathering data on specific questions is the most effective way to support SDGs, says Keith Shepherd and colleagues. They propose five key principles: replacing targets with measures of return on investment and modeling intervention decisions.
A new mobile app called Seventeen Days aims to educate teenagers about the risks of risky sexual behavior. The app is based on an interactive movie of the same name and has been developed with researchers at several universities, including Carnegie Mellon University.
New research from University College London suggests that people with differing competence give each other's views equal weight, preventing optimal group decisions. This 'equality bias' affects decision-making processes in various contexts, including everyday situations and high-level policy decisions.
A new study published in PNAS found that people who focus on the success of their peers are more likely to act selfishly in group decisions. This is because success-oriented individuals prioritize information about which behavior pays off best, leading to a greater likelihood of selfish actions.
Research suggests that highly guilt-prone people are valuable work partners who outwork colleagues, demonstrate effective leadership, and contribute to team success. However, they may avoid forming partnerships with more competent individuals to prevent feelings of guilt.
Researchers develop algorithm to optimize timing strategy for cascading behavior in social networks, considering individual preferences and network structure. The study reveals the importance of timing in catalyzing cascades, with effective strategies increasing likelihood of widespread adoption.
Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory identified a brain region in rats responsible for their confidence in decisions. The study used rats to test decision-making and found that a specific region of the orbitofrontal cortex plays a crucial role in measuring confidence.
The researchers emphasize the need for clear communication of science to policymakers and the general public to make informed decisions. They offer a communication protocol that involves identifying relevant facts, characterizing uncertainties, and assessing their magnitude.
A new study presents a formal model to predict how countries will regulate hydraulic fracturing, helping companies assess risks and benefits. The model uses multi-criteria decision analysis to aggregate various inputs into a ranked list of policy alternatives.
A recent study found that people tend to copy others' choices when they lack social acceptance or enough information. The researchers discovered the 'social default effect', where observing someone else's choice makes it a default option.
A study found that when friends make small indulgences together, it enhances their friendship. However, when the stakes are high, they bond through moral support. This understanding can help brands and policymakers tailor their strategies to promote accountability and well-being.
A recent study reviews existing research on sports competition and concludes that playing at home can have a significant psychological impact on athletes, with findings including increased testosterone levels and higher cortisol stress hormone levels. However, the exact mechanisms behind this phenomenon are still unclear.
A recent study by researchers at Linköping University has found no correlation between quick decisions and increased willingness to cooperate. Contrary to previous findings, the study shows that being forced to make decisions under time pressure does not affect people's desire to collaborate.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have found that fluctuations in brain activity impact cognitive tasks, leading to errors in short-term memory. By understanding how neural variability relates to cognitive functions, the team aims to provide important clues about the neural mechanisms that support cognition.
Research from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging found that testosterone makes people act less cooperatively and more egocentrically in groups. The study used female volunteers who received either a testosterone or placebo supplement, and found that cooperation was reduced when given testosterone.
Research suggests that prejudice arises from a fundamental psychological need to make quick judgments and reduce ambiguity, often leading to stereotyping and generalizations. This way of thinking is linked to people's desire to categorize the world and rely on social norms.
The Health Impact Project, a collaboration between Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, has received funding from The Kresge Foundation to conduct two health impact assessments in the housing sector. The funding will support decision-making in underserved communities, addressing issues such as asthma and diabetes.
A new study found that money reminders lead consumers to react against people who influence their decisions, boosting the importance of autonomy. Participants in three studies reacted oppositely when reminded of money compared to those not reminded, with money-reminded consumers responding more strongly to social influences
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research has funded 25 policy-relevant research projects across six provinces to strengthen Canada's healthcare system. These projects will enable meaningful collaborations between researchers and decision makers to address health system challenges.
Researchers find that our brains process groups of similar characteristics in a sequential manner, with limitations on perceiving multiple groups at once. This illusion has implications for the design of complex graphic systems and our understanding of ordinary vision.
A new study published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery found that carpal tunnel syndrome patients prefer to share decision-making with their physicians. Patients who had undergone previous surgical procedures, had caregivers, or additional private insurance were more likely to assume an active role in the decision-making process.
A new study proposes a communications strategy to improve layman understanding of climate science, focusing on strategic organization and strategic listening. The authors argue that scientists should work in cross-disciplinary teams and use systematic feedback to evaluate their communication skills.
A joint research project between Georgia State University and Emory University will study hospital length of stay to improve medical decision making and lower healthcare costs. The researchers will develop decision support computer software to aid physicians in making optimal discharge decisions.
Researchers studying the Gulf oil spill's impact on coastal communities aim to understand how social context shapes individual responses to disaster. The study will investigate negative and positive emotions, as well as social and political trust, in individuals coping with the disaster.
The Decision Theater offers a systems approach to decision-making, combining diverse perspectives to create flexible solutions. By focusing on decision-makers' needs first, experts can identify optimal short-term and long-term solutions.
A study published in PNAS found that genetics plays a role in the brain's back-burner setup for low-priority ideas. The default-mode network is linked to genetic factors, with over 40% of variance in functional connectivity under genetic control.
Researchers found that online communities facilitate learning by transforming individual experiences into usable knowledge, enabling individuals to become empowered patients who make informed decisions about their health. However, the value of these communities depends on how individuals choose to act on the information they receive.
Researchers found that parents favor names gaining popularity relative to those falling out of favor, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. The study analyzed historical data on baby name frequencies over 127 years, revealing a shift towards consistent momentum in name popularity.
Intel was awarded the 2009 INFORMS Prize for its extensive use of operations research to drive significant value and competitive advantage throughout its business. The prize recognized Intel's ability to apply O.R. techniques across various functions, resulting in over $2 billion in improved decision-making.
The Lancet emphasizes the importance of a competitive merit-based selection process for the new PEPFAR head. Key qualifications include visionary leadership, global health expertise, and experience in collaboration with various stakeholders.