Testing the Dual-System Theory of Decision-Making: a Pilot Study Using Electroencephalography (EEG)

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Testing the Dual-System Theory of Decision-Making: a Pilot Study Using Electroencephalography (EEG) Testing the Dual-System Theory of Decision-Making: A Pilot Study Using Electroencephalography (EEG) Lisa Marieke Kluen Integrated Program In Neuroscience Douglas Research Institute McGill University, Montreal October 2014 A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Masters of Science © Lisa Marieke Kluen, 2014 1 Table of Contents Abstract (English, French) Acknowledgements 1. Introduction 1.1 Background: decision-making 1.2 Measuring decision-making: The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) 1.3 Models of decision-making 1.3.1 The Somatic Marker Hypothesis (SMH) 1.3.2 The Dual-System Theory 1.4 Measuring implicit processes of decision-making using electroencephalography (EEG) 1.4.1 EEG and Decision-Making 1.5 Decision-preceding negativity (DPN) as a marker of implicit anticipation processes of decision-making 1.6 Objectives of the study and hypotheses 2. Materials and Methods 2.1 Participants 2.2 Socio-demographic and clinical assessments 2.3 Experimental Task 2.4 EEG Recording 2.5 Data Analysis 2.6 EEG Analysis 3. Results 3.1 Behavioral Data 3.2 EEG Data 4. Discussion 5. Limitations 5. Future Directions 7. Conclusion 8. Bibliography 2 Abstract Making decisions is an essential part of life. The capability to discriminate between risky and safe or the ability to foresee long-term consequences of actions and thus change expectations through experience, are crucial in the process of making advantageous and strategic decisions in everyday life (Rothkirch, Schmack, Schlagenhauf, & Sterzer, 2012). Moreover, impaired decision-making has been found in patients suffering from lesions in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex as well as in different psychiatric disorders (Adida et al., 2011; Cella, Dymond, & Cooper, 2010; Malloy-Diniz, Neves, Abrantes, Fuentes, & Correa, 2009; Murphy et al., 2001). Improving our understanding of the mechanisms of normal and pathological decision-making is, therefore important. Different models have been developed to research and explain decision- making behavior. The somatic marker hypothesis (Bechara, 1997) proposed that, to be able to make advantageous decisions in uncertain situations, unconscious and automatic bodily signals (the so-called somatic markers) are critical (Bechara, 1997). More generally, the dual-system theory of decision- making (Evans, 2008; Kahneman, 2011) postulates that decision-making relies on two brain systems, one being unconscious, implicit and fast, and the second being conscious, explicit and effortful (Evans, 2008; Kahneman, 2011) The aim of the current work was to explore the implicit processes guiding decision-making, notably those immediately preceding a willed risky decision. To this aim, we used EEG and the Iowa Gambling Task in a group of 35 healthy participants. We identified a decision-preceding negativity (DPN) in the frontal and central area of the cortex. The results of the current study support the somatic marker hypothesis as well as the assumption that implicit processes support and guide decision-making behavior (Bechara, Damasio, Tranel, & Damasio, 2005). Additionally, these markers might be beneficial in future research investigating aberrant decision-making behavior in clinical populations. 3 Résumé La prise de décision est un élément essentiel de la vie. La capacité de discrimination entre risque et sécurité ou la capacité de prévoir les conséquences à long terme des actions et donc de modifier les attentes grâce à l'expérience sont essentiels dans le processus de prise de décision avantageuse et stratégique dans la vie quotidienne (Rothkirch , Schmack , Schlagenhauf , et Sterzer , 2012). En outre, une prise de décision désavantageuse a été observée chez les patients souffrant de lésions du cortex préfrontal ventromédian, ainsi que dans différents troubles psychiatriques (Adida et al, 2011; Cella, Dymond, & Cooper, 2010; Malloy - Diniz, Neves, Abrantes, Fuentes, et Correa , 2009; Murphy et al, 2001). L'amélioration de notre compréhension des mécanismes de prise de décision normal et pathologique est donc important. Différents modèles ont été développés pour expliquer la prise de décision. L’hypothèse des marqueurs somatiques (Bechara, 1997) a proposé que, pour être en mesure de prendre des décisions avantageuses dans des situations incertaines, des signaux corporels automatiques et inconscients (les marqueurs dits somatiques) sont essentiels. Plus généralement , la « théorie du système duel » de la prise de décision (Evans, 2008; Kahneman, 2011) postule que la prise de décision repose sur deux systèmes cérébraux , l'une étant inconscient , implicite et rapide , et le second étant conscient, explicite et nécessite un effort. L'objectif des travaux présentés ici était d'explorer les processus implicites guidant la prise de décision, notamment ceux précédant immédiatement une décision risquée volontaire. Dans ce but, nous avons utilisé l'électroencéphalographie (EEG) et l’Iowa Gambling task chez 35 participants sains. Nous avons identifié une onde négative nommée « decision-preceding negativity » (DPN) dans les régions préfrontales et centrales du cortex. Les résultats de l' étude appuient l'hypothèse des marqueurs somatiques notamment que des processus implicites guident la prise de décision (Bechara et al., 2005). En outre, ces marqueurs pourraient être utiles dans de futures recherches pour étudier le comportement de prise de décision aberrante dans les populations cliniques. 4 Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor Dr Fabrice Jollant as well as my committee members Dr Mathieu Brodeur and Dr Sylvain Baillet. I am grateful to have received their support and that I could benefit and learn from their expertise. I would like to also thank Yang Ding and Dr Stéphane Richard-Devantoy for their help and nice words during my time at McGill. 5 1. Introduction 1.1 Background: decision-making Advantageous decision-making is critical for survival and adaptation. Patients with decision-making deficits show numerous problems in everyday-life (Bechara 1994), notably in complex situations where options are numerous and in social situations (Bechara, Tranel, & Damasio, 2000; Bianchin & Angrilli, 2011), leading them to experience severe disability and negative consequences (F. Jollant et al., 2005). Such inabilities have been reported initially among patients with lesions of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (Bechara, Tranel, et al., 2000; Eslinger & Damasio, 1985). Various psychiatric disorders have also been linked to disadvantageous decision-making, including mood disorders (Adida et al., 2011; Cella, Dymond, & Cooper, 2010; Malloy-Diniz, Neves, Abrantes, Fuentes, & Correa, 2009; Murphy et al., 2001), histories of suicidal acts (F. Jollant et al., 2005), borderline and antisocial personality disorders (Bazanis et al., 2002; Blair, 2001), and schizophrenia (Sevy et al., 2007), among others. These patients tend to make riskier decisions based on immediate reward and seem to disregard possible long-term outcomes (Knoch et al., 2006). Understanding mechanisms of normal and pathological decision- making may shed light on ways to improving this important cognitive function when it is altered. 6 Decision-making relies on a number of interrelated processes, including the assessment of risk (i.e the probability of negative outcomes relative to positive outcomes) and the ability to learn from previous experience (Bianchin & Angrilli, 2011). Options are often numerous and the underlying rules (e.g. the risk associated with each option) usually unknown (Bechara, Tranel, et al., 2000; Bianchin & Angrilli, 2011). To be able to effectively reach desired outcomes when making a decision, it is necessary to evaluate and balance the options and related outcomes (value-outcome association) (Bechara, Tranel, et al., 2000). It is also necessary to learn form previous experience and change expectations and decision strategies when needed (reversal learning) (D'Cruz, Ragozzino, Mosconi, Pavuluri, & Sweeney, 2011). In this context of uncertainty it is known that human behavior is regulated through emotional anticipation mechanisms that enable us to recognize and avoid negative situations (danger) and anticipate but also identify positive situations. These abilities offer an opportunity to choose among alternatives and make decisions with beneficial results that ultimately aid survival (Bianchin & Angrilli, 2011). Also, memory enables us to keep track of previous experiences, good or bad, and use it to guide future decisions, when common features can be detected (Zeithamova, Dominick, & Preston, 2012). In summary, decision-making relies largely on mechanisms of risk assessment, learning and the formation of anticipatory mechanisms (Bechara, 2004; Wang, 2008). These processes will be the focus of this study. 7 1.2 Measuring decision-making: The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) The ability to anticipate the outcome of a decision, whether positive or negative is a crucial part of the decision-making process. The most widely recognized method to examine decision-making behavior together with risk anticipation and learning in a laboratory setting is the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), a test developed by Bechara and colleagues in the 1990s at the University of Iowa (Bechara, Damasio, Damasio, & Anderson, 1994). This test has been utilized primarily to explain decision-making impairment in patients with brain lesions and has subsequently been used in various clinical populations (Gorlyn, Keilp, Oquendo, Burke, & John Mann, 2013; Kim, Lee, & Kim, 2006).
Recommended publications
  • And Inter-Personal Emotion Regulation
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by YorkSpace EXAMINING INTRA- AND INTER-PERSONAL EMOTION REGULATION, PSYCHOPATHOLOGY, WELL-BEING, AND RELATIONSHIP QUALITY IN EMERGING ADULTHOOD SAMANTHA CHAN A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS GRADUATE PROGRAM IN CLINICAL DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONTARIO AUGUST 2019 Ó Samantha Chan, 2019 ii Abstract Identifying components of emotion regulation (ER) that contribute to emerging adults’ (18-29 years) psychosocial outcomes is crucial to promoting their development. This study aimed to identify emerging adults’ intra- and inter-personal ER strategy use and explore the associations between their ER strategy use and difficulties and psychosocial outcomes, including internalizing symptoms (depressive and anxiety symptoms and perceived stress), well-being (subjective happiness and flourishing), and relationship quality. Results showed that emerging adults utilized a range of intra- (e.g., acceptance,) and inter-personal (e.g., enhancing positive affect) ER strategies. The structural equation modelling results indicated that emotion dysregulation was the strongest predictor of emerging adults’ psychosocial outcomes. Some ER strategies (e.g., positive reappraisal, enhancing positive affect) were more strongly associated with emerging adults’ psychosocial outcomes than other strategies. The findings highlight the links between intra- and inter-personal ER and emerging adults’ psychosocial outcomes and can inform mental health intervention programs for emerging adults. iii Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Jennine Rawana for all of her invaluable advice and support with this research.
    [Show full text]
  • The Evolution of Animal Play, Emotions, and Social Morality: on Science, Theology, Spirituality, Personhood, and Love
    WellBeing International WBI Studies Repository 12-2001 The Evolution of Animal Play, Emotions, and Social Morality: On Science, Theology, Spirituality, Personhood, and Love Marc Bekoff University of Colorado Follow this and additional works at: https://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/acwp_sata Part of the Animal Studies Commons, Behavior and Ethology Commons, and the Comparative Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Bekoff, M. (2001). The evolution of animal play, emotions, and social morality: on science, theology, spirituality, personhood, and love. Zygon®, 36(4), 615-655. This material is brought to you for free and open access by WellBeing International. It has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator of the WBI Studies Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Evolution of Animal Play, Emotions, and Social Morality: On Science, Theology, Spirituality, Personhood, and Love Marc Bekoff University of Colorado KEYWORDS animal emotions, animal play, biocentric anthropomorphism, critical anthropomorphism, personhood, social morality, spirituality ABSTRACT My essay first takes me into the arena in which science, spirituality, and theology meet. I comment on the enterprise of science and how scientists could well benefit from reciprocal interactions with theologians and religious leaders. Next, I discuss the evolution of social morality and the ways in which various aspects of social play behavior relate to the notion of “behaving fairly.” The contributions of spiritual and religious perspectives are important in our coming to a fuller understanding of the evolution of morality. I go on to discuss animal emotions, the concept of personhood, and how our special relationships with other animals, especially the companions with whom we share our homes, help us to define our place in nature, our humanness.
    [Show full text]
  • Propensity for Risk Taking and Trait Impulsivity in the Iowa Gambling Task ⇑ Daniel J
    Personality and Individual Differences 50 (2011) 492–495 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Personality and Individual Differences journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/paid Propensity for risk taking and trait impulsivity in the Iowa Gambling Task ⇑ Daniel J. Upton a, Anthony J. Bishara b, Woo-Young Ahn c, Julie C. Stout a, a School of Psychology & Psychiatry, Monash University, Victoria, Australia b Department of Psychology, College of Charleston, SC, USA c Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, IN, USA article info abstract Article history: The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) is sensitive to decision-making impairments in several clinical groups with Received 27 May 2010 frontal impairment. However the complexity of the IGT, particularly in terms of its learning require- Received in revised form 3 November 2010 ments, makes it difficult to know whether disadvantageous (risky) selections in this task reflect deliber- Accepted 5 November 2010 ate risk taking or a failure to recognise risk. To determine whether propensity for risk taking contributes Available online 10 December 2010 to IGT performance, we correlated IGT selections with a measure of propensity for risk taking from the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), taking into account potential moderating effects of IGT learning Keywords: requirements, and trait impulsivity, which is associated with learning difficulties. We found that IGT Impulsivity and BART performance were related, but only in the later stages of the IGT, and only in participants with Risk taking Decision-making low trait impulsivity. This finding suggests that IGT performance may reflect different underlying pro- Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) cesses in individuals with low and high trait impulsivity.
    [Show full text]
  • The Somatic Marker Hypothesis: a Neural Theory of Economic Decision
    Games and Economic Behavior 52 (2005) 336–372 www.elsevier.com/locate/geb The somatic marker hypothesis: A neural theory of economic decision Antoine Bechara ∗, Antonio R. Damasio Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA Received 8 June 2004 Available online 23 September 2004 Abstract Modern economic theory ignores the influence of emotions on decision-making. Emerging neuro- science evidence suggests that sound and rational decision making, in fact, depends on prior accurate emotional processing. The somatic marker hypothesis provides a systems-level neuroanatomical and cognitive framework for decision-making and its influence by emotion. The key idea of this hypothe- sis is that decision-making is a process that is influenced by marker signals that arise in bioregulatory processes, including those that express themselves in emotions and feelings. This influence can oc- cur at multiple levels of operation, some of which occur consciously, and some of which occur non-consciously. Here we review studies that confirm various predictions from the hypothesis, and propose a neural model for economic decision, in which emotions are a major factor in the interac- tion between environmental conditions and human decision processes, with these emotional systems providing valuable implicit or explicit knowledge for making fast and advantageous decisions. 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Introduction Modern economic theory assumes that human decision-making involves rational Bayesian maximization of expected utility, as if humans were equipped with unlim- ited knowledge, time, and information-processing power. The influence of emotions on * Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (A.
    [Show full text]
  • Executive Functioning in Pathological Gamblers and Healthy Controls
    1 Executive Functioning in Pathological Gamblers and Healthy Controls Study Final Report Submitted to Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre Principal Investigator: David M. Ledgerwood, Ph.D.(1) Co-Investigators/Collaborators: Leslie H. Lundahl, Ph.D.(1) G. Ron Frisch, Ph.D.(2) Nick Rupcich (3) 1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 2761 E. Jefferson Ave., Detroit, MI, USA, 48207. 2. Department of Psychology, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4. 3. Problem Gambling Services, Windsor Regional Hospital, 2109 Ottawa St., Windsor, Ontario, N8Y 1R8. 2 Table of Contents Page Number List of Tables 3 List of Figures 4 Acknowledgements 5 Abstract 6 Executive Summary 7 Introduction 9 Methods 12 Participants 12 Inclusion/Exclusion 12 Pathological Gamblers 12 Controls 12 Measures 13 Demographics, Gambling, Inclusion and Exclusion Measures 13 Impulsivity Measures 13 General Intelligence 13 Executive Function 14 Ethics Approval 15 Procedure 15 Sample Justification 16 Data Analysis 16 Results 18 Demographic and Gambling Variables 18 Executive Function 18 Decision Making 18 Response Inhibition 18 Memory 19 Impulsivity 19 Discussion 20 Executive Function 20 Decision Making 21 Impulsivity 22 Changes to the Original Proposal 22 Limitations & Strengths 22 Implications and Conclusions 23 References 25 Tables 28 Figures 34 3 List of Tables Table 1. Demographic and gambling variables. Table 2. Raw means and standard deviations on executive function measures. Table 3. Correlations between executive function variables and intelligence. Table 4. Raw means and standard deviations for Wechsler Memory Scale scores. Table 5. Correlations between Delay Discounting Area Under the Curve (AUC), Barrett Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), executive function measures and full scale intelligence.
    [Show full text]
  • The Republican Theology of Benjamin Rush
    THE REPUBLICAN THEOLOGY OF BENJAMIN RUSH By DONALD J. D'ELIA* A Christian [Benjamin Rush argued] cannot fail of be- ing a republican. The history of the creation of man, and of the relation of our species to each other by birth, which is recorded in the Old Testament, is the best refuta- tion that can be given to the divine right of kings, and the strongest argument that can be used in favor of the original and natural equality of all mankind. A Christian, I say again, cannot fail of being a republican, for every precept of the Gospel inculcates those degrees of humility, self-denial, and brotherly kindness, which are directly opposed to the pride of monarchy and the pageantry of a court. D)R. BENJAMIN RUSH was a revolutionary in his concep- tions of history, society, medicine, and education. He was also a revolutionary in theology. His age was one of universality, hle extrapolated boldly from politics to religion, or vice versa, with the clear warrant of the times.1 To have treated religion and politics in isolation from each other would have clashed with his analogical disposition, for which he was rightly famous. "Dr. D'Elia is associate professor of history at the State University of New York College at New Paltz. This paper was read at a session of the annual meeting of the Association at Meadville, October 9, 1965. 1Basil Willey, The Eighteenth Century Background; Studies on the Idea of Nature in the Thought of the Period (Boston: Beacon Press, 1961), p. 137 et passim.
    [Show full text]
  • Prescription Stimulants
    Prescription Stimulants What are prescription stimulants? Prescription stimulants are medicines generally used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy— uncontrollable episodes of deep sleep. They increase alertness, attention, and energy. What are common prescription stimulants? • dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine®) • dextroamphetamine/amphetamine combination product (Adderall®) • methylphenidate (Ritalin®, Concerta®). Photo by ©iStock.com/ognianm Popular slang terms for prescription stimulants include Speed, Uppers, and Vitamin R. How do people use and misuse prescription stimulants? Most prescription stimulants come in tablet, capsule, or liquid form, which a person takes by mouth. Misuse of a prescription stimulant means: Do Prescription Stimulants Make You • taking medicine in a way or dose Smarter? other than prescribed Some people take prescription stimulants to • taking someone else’s medicine try to improve mental performance. Teens • taking medicine only for the effect it and college students sometimes misuse causes—to get high them to try to get better grades, and older adults misuse them to try to improve their When misusing a prescription stimulant, memory. Taking prescription stimulants for people can swallow the medicine in its reasons other than treating ADHD or normal form. Alternatively, they can crush narcolepsy could lead to harmful health tablets or open the capsules, dissolve the powder in water, and inject the liquid into a effects, such as addiction, heart problems, vein. Some can also snort or smoke the or psychosis. powder. Prescription Stimulants • June 2018 • Page 1 How do prescription stimulants affect the brain and body? Prescription stimulants increase the activity of the brain chemicals dopamine and norepinephrine. Dopamine is involved in the reinforcement of rewarding behaviors.
    [Show full text]
  • Beyond Panic Prevention: Addressing Emotion in Emergency Communication by Dr
    Beyond Panic Prevention: Addressing Emotion in Emergency Communication By Dr. Peter Sandman Originally published in: Emergency Risk Communication CDCynergy (CD-ROM) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services February 2003. On the Web at: www.psandman.com This is one of three articles I wrote for the CDC’s CD-ROM on emergency risk communication. This one deals with the likely emotional impacts of terrorism (and other major emergencies), and how communicators can best help the public cope with these emotions. The focus is especially on denial and misery as more common emotional reactions than panic — reactions that may be mishandled if the communicator is over-worried about panic prevention instead. This project was supported in part by an appointment to the Research Participation Program for the Office of Communication, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education through an agreement between the Department of Energy and CDC. —Peter M. Sandman Many risk communication documents, columns, and articles are available at: www.psandman.com www.psandman.com/articles/beyond.pdf Beyond Panic Prevention: Addressing Emotion in Emergency Communication by Peter M. Sandman Copyright © 2002 by Peter M. Sandman September 2002 By far the most common reaction to risky situations is apathy. Figuring out how to combat apathy – how to get people to recognize a risk as serious, to become concerned about it, and to take action – is the mainstay of a risk communication specialist’s job. It is also the mainstay of a health educator’s or health communicator’s job.
    [Show full text]
  • Psychology Residency (Doctoral Internship)
    Psychology Residency (Doctoral Internship) The psychology residency (aka doctoral internship) in the Division of Behavioral Sciences is a one-year, American Psychological Association-accredited, full-time training program that fulfills the doctoral internship requirement for doctoral programs in health services psychology. The program has been continuously accredited by the American Psychological Association since 1967 and has trained over 300 psychologists, most of whom are working around the world today in academic medical centers, and/or a variety of clinical and educational settings. The program offers training in the following three tracks: Child/Adolescent/Pediatric psychology (two positions) Health psychology (four positions) Neuropsychology (three positions) Trainees in all tracks work in both inpatient and outpatient settings and provide assessment, testing, consultation and treatment for Rush’s diverse patient population. Regularly scheduled supervision is provided for a minimum of four hours weekly. Trainees also participate in several didactic seminars weekly and have the option of participating in research projects with faculty members as mentors. American Psychological Association (APA) accreditation status and the current standards for accreditation can be found on the APA website or by contacting the APA: Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation American Psychological Association 750 First St. NE Washington, DC 20002-4242 Phone: (202) 336-5979 How to apply We are a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) and participate in the APPIC Internship Matching Program. Candidates must be enrolled in and near completion of an American Psychological Association- accredited or Canadian Psychological Association-accredited doctoral program in clinical or counseling psychology to be considered.
    [Show full text]
  • Errors in Moral Forecasting: Perceptions 2015, Vol
    PSPXXX10.1177/0146167215583848Personality and Social Psychology BulletinTeper et al. 583848research-article2015 Article Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin Errors in Moral Forecasting: Perceptions 2015, Vol. 41(7) 887 –900 © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc of Affect Shape the Gap Between Moral Reprints and permissions: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav Behaviors and Moral Forecasts DOI: 10.1177/0146167215583848 pspb.sagepub.com Rimma Teper1, Alexa M. Tullett2, Elizabeth Page-Gould3, and Michael Inzlicht3 Abstract Research in moral decision making has shown that there may not be a one-to-one relationship between peoples’ moral forecasts and behaviors. Although past work suggests that physiological arousal may account for part of the behavior- forecasting discrepancy, whether or not perceptions of affect play an important determinant remains unclear. Here, we investigate whether this discrepancy may arise because people fail to anticipate how they will feel in morally significant situations. In Study 1, forecasters predicted cheating significantly more on a test than participants in a behavior condition actually cheated. Importantly, forecasters who received false somatic feedback, indicative of high arousal, produced forecasts that aligned more closely with behaviors. In Study 2, forecasters who misattributed their arousal to an extraneous source forecasted cheating significantly more. In Study 3, higher dispositional emotional awareness was related to less forecasted cheating. These findings suggest that perceptions of affect play a key role in the behavior-forecasting dissociation. Keywords morality, emotions, affective experience, moral forecasting, moral behavior Received August 17, 2014; revision accepted April 1, 2015 But the relations between thought and action are very far from predictions about what they might do, may not accurately being as simple as is commonly supposed.
    [Show full text]
  • 'Love and Hatred Are Common to the Whole Sensitive Creation': Animal Feeling in the Century Before Darwin1
    1 ‘Love and Hatred are Common to the Whole Sensitive Creation’: Animal Feeling in the Century before Darwin1 Jane Spencer Darwin was willing to discern a wide range of emotions in animals: not just those now considered basic in humans – anger, fear, sadness, disgust and enjoyment – but jealousy, pride, shame, ennui, wonder and curiosity. In Part I, chapter iii, of The Descent of Man (1871) he writes: Most of the more complex emotions are common to the higher animals and ourselves. Every one has seen how jealous a dog is of his master’s affection, if lavished on any other creature; and I have observed the same fact with monkeys. This shows that animals not only love, but have desire to be loved. Animals manifestly feel emula- tion. They love approbation or praise; and a dog carrying a basket for his master exhibits in a high degree self-complacency or pride. There can, I think, be no doubt that a dog feels shame, as distinct from fear, and something very like modesty when begging too often for food. ... Several observers have stated that monkeys certainly dislike being laughed at … Dogs show what may be fairly called a sense of humour, as distinct from mere play; if a bit of stick or other such object be thrown to one, he will often carry it away for a short distance; and then squatting down with it on the ground … will wait until his master comes quite close to take it away. The dog will then seize it and rush away in triumph, repeating the same manoeuvre, and evidently enjoying the practical joke.2 A monkey who disliked being laughed
    [Show full text]
  • Defining a Role for Affect in Decision-Making
    University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 1-1-2016 Defining a Role for Affect in Decision-Making Pareezad Cyrus Zarolia University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the Cognition and Perception Commons Recommended Citation Zarolia, Pareezad Cyrus, "Defining a Role for Affect in Decision-Making" (2016). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1177. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1177 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. DEFINING A ROLE FOR AFFECT IN DECISION-MAKING __________ A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Social Sciences University of Denver __________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy __________ by Pareezad Cyrus Zarolia August 2016 Advisor: Kateri McRae, Ph.D. ©Copyright by Pareezad Cyrus Zarolia 2016 All Rights Reserved Author: Pareezad Cyrus Zarolia Title: DEFINING A ROLE FOR AFFECT IN DECISION-MAKING Advisor: Kateri McRae, Ph.D. Degree Date: August 2016 Abstract Recent theories of decision-making have hinted that affect might be useful during some decision-making processes. I propose a model, the affective evaluation model, which defines the role of affect in decision-making as helpful when affect is decision- relevant and unhelpful when it is not. In three studies, I manipulate the decision- relevance of affect to test this central component of the affective evaluation model.
    [Show full text]