Understanding Decision Making in the Iowa Gambling Task
Author Information
Author(s): Andrea Stocco, Danilo Fum, Antonio Napoli
Primary Institution: Carnegie Mellon University
Hypothesis
The study proposes a new framework to understand the cognitive processes involved in decision making during the Iowa Gambling Task.
Conclusion
The results support the idea that decision making in the Iowa Gambling Task involves two distinct cognitive processes: one that tracks long-term payoffs and another that is sensitive to loss frequency.
Supporting Evidence
- The study confirmed that two cognitive processes can be dissociated.
- Learning from decision outcomes requires cognitive resources.
- Decision making can occur during an interfering task once learning has occurred.
Takeaway
This study shows that when people make decisions in a card game, they use two different ways of thinking: one that looks at how much they can win in the long run and another that reacts to how often they lose.
Methodology
Participants completed a modified Iowa Gambling Task with a secondary distractor task to measure decision-making processes.
Potential Biases
Potential biases in participant selection and the effects of the secondary task on decision making.
Limitations
The study did not collect individual covariate measures of specific cognitive abilities.
Participant Demographics
Mean age 22.2 years, 81 females, all participants were college students aged 18-34.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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