Absence Of Time Pressure Research Articles

Choice overload interferes with early processing and necessitates late compensation: Evidence from electroencephalogram.

Having a multitude of choices can be advantageous, yet an abundance of options can be detrimental to the decision-making process. Based on existing research, the present study combined electroencephalogram and self-reported methodologies to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the phenomenon of choice overload. Behavioural data suggested that an increase in the number of options led to negative evaluations and avoidance of choice tendencies, even in the absence of time pressure. Event-related potential results indicated that the large choice set interfered with the early visual process, as evidenced by the small P1 amplitude, and failed to attract more attentional resources in the early stage, as evidenced by the small amplitude of P2 and N2. However, the LPC amplitude was increased in the late stage, suggesting greater investment of attentional resources and higher emotional arousal. Multivariate pattern analysis revealed that the difference between small and large choice set began at around 120 ms, and the early and late stages were characterised by opposite activation patterns. This suggested that too many options interfered with early processing and necessitate continued processing at a later stage. In summary, both behavioural and event-related potential (ERP) results confirm the choice overload effect, and it was observed that individuals tend to subjectively exaggerate the choice overload effect.

Distributed practice and time pressure interact to affect learning and retention of arithmetic facts

Arithmetic is commonly taught through timed practice and drill, yet little research exists to guide optimal practice structure. This study investigated the effects of distributed practice and time pressure on the acquisition and retention of arithmetic facts. Following a pretest, adult participants (n = 211) were randomly assigned to learn unfamiliar times tables (17 and 19) in one of ten conditions in a 5 (spacing: daily, every other day, weekly, every 10 days, every other week) x 2 (time pressure: timed or untimed) factorial design. After the learning phase, retention tests were given to measure both accuracy and response time immediately, after a ten-day delay, and at the end of semester. Time pressure during learning elevated participants’ perceived stress. It also led to faster response times during testing when learning was spaced daily and every other day, but slower response times for all other spacings. These patterns were reversed in the absence of time pressure during learning. While timed and untimed practice during learning led to similar forgetting of practiced facts over time, untimed practice allowed participants to gradually improve on unpracticed facts and conceptually related facts across test phases. Ultimately, distributed practice and time pressure may interact in complex ways to affect the learning and retention of arithmetic facts, and the effects shown in previous studies using verbal material (e.g., narrative texts, word lists) may not generalize to arithmetic.

COLET: A dataset for COgnitive workLoad estimation based on eye-tracking

Background and Objective: The cognitive workload is an important component in performance psychology, ergonomics, and human factors. Publicly available datasets are scarce, making it difficult to establish new approaches and comparative studies. In this work, COLET-COgnitive workLoad estimation based on Eye-Tracking dataset is presented. Methods: Forty-seven (47) individuals’ eye movements were monitored as they solved puzzles involving visual search activities of varying complexity and duration. The participants’ cognitive workload level was evaluated with the subjective test of NASA-TLX and this score is used as an annotation of the activity. Extensive data analysis was performed in order to derive eye and gaze features from low-level eye recorded metrics, and a range of machine learning models were evaluated and tested regarding the estimation of the cognitive workload level. Results: The activities induced four different levels of cognitive workload. Multi tasking and time pressure have induced a higher level of cognitive workload than the one induced by single tasking and absence of time pressure. Multi tasking had a significant effect on 17 eye features while time pressure had a significant effect on 7 eye features. Both binary and multi-class identification attempts were performed by testing a variety of well-known classifiers, resulting in encouraging results towards cognitive workload levels estimation, with up to 88% correct predictions between low and high cognitive workload. Conclusions: Machine learning analysis demonstrated potential in discriminating cognitive workload levels using only eye-tracking characteristics. The proposed dataset includes a much higher sample size and a wider spectrum of eye and gaze metrics than other similar datasets, allowing for the examination of their relations with various cognitive states.

The failure of the United States coercive diplomacy in the era of President Donald Trump: Turkey’s persistence in buying S-400

Turkey decided to acquire the S-400 air defense system from Russia in 2017. This decision puts Turkey in the shadow of the United States’ coercive diplomacy through the CAATSA instrument. However, Turkey showed its persistence, as evidenced by the arrival of the S-400 in Turkey in 2019. This study aims to find out the reason for Turkey’s persistence using the concept of coercive diplomacy and descriptive-analytical methods. This article concludes that the reason for Turkey’s persistence in buying S-400 was the implementation of United States coercive diplomacy through CAATSA that tends to be “half-hearted”. “Half-hearted” coercive diplomacy done by the United States made all three strategies for a successful and effective coercive diplomacy cannot be achieved. First, the demands and threats presented did not have strong credibility and legitimacy. Second, the Turkish government’s lack of urgency in complying with the US demands contributed to the cause of such persistence. Finally, the absence of time pressure is also important to assure a successful and effective coercive diplomacy.

Benefits of Wise Organizations on Employees’ Well-Being: A Comparison of Younger and Older Workers

Research has shown a positive relation between personal wisdom and well-being, particularly in old age. Yet, it is unknown whether wisdom in the workplace also has a positive impact on workers’ well-being. We created a wise organization index for nine organizations based on 74 to 390 average employees’ ratings of perceived flexibility at work, work opportunities for training and development, satisfaction with work benefits, absence of time pressure at work, work-life balance, job fulfillment, and job security. We predicted a stronger relation of wise organization on well-being for older workers (N=269; age range 50-74, M=56.08, SD=5.04) than for younger workers (N=552; age range 19-49, M=35.10, SD=8.17) who can more easily change jobs. Results of multigroup analyses in LISREL 9.30 showed that the wise organization index had significant indirect effects on employees’ physical and subjective well-being at the second wave of data collection, mediated by employees’ perception of wise (fair and supportive) leadership assessed six months earlier and overall work satisfaction (career as calling, satisfaction with career progress, enthusiasm at work, and great workplace) at Wave 2. Contrary to expectations, the effects were not statistically different between the two age groups. However, physical well-being had a statistically stronger association with subjective well-being among younger rather than older workers, possibly indicating a positive health selection effect in the older age group. It appears that wise organizations encourage wise leadership and enable workers to work longer by contributing to their work-related, physical, and subjective well-being.

Linking Wise Organizations to Wise Leadership, Job Satisfaction, and Well-Being

Objective:Research shows that wisdom benefits individuals, but is this also true for organizations? To answer this question, we first delineated the characteristics of wise and not-so-wise organizations in the areas of goals, approach, range, characteristics of leaders and employees, and perception of aging, using a framework derived from comparing wisdom with intellectual knowledge. Guided by this framework, we then tested whether wise organizations have a positive effect on employees’ physical and subjective well-being mediated by wise leadership and job satisfaction.Method:We created a wise organization index for nine organizations from the 2007–2008 Age and Generations Study based on 74 to 390 average employees’ ratings of perceived work opportunities for training and development, flexibility at work, absence of time pressure at work, work-life balance, satisfaction with work benefits, job security, and job opportunities. A mediated path model was analyzed to test the hypothesis. The sample contained 821 employees (age range 19–74 years; M = 41.98, SD = 12.26) with valid values on wise (fair and supportive) leadership at the first wave of data collection and employee job satisfaction (career as calling, satisfaction with career progress, engagement at work, and organizational commitment) and physical and subjective well-being at the second wave of data collection at least 6 months later.Findings:Results confirmed that the positive associations between the organizations’ overall wisdom index and employees’ physical and subjective well-being scores at Wave 2 was mediated by employees’ perception of wise leadership at Wave 1 and employee job satisfaction at Wave 2.Originality/value:This study fills a gap in the organizational wisdom literature by 1) systematically contrasting the characteristics of wise organizations with not-so-wise organizations, 2) creating a novel wise organization index, and 3) testing the effects of wise organizations and wise leadership on employees’ job satisfaction and physical and subjective well-being.Practical and societal implications:The results suggest that wise organizations encourage wise leadership, and wise leadership, in turn, fosters job satisfaction, which benefits employees’ physical and subjective well-being. Hence, wise organizations ultimately enhance workers’ well-being, which likely contributes to the success and reputation of the organization through higher employee productivity and better customer service.

The influence of time pressure on translation trainees' performance: Testing the relationship between self-esteem, salivary cortisol and subjective stress response.

Translators face hectic daily schedules with deadlines they must duly meet. As trainees they receive tuition on how to work swiftly to meet them efficiently. But despite the prominent role of time pressure, its effects on the translation process are still scarcely researched. Studies point to the higher occurrence of errors under stringent time constraints. Most of these studies use key-logging or eye-tracking techniques to identify the problems encountered. But no attempt has yet been made to measure the physiological effects of time pressure in English-to-Spanish translation and their interplay with trainees' psychological state. The present study researches the influence of time pressure on translation by exploring trainees' physiological response (i.e., salivary cortisol) and psychological traits (i.e., self-esteem and anxiety). 33 Spanish translation trainees translated 3 English literary texts under different time pressure conditions: Text 1 (no time limit), Text 2 (10 minutes), Text 3 (5 minutes). Regression analysis results showed that higher cortisol levels during preparation predicted higher number of meaning errors in Text 1 and lower number of translated words in Text 2 and 3. Besides, higher trait anxiety emerged as predictor of lower number of translated words, but higher accuracy under extreme time constraints and in the absence of time pressure. Higher self-esteem correlated with lower levels of anxiety and lower levels of cortisol during preparation and recovery, suggesting that it may act as a protective factor against stress. And yet, the regression analysis showed that higher self-esteem predicted lower meaning and total accuracy under extreme time pressure. Besides, in our correlation analysis self-esteem was positively related to the number of translated words in Text 2 and 3. Results suggest that even if self-esteem could be a protective factor against stress, it may also have a negative effect on task performance mediated by overconfidence.

Fully automated treatment planning for MLC-based robotic radiotherapy.

PurposeTo propose and validate a fully automated multicriterial treatment planning solution for a CyberKnife® equipped with an InCiseTM 2 multileaf collimator.MethodsThe AUTO BAO plans are generated using fully automated prioritized multicriterial optimization (AUTO MCO) of pencil‐beam fluence maps with integrated noncoplanar beam angle optimization (BAO), followed by MLC segment generation. Both the AUTO MCO and segmentation algorithms have been developed in‐house. AUTO MCO generates for each patient a single, high‐quality Pareto‐optimal IMRT plan. The segmentation algorithm then accurately mimics the AUTO MCO 3D dose distribution, while considering all candidate beams simultaneously, rather than replicating the fluence maps. Pencil‐beams, segment dose depositions, and final dose calculations are performed with a stand‐alone version of the clinical dose calculation engine. For validation, AUTO BAO plans were generated for 33 prostate SBRT patients and compared to reference plans (REF) that were manually generated with the commercial treatment planning system (TPS), in absence of time pressure. REF plans were also compared to AUTO RB plans, for which fluence map optimization was performed for the beam angle configuration used in the REF plan, and the segmentation could use all these beams or only a subset, depending on the dosimetry.ResultsAUTO BAO plans were clinically acceptable and dosimetrically similar to REF plans, but had on average reduced numbers of beams ((beams in AUTO BAO)/(beams in REF) (relative improvement): 24.7/48.3 (−49%)), segments (59.5/98.9 (−40%)), and delivery times (17.1/22.3 min. (−23%)). Dosimetry of AUTO RB and REF were also similar, but AUTO RB used on average fewer beams (38.0/48.3 (−21%)) and had on average shorter delivery times (18.6/22.3 min. (−17%)). Delivered Monitor Units (MU) were similar for all three planning approaches.ConclusionsA new, vendor‐independent optimization workflow for fully automated generation of deliverable high‐quality CyberKnife® plans was proposed, including BAO. Compared to manual planning with the commercial TPS, fraction delivery times were reduced by 5.3 min. (−23%) due to large reductions in beam and segment numbers.

Decoy effects in intertemporal and probabilistic choices the role of time pressure, immediacy, and certainty

A decoy is an irrelevant option that, when added to a binary choice, is not selected but nonetheless alters the subjects’ preferences, systematically biasing towards its target. The decoy effect, also known as attraction effect, is considered an anomaly of rational decision-making, albeit its applicability to real-life choices outside of laboratory settings has been challenged. In particular, when decoys have been studied in choices between outcomes occurring at different points in time, i.e. intertemporal choices, or with different probabilities of realizing their utility, i.e. probabilistic choices, results were mixed: sometimes decoys are impactful, sometimes they are not, and they seem to be more effective in biasing towards, respectively, larger-and-later and larger-and-riskier outcomes, rather than towards sooner-and-smaller or sooner-and-safer rewards. We suggest that this puzzling set of results can be clarified by focusing on two important influencing factors: time pressure and immediacy/certainty. Moreover, we argue that decoy effects constitute an excellent testbed to assess similarities and differences between intertemporal choice and risky decision-making, which constitutes another open issue in the study of human choice. Two studies are presented to support these claims. In Study 1 (N = 92), we demonstrate that asymmetrically dominated decoys influence both intertemporal choice and risky decision-making only in the absence of time pressure, since otherwise the comparative process required for the decoy to have an impact cannot occur, consistently with predictions made by connectionist models of decision. In Study 2 (N = 53), we show that, when the smaller option is no longer presented as immediate/certain (but rather as sooner/safer), the impact of decoys becomes symmetrical – that is, they can prompt subjects to become either more future-oriented/risk-prone or more present-oriented/risk-averse. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for our understanding of the multifaceted role of time and chance in decision making.

Deliberate reasoning is not affected by language.

BackgroundMillions of people use a second language every day. Does this have an effect on their decision-making? Are decisions in a second language more deliberate? Two mechanisms have been proposed: reduced emotionality or increased deliberation. Most studies so far used problems where both mechanisms could contribute to a foreign language effect. Here, we aimed to identify whether deliberate reasoning increases for problems that are devoid of any emotional connotation when using a second language or having to switch between native and second language.MethodWe measured deliberate reasoning with items from the cognitive reflection test, ratio bias, a probability matching task, and base rate neglect items. We recruited over 500 participants from Norway and the Netherlands that had English as their second language. Participants were randomly assigned to either the native, switching or second language condition. We measured: number of correctly answered items–deliberate reasoning score, perceived effort, perceived accuracy or confidence, and language proficiency.ResultsDeliberate reasoning was not increased when using a second language or when having to switch between native and second language. All three groups performed equally well. Significant predictors of deliberate reasoning were age, gender, education, perceived effort, and confidence but not the language context. Participants with low English proficiency spent more time reading compared to more fluent speakers.ConclusionThere is no advantage of second language on deliberate reasoning in the absence of time pressure. Deliberation was not increased by providing items in a second language, but through the willingness to spend cognitive effort and time to read carefully.

Fully automated VMAT treatment planning for advanced-stage NSCLC patients

PurposeTo develop a fully automated procedure for multicriterial volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) treatment planning (autoVMAT) for stage III/IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with curative intent.Materials and methodsAfter configuring the developed autoVMAT system for NSCLC, autoVMAT plans were compared with manually generated clinically delivered intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) plans for 41 patients. AutoVMAT plans were also compared to manually generated VMAT plans in the absence of time pressure. For 16 patients with reduced planning target volume (PTV) dose prescription in the clinical IMRT plan (to avoid violation of organs at risk tolerances), the potential for dose escalation with autoVMAT was explored.ResultsTwo physicians evaluated 35/41 autoVMAT plans (85%) as clinically acceptable. Compared to the manually generated IMRT plans, autoVMAT plans showed statistically significant improved PTV coverage (V95% increased by 1.1% ± 1.1%), higher dose conformity (R50 reduced by 12.2% ± 12.7%), and reduced mean lung, heart, and esophagus doses (reductions of 0.9 Gy ± 1.0 Gy, 1.5 Gy ± 1.8 Gy, 3.6 Gy ± 2.8 Gy, respectively, all p < 0.001). To render the six remaining autoVMAT plans clinically acceptable, a dosimetrist needed less than 10 min hands-on time for fine-tuning. AutoVMAT plans were also considered equivalent or better than manually optimized VMAT plans. For 6/16 patients, autoVMAT allowed tumor dose escalation of 5–10 Gy.ConclusionClinically deliverable, high-quality autoVMAT plans can be generated fully automatically for the vast majority of advanced-stage NSCLC patients. For a subset of patients, autoVMAT allowed for tumor dose escalation.

What consumers see when time is running out: Consumers’ browsing behaviors on online shopping websites when under time pressure

We examined the browsing behaviors of consumers on online shopping product display page in the presence and absence of time pressure. We recruited 115 volunteers for the experiment. We used an eye-tracking device to measure the participants’ eye movements. The results indicated that when shopping online under time pressure, participants’ observation length and count for browsing products with high brand awareness were respectively longer and higher than those for browsing products with low brand awareness. However, when they shopped online without time pressure, no difference between products with high and low brand awareness levels was observed, a result that supports all our hypotheses. We discuss our findings and outline their theoretical and business implications.

Investigating the probabilistic reasoning in verbal–numerical and graphical–pictorial formats in relation to cognitive and non-cognitive dimensions: The proposal of a model

The purpose of this study was to understand the role played by several individual and contextual variables in accounting for the subjects' performance in probabilistic reasoning problems, presented in verbal–numerical and graphical–pictorial formats, respectively. Structural equation models linking these variables were proposed. Three samples of psychology undergraduate students in Spain (n=127) and Italy (n=549, of whom n=173 were working under time pressure) who had no statistical expertise were requested to solve problems and to complete a set of questionnaires investigating abilities, statistical anxiety, attitudes towards statistics and confidence in the correctness of responses. Distinct models for the two formats were evaluated in each sample. The outcomes showed specificities in the relationships of variables. The dissimilarities between performances in the two formats were highlighted; moreover, similarities and differences were observed in the two countries and among Italians working with and without time pressure. These findings indicate that previous school experiences played a central role in accounting for the performances of students lacking knowledge about statistics, especially in the absence of time pressure. However, confidence showed a strong influence on performance in both formats in the presence of time pressure. The results are discussed in relation to their theoretical meanings and applications.

Who performs better under time pressure? Results from a field experiment

We investigate whether and how time pressure affects performance. We conducted a field experiment in which students from an Italian University are proposed to choose between two exam schemes: a standard scheme without time pressure and an alternative scheme consisting of two written intermediate tests, one of which to be taken under time pressure. Students deciding to sustain the alternative exam are randomly assigned to a “time pressure” and a “no time pressure” group. Students performing under time pressure at the first test perform in absence of time pressure at the second test and vice versa. We find that being exposed to time pressure exerts a negative and statistically significant impact on students’ performance. The effect is driven by a strong negative impact on females’ performance, while there is no statistically significant effect on males. Both the quantity and quality of females’ work is hampered by time pressure. Using data on students’ expectations, we also find that the effect produced by time pressure on performance was correctly perceived by students. Female students expect a lower grade when working under time pressure, while males do not. These findings contribute to explain why women tend to shy away from jobs and careers involving time pressure.

Nurses’ Ability to Detect Problems of Hospital-Acquired Infections the Effects of Risk Factors, Expertise, and Time Pressure

Nurses must manage a variety of problems in order to maintain performance. The first step in managing these problems is detecting that there is in fact a problem. The current study aimed to investigate how nurses detect the problem of a patient developing a hospital-acquired infection (HAI). Specifically, the experiment examined the effects of varying the number of risk factors, nurse experience, and the presence or absence of time pressure. General findings and implications are discussed.

Fully Automated Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy Plan Generation for Prostate Cancer Patients

To develop and evaluate fully automated volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) treatment planning for prostate cancer patients, avoiding manual trial-and-error tweaking of plan parameters by dosimetrists. A system was developed for fully automated generation of VMAT plans with our commercial clinical treatment planning system (TPS), linked to the in-house developed Erasmus-iCycle multicriterial optimizer for preoptimization. For 30 randomly selected patients, automatically generated VMAT plans (VMATauto) were compared with VMAT plans generated manually by 1 expert dosimetrist in the absence of time pressure (VMATman). For all treatment plans, planning target volume (PTV) coverage and sparing of organs-at-risk were quantified. All generated plans were clinically acceptable and had similar PTV coverage (V95% > 99%). For VMATauto and VMATman plans, the organ-at-risk sparing was similar as well, although only the former plans were generated without any planning workload. Fully automated generation of high-quality VMAT plans for prostate cancer patients is feasible and has recently been implemented in our clinic.

Decision making under time pressure, modeled in a prospect theory framework

The current research examines the effects of time pressure on decision behavior based on a prospect theory framework. In Experiments 1 and 2, participants estimated certainty equivalents for binary gains-only bets in the presence or absence of time pressure. In Experiment 3, participants assessed comparable bets that were framed as losses. Data were modeled to establish psychological mechanisms underlying decision behavior. In Experiments 1 and 2, time pressure led to increased risk attractiveness, but no significant differences emerged in either probability discriminability or outcome utility. In Experiment 3, time pressure reduced probability discriminability, which was coupled with severe risk-seeking behavior for both conditions in the domain of losses. No significant effects of control over outcomes were observed. Results provide qualified support for theories that suggest increased risk-seeking for gains under time pressure.

The Effects of Task Demand and Decision Latitude on Cardiovascular Reactivity to Stress

This study investigated the effects of task demand (absence or presence of time pressure) and decision latitude (choice or no choice over a task) on cardiovascular and affective responses to stressful tasks among 70 college students. Subjects also rated whether they felt under pressure and the extent to which they felt in control. Time pressure was related to elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP) responses among men and increased negative affect for both sexes. Lack of choice over the task also resulted in increased negative affect in both sexes. The least stressful condition--having a choice in the absence of time pressure--resulted in reduced negative affect. In addition to the effects of manipulated decision latitude and demand, perceptions of being in control were associated with reduced SBP among women who had a choice. Perceived control also contributed to reduced negative affect among men. These results suggest that the postulated negative effects of high demand and low decision latitude (ie, job strain) on cardiovascular health may be mediated in part by increased cardiovascular reactivity and negative affect.