Disadvantageous Decks Research Articles

Self‐Distancing Regulates the Effect of Incidental Anger (vs. Fear) on Affective Decision‐Making Under Uncertainty

ABSTRACTEmotions integral to a task are often adaptive, particularly in situations where outcomes and probabilities are not known. However, decisions are also influenced by emotions that arise from situations unrelated to the task. This is especially the case with negative emotions like fear and anger, which also tend to be accompanied by ruminative thinking that might divert decision‐makers' attention from the task at hand. In two preregistered experiments, we show how self‐distancing regulates the influence of incidental anger (vs. fear) on decision‐making under uncertainty. Participants recalled and reflected on a fear‐related or anger‐related event from either a self‐immersed or self‐distanced perspective. Next, they completed a task that is commonly used to measure affective decision‐making under uncertainty, the Iowa Gambling Task. The results in both experiments indicated that self‐immersed angry (vs. fearful) decision‐makers were significantly slower to avoid the risky, disadvantageous decks. These findings demonstrate how the ways in which we process negative emotional events shape their carryover effects in decision‐making under uncertainty and point to self‐distancing as a potential tool to control incidental emotional influences.

Age-group differences in trust-related decision-making and learning

Facial impressions contribute to evaluations of trustworthiness. Older adults are especially vulnerable to trust violations, incurring risks for deception and exploitation. Using the newly developed social Iowa Gambling Task (S-IGT), we examined age-group differences in the impact of facial trustworthiness on decision-making and learning. In the congruent condition (CS-IGT), advantageous decks were paired with trustworthy faces and disadvantageous decks with untrustworthy faces. In the incongruent condition (IS-IGT), this pairing was reversed. Younger (n = 143) and older (n = 129) participants completed either the standard Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), CS-IGT, or IS-IGT. Both age groups preferred trustworthy faces in their initial choices. Older adults performed worse than younger adults across all tasks over time. Further, compared to younger adults, older adults performed worse on the IS-IGT, suggesting that incongruent facial cues interfered with older adults’ performance, which aligns with reduced sensitivity to negative social reputations in aging. Multilevel modeling also indicated that age-group differences were most pronounced across all tasks in the last 40 trials. Together these findings suggest that differences between younger and older adults in experience-dependent decision-making are magnified in social contexts that involve a “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” which may reflect age-related difficulties in integrating incongruent information.

FACING TRUSTWORTHINESS: AGE-GROUP DIFFERENCES IN TRUST-RELATED DECISION-MAKING AND LEARNING

Abstract Facial impressions contribute to evaluations of trustworthiness. Older adults are especially vulnerable to trust violations, incurring risks for deception and exploitation. Using the newly developed Social Iowa Gambling Task (S-IGT), we examined age-group differences in the impact of facial trustworthiness on decision-making. Advantageous decks were represented by trustworthy (congruent condition, CS-IGT) or untrustworthy (incongruent condition, IS-IGT) faces and disadvantageous decks were represented by untrustworthy faces in the CS-IGT and by trustworthy faces in the IS-IGT. Younger (n = 143) and older (n = 129) participants completed either the standard IGT, CS-IGT, or IS-IGT. Both age groups preferred trustworthy faces in their initial choices. Older adults performed worse than younger adults across all tasks over time. Further, compared to younger adults, older adults performed worse on the IS-IGT, suggesting that incongruent facial cues interfered with older adults’ performance, which aligns with reduced sensitivity to negative social reputations in aging. Exploratory multilevel modeling indicated that age-group differences were most pronounced in the last 40 trials across all tasks. Together these findings indicate that differences between younger and older adults in experience-dependent decision-making are magnified in social contexts that involve a “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” which may reflect age-related difficulties in information integration.

Aging-related changes in reward-based decision-making depend on punishment frequency: An fMRI study.

Aging is often accompanied by significant cognitive decline and altered decision making. Previous studies have found that older adults have difficulty in processing reward/risk information, leading to suboptimal decision strategy. However, it is still under investigated about the neural substrates of risky decision-making under ambiguity in aging. Using the Iowa Gambling Task, the current study investigated inter-individual differences of risk-taking behaviors in healthy older adults with task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging. It was found that participants were able to improve their decisions in advantageous decks, but failed to avoid disadvantageous decks during task performance. The task-related activations within multiple brain regions were observed significantly different across the four decks, and showed negative correlations with age in disadvantageous decks but not in advantageous decks. Consistently, age-related whole brain analyses confirmed the negative age-effect on brain activations in disadvantageous decks, especially in high punishment frequency. In addition, the relationship between age and task performance in high punishment frequency was mediated by activation in the frontal subregions such as the middle frontal cortex and superior medial frontal cortex. Our findings shed light on the neural substrates of altered risk-taking behaviors in aging, suggesting a greater sensitivity to high punishment frequency in older adults.

Risk Decision Making and Executive Function among Adolescents and Young Adults.

The dual theory establishes that the decision-making process relies on two different systems, the affective system and the executive function (EF), developed during adolescence. This study analyzes the relationship between the decision-making and EF processes in a group of early adolescents (mean age = 12.51 years, SD = 0.61), where more affective impulse processes are developed, and in young adults (mean age = 19.38 years, SD = 1.97), where cognitive control processes have already matured. For this purpose, 140 participants in Spain completed the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) to measure their risky decisions and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST) to measure their EF. Performance on the IGT improves over blocks; however, adolescents received lower mean scores than young adults. However, controlling for age, perseverative errors were negatively associated with the mean net score on the risky blocks of IGT; thus, those who committed more perseverative errors in the WCST were more likely to take cards from the disadvantageous decks on the last blocks of the IGT. The current study shows that adolescents and adults solve ambiguous decisions by trial and error; however, adolescents are more likely to make risky decisions without attending to the long-term consequences. Following the dual theory hypothesis, the maturation of EF with age partly accounts for this difference in risky decision-making between adolescents and adults.

The comparison of decision-making in ambiguous situations and galvanic skin responses as somatic markers in patients with posterior cortex epilepsy and mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis

ABSTRACT Introduction Decision-making behaviors of patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) is a subject that has been studied frequently. However, determining the neuropsychological profiles of patients with different types of epilepsy is also important. Our main purpose was to examine the decision-making behaviors of patients with posterior cortex epilepsy (PCE) through the assumptions of somatic marker hypothesis (SMH) and to compare their performances with those of a MTLE group and a control group. Method Participants comprised of 13 patients with PCE (mean age 30.92 ± 9.99 years); 14 patients with MTLE with hippocampal sclerosis (MTLE-HS) (mean age 25.53 ± 7.40 years) and 15 controls (mean age 24.60 ± 8.45 years). Decision-making performances were assessed with the Iowa gambling test (IGT) and anticipatory skin responses before each choice were recorded. A comprehensive neuropsychological test battery was also given to all participants in order to examine the relationship of decision-making with other cognitive functions. Results Anticipatory responses before choosing from disadvantageous decks were significantly larger than choosing from advantageous decks in the PCE group (p = 0.00). No significant difference was found between the PCE and control group’s total net scores. IGT total net scores was significantly correlated with Stroop test interference time (p = 0.03). Conclusion The study reveals that cognitive impairments of patients with PCE are not limited to brain’s posterior areas’ functions, and provides evidence for the current paradigm which understands epilepsy as a network disorder.

Can cognition help predict suicide risk in patients with major depressive disorder? A machine learning study

BackgroundPrevious studies suggest that deficits in cognition may increase the risk of suicide. Our study aims to develop a machine learning (ML) algorithm-based suicide risk prediction model using cognition in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).MethodsParticipants comprised 52 depressed suicide attempters (DSA) and 61 depressed non-suicide attempters (DNS), and 98 healthy controls (HC). All participants were required to complete a series of questionnaires, the Suicide Stroop Task (SST) and the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). The performance in IGT was analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA. ML with extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) classification algorithm and locally explanatory techniques assessed performance and relative importance of characteristics for predicting suicide attempts. Prediction performances were compared with the area under the curve (AUC), decision curve analysis (DCA), and net reclassification improvement (NRI).ResultsDSA and DNS preferred to select the card from disadvantageous decks (decks "A" + "B") under risky situation (p = 0.023) and showed a significantly poorer learning effect during the IGT (F = 2.331, p = 0.019) compared with HC. Performance of XGBoost model based on demographic and clinical characteristics was compared with that of the model created after adding cognition data (AUC, 0.779 vs. 0.819, p > 0.05). The net benefit of model was improved and cognition resulted in continuous reclassification improvement with NRI of 5.3%. Several clinical dimensions were significant predictors in the XGBoost classification algorithm.LimitationsA limited sample size and failure to include sufficient suicide risk factors in the predictive model.ConclusionThis study demonstrate that cognitive deficits may serve as an important risk factor to predict suicide attempts in patients with MDD. Combined with other demographic characteristics and attributes drawn from clinical questionnaires, cognitive function can improve the predictive effectiveness of the ML model. Additionally, explanatory ML models can help clinicians detect specific risk factors for each suicide attempter within MDD patients. These findings may be helpful for clinicians to detect those at high risk of suicide attempts quickly and accurately, and help them make proactive treatment decisions.

DAT1 polymorphism associated with poor decision-making in males with antisocial personality disorder and high psychopathic traits.

Studies suggest that abnormalities of the dopaminergic system underlie decision-making deficits, a hallmark of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and psychopathy. The dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) is of particular interest due to a polymorphism that controls dopamine transporter (DAT) activity. However, the association between DAT1 genotypes and decision-making in ASPD has never been studied. The current study investigated the effect of DAT1 genotype on decision-making, as measured by the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), in ASPD and healthy controls. A total of 17 participants with ASPD and 16 healthy control participants without ASPD were sampled. The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised and the IGT were administered to all participants. All participants provided blood samples for genotyping. Data revealed a novel interaction effect between DAT1 genotype and diagnosis, whereby ASPD participants with low DAT activity genotypes performed significantly worse on the IGT and selected from disadvantageous decks more often, whereas the low DAT activity genotype in the healthy control group was associated with better performance on the IGT, and they selected from disadvantageous decks less often. We demonstrate, for the first time, that low DAT activity genotypes in ASPD with high psychopathic traits contribute to poor decision-making.

Decision-making executive function profile and performance in older adults with major depression: a case-control study

Objectives Decision making (DM) is a component of executive functioning, essential for choosing appropriate decisions. Executive dysfunctioning is particularly common in late-life depression, however the literature is scarce on DM. This case-control study aimed to evaluate the DM profile and performance in participants with and without unipolar major depression. Method The DM profile and performance were assessed by the Melbourne Decision Making Questionnaire and the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), respectively, in three groups of older adults from a university-based geriatric psychiatry clinic, i.e. current depression (n = 30), remitted depression (n = 43) and healthy controls (n = 59). The Hamilton Depression scale (HAM-D) 21 items, the Hamilton Anxiety scale, and the Mini-Mental State Examination were used to access depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and cognitive impairment, respectively. Multinomial, nominal and binary logistic regression was used to evaluate the associations between depression, depressive symptomatology and DM. Results In comparison to the control group, patients with current depression presented higher scores in buck-passing and proscratination DM profiles. In the hypervigilance profile, there was a significant difference between current and remitted depression groups. A higher value ​in the HAM-D scale increased the probability of disadvantageous DM profiles. Depressive patients showed a tendency of a higher mean score in both disadvantageous decks (A and B) of IGT. Patients with current depression showed a worse performance compared to the remitted depression group in the IGT netscore. Conclusion Older adults with current depression showed DM profiles considered maladaptive or disadvantageous compared to both remitted depression and healthy controls groups.

Social-networks-related stimuli interferes decision making under ambiguity: Interactions with cue-induced craving and problematic social-networks use

Background and aimsSocial-networks-use disorder is discussed as a potential further type of disorders due to addictive behaviors. Theoretical models assume cue-induced craving and disadvantageous decision making to be relevant mechanisms. This study investigates if the presentation of social-networks-related cues interferes with decision making under ambiguity.MethodsCraving was induced with a cue-reactivity paradigm and assessed with a visual analogue scale. Participants (N = 146) played a modified Iowa Gambling Task with social-networks-related cues and neutral cues presented on the advantageous and disadvantageous decks respectively, or vice versa. Symptoms of social-networks-use disorder were measured with a modified version of the short Internet Addiction Test.ResultsOverall, participants chose options with neutral cues more often than those with social-networks-related cues, even if it was disadvantageous. There was a significant interaction between decision-making performance and Iowa Gambling Task condition in predicting symptom severity. The results indicate that choosing decks with social-networks-related cues even if it was disadvantageous is associated with higher tendencies towards a social-networks-use disorder. The interaction with cue-induced craving did not explain further variance.Discussion and ConclusionsThe results highlight the relevance of cue reactivity, decision making, and their interaction as potential mechanisms explaining tendencies towards a social-networks-use disorder. Decision making was influenced by affective responses, which could result in a higher risk of a potential addictive behavior. This is consistent with the findings from addiction research and with theoretical approaches assuming an imbalance between affective and cognitive processes in addictive behaviors.

A Randomized Study of Food Pictures-Influenced Decision-Making Under Ambiguity in Individuals With Morbid Obesity.

Background and AimsIn addition to craving responses to salient food cues, the anticipation of short-term rewarding consumption of palatable food may overrun the anticipation of long-term negative consequences of obesity. The present investigation addressed the potential interplay of food cravings and decision-making abilities in individuals with obesity.MethodStudy 1 included 107 bariatric surgery candidates with class 2/3 obesity (OB-group) and study 2 included 54 individuals with normal weight/pre-obesity (nonOB-group). In both studies, standardized questionnaires concerning food cravings, food addiction, and psychopathology were administered. A cue-reactivity paradigm was used to measure craving responses toward semi-individualized images of highly palatable, processed food/fruit (appetitive food cues) compared to images of raw vegetables (non-appetitive food cues). Decision-making was measured with a modified computerized version of the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) with food pictures. Both groups were divided into two subgroups that were randomized to different IGT conditions. In one IGT condition the advantageous IGT card decks were covered by pictures of palatable, processed food or fruit and the disadvantageous decks by images of raw vegetables (= congruent condition), and in the other IGT condition vice versa.ResultsParticipants in the OB-group admitted on average higher craving responses toward palatable, processed food or fruit cues compared to pictures of raw vegetables. This was not the case in the nonOB-group. Contrary to our hypothesis, decision-making performance in both groups was worse when pictures of palatable, processed food or fruit were associated with advantageous IGT card decks compared to performance when those pictures were linked to the disadvantageous decks. The interference effect of food pictures processing on advantageous decision-making has been observed particularly in those individuals of the OB-group who exhibited high craving responses toward palatable, processed food cues or high levels of food addiction.DiscussionThe results indicate that food pictures processing interferes with decision-making, regardless of weight status. Opposed to the hypothesis, stronger tendencies to avoid than to approach pictures presenting processed, tasty food were observed. Further research should examine how cognitive avoidance tendencies toward processed, high energy food and approach tendencies toward healthy food can be transferred to real life situations.

Decision-Making Under Ambiguity or Risk in Individuals With Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment.

BackgroundMaking advantageous decisions is essential in everyday life. Our objective was to assess how patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) make decisions under conditions of ambiguity or risk. In addition, the study also aimed to examine the relationship between decision-making competence and memory and executive function.MethodsPatients with MCI (n = 36) and AD (n = 29) and healthy elderly controls (HC, n = 34) were recruited from the memory clinic. All subjects were administered a comprehensive neuropsychological battery test. We used the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) to measure decision-making under ambiguity and the Game of Dice Task (GDT) to measure decision-making under risk. Pearson’s correlation was used to examine the relationship between the performance of IGT and GDT with delayed recall and the Stroop test.ResultsIn the GDT, MCI and AD patients presented similar performance but showed different patterns when compared with the HC group. The proportion of those making advantageous choices was lower in the AD group than in the HC group (p = 0.01), while the MCI and HC groups did not differ (p = 0.14). Meanwhile, concerning the ratio of accepting negative feedback, the AD (p < 0.01) group was significantly different from the HC patients, but the MCI (p = 0.06) and HC groups did not differ. In the IGT, MCI and AD patients selected randomly from advantageous and disadvantageous decks (p = 0.94 and p = 0.54), showing no significant change in performance over time. In contrast, the HC group made increasingly frequent advantageous selections over time (p = 0.04). Furthermore, the proportion of advantageous decision-makers for the GDT had a linear relationship with delayed recall of the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test and Stroop color words (p < 0.01 and p < 0.01, respectively).ConclusionOur findings suggest that decision-making ability under ambiguity is compromised in MCI and AD, and the decision-making under risk is only impaired in AD. Reduced decision-making performance under risk is closely correlated with lower executive functions and memory.

Individuals with internet gaming disorder have similar neurocognitive impairments and social cognitive dysfunctions as methamphetamine-dependent patients.

Cognitive dysfunction may be a critical aspect of addictive disorders. This study aimed to examine whether individuals with Internet gaming disorder (IGD) have similar neurocognitive dysfunctions and social cognitive impairments as methamphetamine dependence (MD) patients. The participants included 30 individuals with IGD, 30 MD patients and 30 normal controls (NCs). All participants completed the digit span task, Iowa gambling task (IGT), WCST and the Interpersonal Perception Task-15 (IPT-15). The results showed that the IGD and MD groups had lower forwards and backwards scores, choices of advantageous minus disadvantageous decks, mean amount of money earned, number of categories completed, percentage of conceptual level responses, and IPT-15 total and factor scores compared with the NC group. Forwards and backwards scores, number of categories completed, percentage of conceptual level responses, choices from advantageous minus disadvantageous decks and mean amount of money earned were lower in the IGD group than in the MD group. The number of cards chosen from decks A, B, C, and D, total response errors, perseverative errors and failure to maintain set were higher in the IGD and MD groups than in NCs. Total response errors, perseverative errors and failure to maintain set were higher in the IGD than the MD group. The results revealed that neurocognitive deficits and social cognitive dysfunction in IGD are similar to those in MD. From a cognitive perspective, these results supported IGD as an addictive spectrum disorder and might lead to a better assessment of therapeutic efficacy.

Risky decision making and cognitive flexibility among online sports bettors in Nigeria.

Online sports betting is a popular recreational activity in Nigeria. Like other forms of gambling, risk of pathological progression exists for gamblers who continue betting despite severe financial and psychosocial consequences. In the present study, we examined whether this population of gamblers shows deficits in decision making and cognitive flexibility that have been documented in Western gambling populations. Thirty‐six online sports bettors and 42 non‐gambling participants completed a version of the Iowa gambling task (IGT) and an established set‐shifting task for the assessment of cognitive flexibility. The two groups did not differ significantly in the selection of disadvantageous decks on the IGT. In contrast, sports bettors committed significantly more errors on the set‐shifting task than non‐gambling control participants. As this performance deficit was not specific to trials requiring a set shift, it most likely resulted from gambling‐related changes in general cognitive or motivational abilities that are required to successfully complete challenging mental tasks. While our results illustrate that findings from Western populations cannot automatically be generalised to other contexts, it should be noted that we focused on only one particular type of gambling and included mostly participants with mild gambling‐related problems.

Decision making of forensic psychiatric inpatients deemed incompetent to stand trial

This study examined decision making and its correlates among forensic psychiatric inpatients deemed incompetent to stand trial (IST). This study utilized archival data (n = 41; Mean Age = 44.27, SD = 15.89, 79.1% Male; 34.1% Caucasian). Decision making was measured using the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), which is purported to simulate real-life decision making. Correlates included cognitive functioning, psychiatric symptom severity, and impulsivity. Participants selected more frequently from disadvantageous decks, which yield larger immediate monetary gains with a larger long-term monetary losses (Mean NET = −9.51, SD = 26.70), but avoided decks yielding frequent monetary losses (Mean GLF = 10.10, SD = 26.70). Consistently, participants selected most frequently from a deck yielding the most immediate monetary gains and the least frequent monetary losses compared to other decks (ps < 0.05). Based upon their selections, participants lost a significant amount of money (M = −$1,493.22, SD = $1,182.26). IGT outcomes were differentially associated with cognitive functioning (rs = −0.26 to 0.47), psychiatric symptom severity (rs = −0.41 to 0.37), and impulsivity (rs = −0.47 to 0.28; all ps = 0.003–0.98). Findings can guide future research, as well as guide competency restoration and decision-making interventions, for this population.

Approach and avoidance patterns in reward learning across domains: An initial examination of the Social Iowa Gambling Task

The current study examines learning patterns in response to both monetary and social incentives through both approach and avoidance behaviors using modified versions of the Iowa Gambling Task. Specifically, we investigated learning in response to both positive and negative feedback in a sample of 191 undergraduate students. The social task was a novel paradigm, and social feedback were images of faces displaying positive and negative emotions. We examined internal validity of the tasks through modeling changes in approach and avoidance. We also explored associations between approach and avoidance learning and individual differences in anxiety and social anxiety, depression and well-being, general anhedonia and social closeness, and fun-seeking, using multilevel models (MLMs). Results showed that both the monetary and social tasks demonstrated learning as shown by decreases in plays on disadvantageous decks across the task. Additionally, we found that overall task performance on the monetary task was associated with fun-seeking and overall task performance on the social task was associated with fun-seeking and depressive symptoms. Initial findings suggest promise for the novel task in the examination of social avoidance learning.

Integrated intervention program for alcoholism improves impulsiveness and disadvantageous reward processing/risk-taking.

Background:Impulsivity and aberrant reward processing are the core features of substance use disorders, including alcoholism. The present study examined the effects of an Integrated Intervention Program for Alcoholism (IIPA) on impulsiveness and disadvantageous reward processing/risk-taking in persons with alcoholism.Materials and Methods:The study adopted age- and education-matched (±1 year) randomized control design with the pre-post comparison. The sample comprised 50 persons with alcoholism. They were allotted randomly into two groups, the intervention (IIPA) group and treatment as usual (TAU) group (n = 25 in each). Participants were assessed at pre-intervention on impulsivity (Barratt's Impulsiveness Scale) and decision-making task, which reflects reward processing deficits (modified Iowa gambling task [mIGT]). The TAU group received usual treatment for alcoholism (i.e., pharmacotherapy; three sessions in a week group therapy on relapse prevention and six sessions in week yoga) for 18 days. The intervention group received IIPA along with usual treatment (except yoga). Outcome assessment was repeated after 18 days of intervention.Results:Both groups were comparable at pre-intervention (baseline). However, the intervention (IIPA) group showed a significant reduction in impulsivity and selection from disadvantageous decks on mIGT at post-intervention, while the TAU group had no significant change.Conclusion:The findings suggest that IIPA could improve impulsivity and disadvantageous reward processing/risk-taking in persons with alcoholism. These are core features of substance use disorders and could pose a high chance for relapse after treatment. Further studies may examine improving these characteristics with IIPA and its impact on treatment outcomes such as relapse rate and maintaining sobriety.

Sweating the small stuff: A meta-analysis of skin conductance on the Iowa gambling task

To systematically examine the role of anticipatory skin conductance responses (aSCRs) in predicting Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) performance. Secondly, to assess the quality of aSCR evidence for the Somatic Marker Hypothesis (SMH) during the IGT. Finally, to evaluate the reliability of current psychophysiological measurements on the IGT. Electronic databases, journals and reference lists were examined for inclusion. Data were extracted by two reviewers and validated by another reviewer, using a standardised extraction sheet along with a quality assessment. Two meta-analyses of aSCR measures were conducted to test the relationship between overall aSCR and IGT performance, and differences in aSCR between advantageous and disadvantageous decks. Twenty studies were included in this review. Quality assessment revealed that five studies did not measure anticipatory responses, and few stated they followed standard IGT and/or psychophysiological procedures. The first meta-analysis of 15 studies revealed a significant, small-to-medium relationship between aSCR and IGT performance (r= .22). The second meta-analysis of eight studies revealed a significant, small difference in aSCR between the advantageous and disadvantageous decks (r= .10); however, publication bias is likely to be an issue. Meta-analyses revealed aSCR evidence supporting the SMH. However, inconsistencies in the IGT and psychophysiological methods, along with publication bias, cast doubt on these effects. It is recommended that future tests of the SMH use a range of psychophysiological measures, a standardised IGT protocol, and discriminate between advantageous and disadvantageous decks.

Cue-induced craving and symptoms of online-buying-shopping disorder interfere with performance on the Iowa Gambling Task modified with online-shopping cues

Background and aimsSubjects with buying-shopping disorder (BSD) continue to buy offline as well as online despite negative consequences. Previous studies indicate that subjects with BSD show cue-reactivity and craving when exposed to shopping cues and have problems in long-term advantageous decision-making. The current study aimed at investigating the effect of online-shopping cues on decision-making, and whether addiction-relevant concepts such as cue-reactivity/craving and the symptom severity of BSD are related to decision-making. MethodsA non-clinical sample of 57 participants played a version of the modified Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), with online-shopping-related pictures shown either on the advantageous decks or on the disadvantageous decks (with control pictures on the opposing ones). Symptom severity of online-BSD and the craving to buy were assessed using questionnaires. In addition, the online-shopping pictures were rated concerning arousal, valence, and urge to buy. ResultsThe participants who played the IGT with the online-shopping pictures displayed on the disadvantageous decks performed significantly poorer than the other group with online-shopping pictures on the advantageous decks. The between-group differences were moderated by craving reactions and the symptom severity of online-BSD: When online-shopping pictures were displayed on the disadvantageous decks, this only interfered with IGT performance in participants who had high craving reactions towards shopping cues and/or high symptom severity of online-BSD. ConclusionResults indicate that exposure to online-shopping cues interferes with advantageous decision-making, especially in individuals with craving reactions and high symptoms of online-BSD. Results contribute to the question of why some people continue to buy despite negative consequences.

Performance Under Stress: An Eye-Tracking Investigation of the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT).

Stress pervades everyday life and impedes risky decision making. The following experiment is the first to examine effects of stress on risky decision making in the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), while measuring inspection time and conscious awareness of deck contingencies. This was original as it allowed a fine grained rigorous analysis of the way that stress impedes awareness of, and attention to maladaptive financial choices. The extended Cognitive Reflection Task (CRT) further afforded examination of the impact of impaired reflective thinking on risky decision making. Stressed participants were slower to avoid the disadvantageous decks and performed worse overall. They inspected disadvantageous decks for longer than the control condition and were slower in developing awareness of their poor deck quality compared to the control condition. Conversely, in the control condition greater inspection times for advantageous decks were observed earlier in the task, and better awareness of the deck contingencies was shown as early as the second block of trials than the stress condition. Path analysis suggested that stress reduced IGT performance by impeding reflective thinking and conscious awareness. Explicit cognitive processes, moreover, were important during the preliminary phase of IGT performance—a finding that has significant implications for the use of the IGT as a clinical diagnostic tool. It was concluded that stress impedes reflective thinking, attentional disengagement from poorer decks, and the development of conscious knowledge about choice quality that interferes with performance on the IGT. These data demonstrate that stress impairs risky decision making performance, by impeding attention to, and awareness of task characteristics in risky decision making.