Stimulus format and working memory in fast and frugal strategy selection

The necessity of retrieving complex attribute information from long‐term memory has been shown to elevate processing costs and boost the use of simple decision heuristics. This effect was confined to verbal as opposed to pictorial attribute information. In a large‐scale experiment (N = 151), either verbal or pictorial information for inferences had to be retrieved from long‐term memory. Concurrent secondary tasks either interfered with the Central Executive, the Phonological Loop, or the Visuo‐Spatial Sketchpad. These are hypothetical components of working memory responsible for processing different information formats. Whereas the information format massively affected strategy selection, there was an additive rather than interactive effect of secondary task, suggesting enhanced retrieval costs irrespective of the information format. An additional analysis in terms of a similarity match as proposed by exemplar‐based models did not enhance the explanation of the data. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Role of Emotion in Decision Making: A Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective

ABSTRACT— Decision making often occurs in the face of uncertainty about whether one's choices will lead to benefit or harm. The somatic-marker hypothesis is a neurobiological theory of how decisions are made in the face of uncertain outcome. This theory holds that such decisions are aided by emotions, in the form of bodily states, that are elicited during the deliberation of future consequences and that mark different options for behavior as being advantageous or disadvantageous. This process involves an interplay between neural systems that elicit emotional/bodily states and neural systems that map these emotional/bodily states.     

循证医学在神经外科临床决策中的应用

在神经外科复杂的诊治实践中,需要循证医学的方法不断提高临床决策水平。本文从神经外科的角度对循证医学在临床决策中的应用进行了分析和探讨。     

乳腺癌保乳术与根治术的比较

为了比较分析保乳术和根治术的治疗成本和对乳腺癌患者预后的影响,从2002年1月~2005年6月湘雅医院乳腺科的乳腺癌资料库中,随机抽取64例I~II期乳腺癌分为保乳治疗组(A组,32例)和根治术组(B组,32例),并随访。结果显示,A、B两组全部药品费用分别平均为32474.11±16126.00元、35107.30±19352.71元,总费用平均为53959.64±22033.28元、53382.10±24042.87元。两组药品费和总费用均无统计学差异(P=0.556、0.921)。中位随访时间30个月,两组病例均无局部复发。A、B组远处转移率分别为6.25%、9.38%,两组无明显差异(P=0.641);Kaplan-Meier生存分析表明A、B组生存率分别为96.88%、93.75%,两组无显著性差异(P=0.4566)。保乳术患者对残乳的满意率为90.61%,认为保留了乳房后其对家庭和社会生活仍充满自信的分别占75%和87.5%;相反,根治术者仅占28.13%和40.63%;A、B两组有显著性差异(P=0.000、0.000)。由此得出结论,保乳术和根治/改良根治术两种治疗方法对I~II期乳腺癌患者的预后无差异,成本亦无明显区别,而保乳术明显提高了患者的家庭、社会生活质量。     

急诊室濒死病人临床诊治决策的影响因素

正确、合理的临床决策为病人提供理想的诊疗方案。在急诊室濒死病人的诊治过程中,急诊医生应本着以人为本的原则,根据病情的轻重缓急,抓住重点进行紧急处理。其中,病人疾病的性质与预后、疾病严重程度、医生技术水平、医院护理水平、医院的医疗设备与管理水平、诊治费用、医患关系、家属对待诊治的态度、医德医风、政策法规等对医生的临床诊治决策均有不同程度的影响。     

大学生择业心理归因结构研究

为了解大学生择业心理,根据归因理论编制了“大学生择业心理归因问卷”。该问卷包括原因源与可控性两个分量表。通过对596名大学生进行问卷调查,对该问卷的项目进行了筛选和修订,最后共保留了20个项目。研究结果表明:(1)分量表一可抽取负性情绪与择业目标两个因子,分量表二可抽取自身努力与社会支持两个因子;(2)问卷的信度与效度都达到了测量学的基本要求。     

Resource orchestration and dynamic managerial capabilities: focusing on sales managers as effective resource orchestrators

Resource-based theory (RBT) posits that firms gain competitive advantage through bundles of valuable and rare resources and sustain that advantage over time when such resources are difficult to imitate or nonsubstitutable by competitors. Recent applications of RBT emphasize the role of managers in mobilizing and leveraging organizational resources and capabilities for achieving business objectives. The purpose of this research is to advance the sales literature by applying learning from two specific perspectives based on RBT that focus explicitly on managerial actions pertaining to resources and capabilities: resource orchestration and dynamic managerial capabilities. These perspectives provide insights into the role of sales managers as orchestrators of sales and nonsales resources for achieving sales, organizational, and customer outcomes. Consistent with the stated purpose, this research provides (1) a review of research on resources and capabilities in the sales literature, (2) an overview of resource orchestration and related research, (3) an overview of dynamic managerial capabilities and related research, (4) a research agenda and propositions based on research orchestration and dynamic managerial capabilities for further investigation on the role of sales managers as effective resource orchestrators in sales organizations.     

Measuring decision‐making competence in Chinese adults

In this study, we translated and localized the Adult Decision‐making Competence scale (A‐DMC) and tested its reliability and validity with large samples. Results show the Chinese A‐DMC has relatively good reliability (Cronbach's alpha above 0.6 and test–retest reliability coefficients ranging from 0.44 to 0.78 on all subscales), comparable with the original version. Regarding validity, results of exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis support the one‐factor model, indicating the A‐DMC has good internal consistency and construct validity. A‐DMC scores correlated positively with cognitive ability, constructive decision‐making styles, and good decision outcomes. Additionally, individuals with higher A‐DMC scores were found to perform better on the Cambridge gambling task and Iowa gambling task. These results confirm the validity of the Chinese version of the A‐DMC, which is suitable for measuring decision‐making competence in Chinese adults.     

Making sense of recommendations

Computer algorithms are increasingly being used to predict people's preferences and make recommendations. Although people frequently encounter these algorithms because they are cheap to scale, we do not know how they compare to human judgment. Here, we compare computer recommender systems to human recommenders in a domain that affords humans many advantages: predicting which jokes people will find funny. We find that recommender systems outperform humans, whether strangers, friends, or family. Yet people are averse to relying on these recommender systems. This aversion partly stems from the fact that people believe the human recommendation process is easier to understand. It is not enough for recommender systems to be accurate, they must also be understood.     

Hormonal changes after competition predict sex‐differentiated decision‐making

Recent neuroendocrinology research has pointed out that testosterone (T) and cortisol (C) changes after social interactions can predict risk‐taking behavior in decision‐making, depending on the sex of participants. However, previous research has focused on the effects of the changes in only one hormone, rather than the interaction between them, even though C can suppress T activity. Our aim was to test, in men and women, the role of T changes moderated by C changes after competition in decision‐making. Thus, 48 males and 46 females completed the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) after a laboratory competition or a noncompetitive task (control task). Saliva samples were collected before and after the competition/control task. IGT was employed to measure risk‐taking decision‐making, considering the degree of uncertainty. Our results showed sex‐differentiated effects of T and C changes on risk‐taking behavior. On the one hand, men from both task groups (Competition/Control) who had higher C and T changes after competition showed more risk‐taking decision‐making (higher IG Risk). On the other hand, women from the competitive task who had high C and T showed conservative decision‐making. Therefore, these results show sex‐differentiated decision‐making profiles, which would help to understand how men and women behave after experiencing a competitive social context.