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Taxing executive processes does not necessarily increase impulsive decision making
Ana M Franco-Watkins1, Timothy C Rickard, Hal Pashler
1Department of Psychology, Auburn University, 226 Thach Hall, AL 36849, USA. afrancowatkins@auburn.edu
Experimental Psychology
|February 25, 2010
Summary
Cognitive load does not necessarily lead to impulsive decision-making in healthy adults. A demanding task increased inconsistent choices, but did not prove impulsivity.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Impulsivity links real-world behavior and lab tasks in specific populations.
- The generalizability of this link to healthy individuals is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if cognitive load impacts decision-making in healthy adults.
- To determine if taxing central executive functions leads to impulsive choices.
Main Methods:
- 53 participants completed a delay discounting task.
- The task was performed under two conditions: high cognitive load (generation task) and no load (control).
Main Results:
- Cognitive load did not prove necessary or sufficient for impulsive decision-making.
- The demanding generation task led to more inconsistent choices, not necessarily impulsive ones.
Conclusions:
- Taxing working memory is not a direct cause of impulsive decision-making in healthy individuals.
- Cognitive load may increase choice inconsistency rather than outright impulsivity.
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