Fear shapes information acquisition in decisions from experience

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Decision-Making Science

Background:

• Individuals often explore uncertain outcomes before making decisions.
• The influence of emotional states on exploration during decision-making remains largely unknown.
• Fear's proposed role in regulating information intake suggests a potential link to exploration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if the emotional feeling of fear increases information sampling in decisions from experience.
• To test appraisal tendency theories of emotion regarding fear and exploration.

Main Methods:

• Two studies were conducted: one with naturally occurring emotions and one with induced emotions.
• Participants' emotional states (fearful vs. happy) were assessed.
• The amount of information sampled before making a choice in decisions from experience was measured.

Main Results:

• Fearful participants sampled significantly more information than happy participants before making a final choice.
• Differences in exploration influenced the perception of rarity.
• Exploration levels impacted subsequent choices.

Conclusions:

• Fear, as an emotional state, triggers increased information sampling in decisions from experience.
• Enhanced information acquisition due to fear may be an adaptive mechanism.
• Emotional feelings directly impact exploration strategies in decision-making.