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Related Concept Videos

Decision Making01:20

Decision Making

764
Decision-making is a fundamental cognitive process that involves evaluating alternatives and selecting among them. This process can range from simple choices, such as deciding what to wear, to complex decisions, like choosing a major in college or a career path. The complexity of the decision often dictates the approach we use, which can be broadly categorized into two types: automatic and controlled decision-making.
Automatic decision-making is fast, intuitive, and relies on gut feelings...
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Reason and Intuition01:37

Reason and Intuition

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The human brain processes information for decision-making using one of two routes: an intuitive system and a rational system (Epstein, 1994; popularized by Kahneman, 2011 as System 1 and System 2, respectively). The intuitive system is quick, impulsive, and operates with minimal effort, relying on emotions or habits to provide cues for what to do next, while the rational system is logical, analytical, deliberate, and methodical. Research in neuropsychology suggests that the...
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Decision Making: Traditional Method01:14

Decision Making: Traditional Method

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The process of hypothesis testing based on the traditional method includes calculating the critical value, testing the value of the test statistic using the sample data, and interpreting these values.
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is decided based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to this claim is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses, out of which a null hypothesis would be a...
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Cause and Effect01:53

Cause and Effect

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While variables are sometimes correlated because one does cause the other, it could also be that some other factor, a confounding variable, is actually causing the systematic movement in our variables of interest. For instance, as sales in ice cream increase, so does the overall rate of crime. Is it possible that indulging in your favorite flavor of ice cream could send you on a crime spree? Or, after committing crime do you think you might decide to treat yourself to a cone?
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Framing Effects03:26

Framing Effects

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Information is everywhere and its presentation—such as how and when items are presented—can impact our perceptions and decisions surrounding the info. This broad concept umbrellas framing effects—influences that occur due to the way information is framed in its appearance, whether it’s purely the order or the specific wording of a message. Let’s take a look at numerous ways in which two versions of something can objectively say the same thing, yet we respond in...
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The Anchoring-and-Adjustment Heuristic01:25

The Anchoring-and-Adjustment Heuristic

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In order to make good decisions, we use our knowledge and our reasoning. Often, this knowledge and reasoning is sound and solid. However, sometimes, we are swayed by biases or by others manipulating a situation. For example, let’s say you and three friends wanted to rent a house and had a combined target budget of $1,600. The realtor shows you only very run-down houses for $1,600 and then shows you a very nice house for $2,000. Might you ask each person to pay more in rent to get the...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 16, 2025

Irrelevant Stimuli and Action Control: Analyzing the Influence of Ignored Stimuli via the Distractor-Response Binding Paradigm
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Irrelevant Stimuli and Action Control: Analyzing the Influence of Ignored Stimuli via the Distractor-Response Binding Paradigm

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Consistent patterns of distractor effects during decision making.

Bolton Kh Chau1,2, Chun-Kit Law1, Alizée Lopez-Persem3,4

  • 1Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

Elife
|July 7, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

A third option, or distractor, can change how we make decisions. This study shows that both improved and worsened decision accuracy are robust effects, depending on the value of the options and the distractor.

Keywords:
decision makingdecision modelshumanindependence of irrelevant alternativesmultiple choiceneuroscience

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Decision-making research

Background:

  • The influence of a third option (distractor) on decisions between two primary options is debated.
  • Previous research suggested distractors could either improve or impair decision accuracy, but replicability has been questioned.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the conditions under which high-value distractors enhance or impair decision-making accuracy.
  • To develop and test a dual-route decision-making model inspired by neuroimaging data.

Main Methods:

  • A dual-route decision-making model was developed, mimicking neural signals from prefrontal and parietal regions.
  • Six experiments were conducted with human participants to gather empirical data.

Main Results:

  • Both decision accuracy enhancement and impairment by high-value distractors were found to be robust phenomena.
  • The predominant effect (enhancement or impairment) depends on the relative values of the options and the distractor.
  • Both effects can co-exist under specific conditions within the decision space.

Conclusions:

  • The impact of distractors on decision-making is complex and context-dependent.
  • A dual-route model effectively captures the neural and behavioral dynamics observed.
  • The findings reconcile conflicting previous results and highlight the robustness of distractor effects.