Mood and implicit confidence independently fluctuate at different time scales

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Behavioral Economics

Background:

• Mood significantly influences decision-making processes.
• The relationship between mood fluctuations and metacognitive confidence remains poorly understood.
• Understanding this interplay is crucial for comprehending human judgment and choice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between spontaneous mood fluctuations and implicit measures of decision-making confidence.
• To determine if mood states and confidence levels vary at similar or different time scales.
• To explore potential dissociations between emotional states and metacognitive judgments.

Main Methods:

• Two online longitudinal experiments were conducted with human participants.
• Mood states were self-reported daily.
• Implicit confidence was assessed using opt-out trial proportions and reaction times in visual discrimination tasks.

Main Results:

• Mood, stress, food enjoyment, and sleep quality showed strong within-session coupling.
• Opt-out rates and reaction times reliably indexed confidence.
• Mood states fluctuated on faster time scales (daily) than confidence levels (2.5 days).

Conclusions:

• Spontaneous fluctuations in mood and decision-making confidence appear to be independent processes in healthy adults.
• Emotional states and metacognitive confidence operate on different temporal dynamics.
• This dissociation has implications for understanding judgment, choice, and emotional regulation.