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Pattern-setting for improving risky decision-making
1Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Health System.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|December 15, 2022
Summary
Setting choice patterns can improve self-control. A study found that when participants were guided by a choice schedule, they made better decisions, enhancing long-term behavioral patterns.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral economics
- Decision science
- Psychology
Background:
- Self-control involves prioritizing long-term goals over immediate gratification.
- A novel strategy, pattern-setting, proposes that individual choices can be influenced by larger behavioral patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effectiveness of pattern-setting in enhancing self-control in decision-making.
- To determine if forcing participants to adhere to a choice schedule improves their selection of a better, albeit delayed, option.
Main Methods:
- 169 college students participated in a study involving repeated choices between two gambles.
- Participants were divided into groups: 'patterned' (guided by a schedule) and 'control' (free choice).
- The better gamble offered a higher win probability but involved an uncertain waiting period.
Main Results:
- On free-choice trials, 'patterned' subjects selected the better gamble more frequently than control subjects.
- The positive effect of pattern-setting on decision-making was observed more immediately rather than through gradual learning.
- An additional condition, where participants were forced to choose the better gamble, produced inconclusive results.
Conclusions:
- Pattern-setting emerges as a viable strategy for improving decision-making and self-control.
- The immediate impact of pattern-setting suggests a direct influence on choice behavior.
- Further research may explore the nuances of forced-choice conditions and long-term adherence to patterns.
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