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Related Concept Videos

Decision Making01:20

Decision Making

155
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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Decision Making: Traditional Method01:14

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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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Decision Making: P-value Method01:09

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The process of hypothesis testing based on the P-value method includes calculating the P- value using the sample data and interpreting it.
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is proposed. The claim is based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to the claim  is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses:  a null hypothesis would be a neutral statement while the alternative hypothesis can...
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Reason and Intuition01:37

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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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Social Scripts02:10

Social Scripts

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People tend to know what behavior is expected of them in specific, familiar settings. A script is a person’s knowledge about the sequence of events expected in a specific setting (Schank & Abelson, 1977). Essentially, scripts are a particular kind of schema, one containing default values for the features within an event. In the restaurant example, the script's features include the props (e.g., tables, menu, food, and money), the roles to be played (e.g., customer and waiter),...
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Hindsight Biases01:12

Hindsight Biases

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Hindsight bias leads you to believe that the event you just experienced was predictable, even though it really wasn’t. In other words, you knew all along that things would turn out the way they did. Can you relate this to the phrase "Hindsight is 20/20" now? 
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 31, 2025

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
08:24

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

Published on: August 25, 2023

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Simulation does not just inform choice, it changes choice.

Karalyn F Enz1, Diana I Tamir1

  • 1Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA. kenz@princeton.edu dtamir@princeton.eduhttps://scholar.princeton.edu/kenzhttps://psnlab.princeton.edu/.

The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|May 8, 2023
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Imagining future events, or simulation, influences decisions. Beyond emotional responses, the very act of simulating a future makes it more likely to be chosen, according to Conviction Narrative Theory.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Decision Science
  • Behavioral Economics

Background:

  • Simulation, the act of imagining future events, is recognized as a factor in decision-making.
  • Conviction Narrative Theory posits that emotional responses to simulations guide choices.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of the act of simulation in decision-making, beyond just the emotional evaluation of simulated outcomes.
  • To propose that the cognitive process of simulation itself influences choice behavior.

Main Methods:

  • The study likely involved experimental designs where participants were prompted to simulate future events.
  • Analysis focused on how the act of simulation, independent of affective response, affected subsequent choices.

Main Results:

  • Imagining a specific future increases its perceived plausibility and accessibility.
  • The act of simulation, in addition to emotional reactions, was found to drive choices aligned with the simulated future.

Conclusions:

  • The cognitive act of simulation is a significant driver of decision-making.
  • Future choices are influenced not only by how we feel about imagined outcomes but also by the mental act of imagining them.