Search

Funding Information: This work was supported by the Sigrid Jusélius Foundation (J.S.), the Finnish Cultural Foundation (J.S.), the Medical Society of Finland (J.M.P.), the Academy of Finland (grants # 278171 and # 323035 to J.S. and # 315861 to T.T.R.), the Finnish Medical Foundation (J.M.P. and T.T.R.), state funding for university-level health research ( Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa # TYH2013332 , # TYH2014228 , # TYH2017128 to T.K.), and the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for project METSY (# 602478 to J.S.). Multiple different cognitive biases, among them the liberal acceptance (LA) bias, have been suggested to contribute to reality distortion in psychotic disorders. Earlier studies have been cross-sectional and considered a limited set of cognitive correlates of psychosis, thus the relationship between LA bias and psychosis remains poorly known. We studied a similar bias (acceptance of the implausible (AOI)) in 62 first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients and 62 control subjects, who watched movie scenes with varying degrees of realism and were asked to evaluate the probability of these events occurring in real life. We assessed theory of mind (ToM) performance using the Hinting task and delusion severity using Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale item 11. We correlated the magnitude of AOI with the severity of delusions and performance in the ToM task. Furthermore, we used 1-year follow-up data from 40 FEP patients and 40 control subjects to disentangle state vs trait-like characteristics of AOI. At baseline FEP patients expressed more AOI than control subjects, and the magnitude of AOI correlated positively with the severity of delusions and negatively with ToM performance. At the one-year follow-up, when most patients were in remission, patients still displayed increased AOI, which no longer correlated with delusions. These findings support the notion that the AOI bias could represent a trait rather than a state feature and support further studies to test the hypothesis that it could be one of the causal factors of psychotic disorders, possibly associated with ToM.

OBJECTIVE: This study is a cross-validation of the Cognitive Bias Scale (CBS) from the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI), a ten-item scale designed to assess symptom endorsement associated with performance validity test failure in neuropsychological samples. The study utilized a mixed neuropsychological sample of consecutively referred patients at a large academic medical center in the Midwest. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Participants were 332 patients who completed embedded and free-standing performance validity tests (PVTs) and the PAI. Pass and fail groups were created based on PVT performance to evaluate classification accuracy of the CBS. RESULTS: The results were generally consistent with the initial study for overall classification accuracy, sensitivity, and cut-off score. Consistent with the validation study, CBS had better classification accuracy than the original PAI validity scales and a comparable effect size to that obtained in the original validation publication; however, the Somatic Complaints scale (SOM) and the Conversion subscale (SOM-C) also demonstrated good classification accuracy. The CBS had incremental predictive ability compared to existing PAI scales. CONCLUSIONS: The results supported the CBS, but further research is needed on specific populations. Findings from this present study also suggest the relationship between conversion tendencies and PVT failure may be stronger in some geographic locations or population types (forensic versus clinical patients).

Cognitive bias, especially confirmation bias and motivated reasoning, poses a significant challenge to argumentative writing genres, including the persuasive essay. To address this challenge, I introduce the complexity paper. Rather than attempting to convince the reader of a particular position on an issue as with a persuasive essay, the goal of a complexity paper is to convince the reader that the issue under discussion is difficult to resolve. This altered motivational structure encourages the writer to engage in perspective taking, thereby addressing confirmation bias and motivated reasoning. I outline a three-part structure of the complexity paper using the example of physician-assisted suicide with the goal to help university instructors implement this genre into their courses. I recommend incorporating a complexity paper into a writing scaffold structure that precedes an argumentative paper.

A growing body of literature reveals that the emergence of hubris is by no means a rare phenomenon in leadership contexts. Despite having been repeatedly proven that hubris has both beneficial and detrimental manifestations in leadership behaviors, its positioning as a harmful cognitive bias continues to echo across disciplines. To unify the fragmented hubris tradition, this paper synthesizes existing literature and identifies three perspectives on hubristic leadership: an innovation perspective, an internal coordination and commercialization perspective, and a risk management perspective. The aggregation of these perspectives into a unifying theoretical framework indicates that the type of leadership behavior together with the predictability of its outcomes account for the ambivalent manifestations of hubris across leadership behaviors. Future research opportunities are discussed on this basis.

This study investigates the relevance of behavioural finance to decision making. Studies suggest that human decision making is not always rational. This paper examines three behavioural financial theories: expected utility, optimal expectation, and cumulative prospect theory, to test financial decision-making when facing skewed distribution in Vietnam. A survey was conducted using lottery tickets, with six questions divided into three pairs. Each pair was aligned with one set of theories, and the questions selected allowed conclusions to be drawn to explain participants' behaviour. The experiment tested 321 people from a variety of age ranges, genders and occupations. Findings show that gender and ages do not significantly impact the decision-making process. However, they explain the preference of participants who appear to be behaving irrationally but do show some rationality when facing the skewed distribution of return. Decision-makers look for all the possible probability payoffs and choose the best outcome with the low-frequency distribution. They follow optimal expectation and cumulative prospect theory ranking the increasing order payoff valued by the parameter and support the cumulative prospect theory set out by Tversky and Kahneman (1992) , showing "cognitive biases" and demonstrating that individuals routinely make decisions that contradict reasonable logic The behavioural finance theory is again proven to be crucial. It strongly complements the standard financial theory. Individuals show heuristic behaviour when decision making in random situations especially when facing skewed distribution.

Berry et al. (2020) noted that predictive bias is a function of three factors: subgroup mean difference on the predictor (dx), subgroup mean difference on the criterion (dy), and test validity (rxy). They used meta-analytic estimates of each of these three to examine predictive bias against Hispanic test takers when cognitive tests are used in personnel selection. They found that tests underpredict Hispanic job performance by an average of .21 SDs, which would call into question the fairness of cognitive test use in personnel selection. We located 119 studies in which all three parameters-dy, dx, and rxy-could be obtained, thus holding sample, setting, and operationalization constant in estimating the three parameters within each study. This produced a substantially different conclusion: We find that tests overpredict Hispanic performance by .04-.20 SDs, depending on assumptions made about artifact corrections. Factors contributing to differences between the two studies include differences in range restriction corrections, sample incomparability, and Berry et al.'s use of rxy estimated from the total sample rather than within the majority subgroup. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Background: The present article was prompted by the growing influence of artificial intelligence in international arbitration. Artificial intelligence poses a challenge to the arbitration market since its advantages make it inevitable that in the future, it will take over some of the arbitrator’s fact-finding functions. Accordingly, the question arises as to how arbitrators can improve fact-finding and, consequently, maintain their demand in the arbitration market. This article analyses in detail one of the alternatives for such an improvement – a stricter application of the rule on the admissibility of written witness testimony. Objects: The article sets out the following objectives: (1) to uncover why artificial intelligence could be considered a better fact-finder than the arbitrator; (2) to identify how arbitrators apply the rule on the admissibility of written witness testimony in international arbitration proceedings; (3) to justify a different application of the latter admissibility rule that both improves the quality of fact-finding and, accordingly, allows arbitrators to keep pace with artificial intelligence. Methods: The article is grounded in the doctrinal legal research method since it will examine three legal sources: 1) the widely applicable IBA Rules on the Taking of Evidence in International Arbitration; 2) the arbitral tribunal’s awards; (3) legal scholarship. The research additionally uses an economic analysis of law as well as an interdisciplinary approach, which reveals certain psychological phenomena related to decision-making in arbitration. Results and Conclusions: The application of the rule of admissibility of written testimony of a witness in international arbitration leads to various negative consequences in the fact-finding process. For arbitrators to keep pace with artificial intelligence in the fact-finding process and increase their demand in the arbitration market, it is necessary to adopt a stricter approach to the latter admissibility rule. This approach leads to the exclusion rather than the evaluation of written witness testimony in international arbitration proceedings.

Worker reliability estimation is fundamental for crowdsensing applications. This paper studies a robust feedback rating approach to estimate worker reliability. In this approach, the requester provides a feedback rating to reflect the quality of the sensor data submitted by each worker. The aggregation of each worker's historical feedback ratings serves as a reliability estimate. The challenges are: (1) Feedback ratings are subjected to noise or bias; (2) Workers cognitive bias in task selection leads to higher sensor data quality variations. We develop a mathematical model to quantify the degree of rating bias and degree of cognitive bias. We also derive sufficient conditions, under which the aggregate rating is asymptotically accurate in estimating worker reliability, via stochastic approximation techniques. These conditions identify a class of asymptotically accurate rating aggregation rules for crowdsensing applications. We further derive the minimum number of ratings needed to guarantee a given reliability estimation accuracy, via martingale theory. Via extensive experiments: (1) We reveal fundamental understandings on how various factor such as rating bias influence the minimum number of ratings needed to achieve certain accuracy; (2) Our feedback rating approach improves air quality index estimation accuracy by as high as 50% over the URP algorithm.

Legal psychologists’ assessments can have a major impact on the fact finder’s evaluation of evidence and, consequently, perceptions of guilt. Yet, in the few studies about legal psychologists’ assessments and reports, great variability was found. As is the case with other forensic expert domains, legal psychologists are prone to cognitive biases, such as being adversely affected by irrelevant contextual information, confirmation bias, and allegiance bias. Based on the scientific literature, we propose several ways in which legal psychologists can minimize cognitive biases in their assessments, most notably the alternative scenario method. Furthermore, we propose guidelines for expert witnesses in the legal psychological domain, designed to make reports as scientifically grounded, applicable, readable, transparent, and bias-free as possible. We hope that the guidelines will enhance the quality of expert witness testimony provided by legal psychologists around the world.

Technological influence in human society can be observed everywhere. Recently, that has taken the form of artificial intelligence, or AI. To many, “AI” can be synonymous with “robot,” but it is also found in everyday contexts such as smartphones and surveillance. We rely on AI for a variety of tasks, and often, we believe it to be an objective means of performing them. However, our tendency to have blind faith in artificially intelligent systems highlights ethical concerns within them. My STS research paper tackles an understanding of algorithmic bias and how it comes to exist in our coded systems. Specifically, I look at AI decisioning algorithms involving facial recognition, job applications, and criminal justice. The ethical dilemma arises when the software used in these areas exhibits flaws in their judgments that can be linked to cognitive biases found in people. By analyzing documented sources of bias in technology in tandem with findings from cognitive psychology, I develop an understanding of the decisioning flaws of AI. My technical project is an application of an AI decisioning problem. The objective is to create a functional robotic tour guide that can autonomously navigate a user through the University of Virginia’s Link Lab. In other words, the robot will drive itself to a specified point in the lab and guide a person there as well. This project focuses less on the ethical issues presented in the STS research and more on the technical intersection of AI and robotics. Through both components of this thesis, I explore interactions between humans and technology. The technical project deals with human and robotic interaction. The research project centers on how the biases that might exist in the machine come to be and highlights the ethical implications of subjective AI. Computers that make decisions are embedded in the functions of today’s world, so it is imperative from an engineering standpoint to recognize how the AI arrives at those decisions and what the consequences are for their biases. It is also important for the users of decisioning technology to be critical of the information they receive to not perpetuate algorithmic prejudices.

International audience; Studies on human decision-making focused on humanitarian aid have found that cognitive biases can hinder the fair allocation of resources. However, few HCI and Information Visualization studies have explored ways to overcome those cognitive biases. This work investigates whether the design of interactive resource allocation tools can help to promote allocation fairness. We specifically study the effect of presentation format (using text or visualization) and a specific framing strategy (showing resources allocated to groups or individuals). In our three crowdsourced experiments, we provided different tool designs to split money between two fictional programs that benefit two distinct communities. Our main finding indicates that individual-framed visualizations and text may be able to curb unfair allocations caused by group-framed designs. This work opens new perspectives that can motivate research on how interactive tools and visualizations can be engineered to combat cognitive biases that lead to inequitable decisions.

Introduction Sexual, violent and general recidivism risk scales are widely used in a number of countries. Their psychometric qualities are generally considered to be good. However, in practice they may vary in the quality of prediction of risk of sexual, violent and general recidivism, in particular because of the sources of the information collected. In France, the medical records of incarcerated patients are kept by health-care professionals. Although regulated, the content and quality of these records vary widely from one patient to another. The criminal justice system holds the criminal records of convicted and imprisoned persons. There is no set list of documents contained in these records. For caregivers and researchers, access to criminal records is difficult because of the confidentiality to which legal professionals are subject. The aim of our study was to investigate whether using medical files in addition to structured interviews can improve the assessment and management of the risks of sexual, violent and general recidivism. Material and method A total of 128 perpetrators of violence were assessed using three scales of risk of sexual, violent and general recidivism. Scores for the items of the scales were compared between (a) those that were based on medical records and an interview, and (b) those based only on an interview. Results and discussion First, differences in scores between the two groups (assessed through interview only, and assessed through interview and use of medical records) were observed on the RSVP, HCR-20 and LS/CMI scales. Secondly, most of the results indicate that the overall level of risk was perceived as lower when medical records were used, which would, indirectly, lead to a reduction in false positives when evaluating perpetrators of sexual violence. Thirdly, the point-by-point analysis shows that the use of information contained in the medical records reduces the weight of present and future factors (e.g. the physical and psychological stress of recent events), increases the weight of past factors (e.g. history of sexual violence), and can increase the weight of certain factors that can lead to more negative emotions in the assessor (e.g. deviance). These results can be explained by (i) the emotional functioning of the persons assessed (particularly defensive processes or memory difficulties), (ii) the attitude of the aggressor (particularly the presence of emotional and cognitive biases), (iii) the nature of the information (particularly "hot" cognitions or those leading to greater social desirability). The limitations of the study concern the relatively small number of participants, the environment in which the file was transmitted and the very heterogeneous and sometimes relatively incomplete composition of the files. Conclusion The use of information contained in medical files impacts the results of recidivism risk scales and restores a balance to the factors. In France, risk scales are currently being introduced, although their use is still limited in the health field. However, ethical use of these scales raises the issue of the homogenisation of the content of medical records and access to criminal records in order to enable future research to confirm whether the use of information provided in medical and criminal records can improve the quality of assessment and treatment of offenders.

Research on human resources (HR) indicates that many biases (e.g., halo effect, confirmation bias, stereotyping bias) affect decisions taken by HR employees. However, it remains unclear whether HR employees are aware of their susceptibility to bias. To improve understanding, this study examines the “bias blind spot” phenomenon, the tendency of individuals to believe they are less likely to be biased than their peers. This quantitative survey among 234 HR employees in Switzerland measured the bias blind spot on seven interview biases in recruitment decision-making. The study shows that participants rated the average HR colleague as more susceptible to bias than themselves. Furthermore, male HR employees partly showed a greater bias blind spot than female HR employees. These findings contribute to behavioral research in HR and offer practical insights.

Adults tend to make biased inferences when they are given base-rates (i.e., prior probabilities) that conflict with individuating information (i.e., a personality description), relying heavily on individuating information. Recent work has shown that six-year-olds do the same, whereas four-year-olds rely more on prior probabilities. In the present article, we revisit the argument that producing responses that align closely with base-rates should necessarily be seen as normative. We instead posit that rational inferences should be sensitive to all relevant information and should depend on its strength. In three experiments, we explored four-year-olds', six-year-olds' (N = 200), and adults' (N = 196) information use by manipulating the strength of individuating and base-rate information. Across base-rate manipulations, adults showed a bias for individuating information regardless of its strength. In contrast, six-year-olds appeared to use each type of information flexibly, depending on which was more informative. Four-year-olds' performance was less clear: Although they relied on base-rates when they were informative, they struggled to use the individuating information in their inferences and did not appreciate the manipulation of the strength of individuating information. Thus, six-year-olds appear to more flexibly use multiple sources of information than both younger children and adults, suggesting a period in development where children are able to weigh information before they are too biased toward individuating information. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Of many psychological biases, overconfidence has been described as one of the most powerful. Few studies have focused on collective overconfidence in team decision-making by boards of directors since boards are typically “black boxes”. Based on the shared cognition and trickle-down effect, we examine whether directors are blind to a chairperson's overconfidence. The results suggest that managerial overconfidence spreads among the board members through a “voting mechanism”. The contagion effect is more pronounced in state-owned enterprises that advocate an authoritarian style. However, increasing the number of board meetings to ensure adequate communication and discussion can mitigate this. Furthermore, we found evidence for the effects of contagious overconfidence on investment decisions. These results suggest that the group's overconfidence may be driven by individual cognitive bias, and this contagion effect can be reflected in business decisions. We should pay attention to the psychological bias in the context of collective decision-making.

Emotional bias in explicit memory is theorized to play a prominent role in the etiology, maintenance, and recurrence of depression. Even though this cognitive bias is regarded as one of the most robust phenomena in depression, its magnitude and boundary conditions in depression are currently unknown. This review presents two three-level meta-analyses to estimate the overall effect size and identify moderators of explicit memory bias in depression. Meta-analysis I (153 studies, 686 contrasts) revealed a small overall effect size for naturalistic explicit memory bias in depression (g=0.241, 95% CI [0.179, 0.304]). The magnitude of the overall effect was moderated by emotional valence of stimuli, operational definition of memory bias, depth of processing during encoding, explicit memory task, and the (non-)verbal nature of stimuli. Equivalent effect sizes were found for minors and adults as well as for clinical and subclinical depression. Remarkably, a non-significant effect size emerged for remitted depression. Following up on the latter finding, meta-analysis II (21 studies, 80 contrasts) examined explicit memory bias in remitted depression under naturalistic conditions and under mood/stress induction. Results yielded a nonsignificant overall effect size, g=0.131, 95% CI [-0.045, 0.307], but a significant effect size for study conditions with mood or stress induction, g=0.273, 95% CI [0.004, 0.542]. Both meta-analyses indicated high levels of heterogeneity, even after accounting for variation explained by sample and study characteristics. The findings are consistent with the view that depression is characterized by an explicit memory bias that may persist beyond a depressive episode. These findings have implications for cognitive theories of vulnerability to depression as well as clinical interventions.

Many software engineering tools build and evaluate their models based on historical data to support development and process decisions. These models help us answer numerous interesting questions, but have their own caveats. In a real-life setting, the objective function of human decision-makers for a given task might be influenced by a whole host of factors that stem from their cognitive biases, subverting the ideal objective function required for an optimally functioning system. Relying on this data as ground truth may give rise to systems that end up automating software engineering decisions by mimicking past sub-optimal behaviour. We illustrate this phenomenon and suggest mitigation strategies to raise awareness.

Environmental condition, such as environmental complexity or stocking density, can directly or indirectly influence animal emotion and ultimately, affective state. Affective states of animals can be assessed through judgement bias tests, evaluating responses to ambiguous situations. In this study, we aimed to determine whether environmental complexity and stocking density impacted rainbow trout affective state. Rainbow trout (n = 108) were housed in recirculating aquaculture systems under commercial conditions while trained at tank-level to discriminate between a positively reinforced chamber (feed) in one location and a negative chamber (positive punishment; chase by net for 1 s) in the opposing location. Fish from successful tanks (two out of five tanks) were then housed in treatment tanks of either high- or low- environmental complexity at either high (165 fish/m3) or low (69 fish/m3) stocking density. Trained fish were tested for latencies to approach three intermediate, ambiguous chambers. Fish housed in high-density tanks were faster to enter all chambers than those housed in low-density tanks (8.5 s vs. 15.2 s; P = 0.001), with faster entries into the positive (7.4 s vs. 15.2 s; P = 0.02) and near-negative chambers (10.2 s vs. 17.4 s; P = 0.006), suggesting that these fish were more optimistic to receive a feed reward. Tank complexity did not affect test outcomes. No differences between treatments were observed between body weight, length, and plasma cortisol. Overall, rainbow trout are capable of discriminating between cues during a judgement bias test and fish housed in high-density environments respond more optimistically in ambiguous situations compared to fish in low-density environments. Accepted version

Language production involves action sequencing to produce fluent speech in real time, placing a computational burden on working memory that leads to sequencing biases in production. Here we examine whether these biases extend beyond language to constrain one of the most complex human behaviors: music improvisation. Using a large corpus of improvised solos from eminent jazz musicians, we test for a production bias observed in language termed easy first-a tendency for more accessible sequences to occur at the beginning of a phrase, allowing incremental planning later in the same phrase. Our analysis shows consistent evidence of easy first in improvised music, with the beginning of musical phrases containing both more frequent and less complex sequences. The findings indicate that expert jazz musicians, known for spontaneous creative performance, reliably retrieve easily accessed melodic sequences before creating more complex sequences, suggesting that a domain-general sequencing system may support multiple forms of complex human behavior, from language production to music improvisation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Background: The existing literature in software engineering reports adverse effects of confirmation bias on software testing. Confirmation bias among software testers leads to confirmatory behaviour, which is designing or executing relatively more specification consistent test cases (confirmatory behaviour) than specification inconsistent test cases (disconfirmatory behaviour). Objective: We aim to explore the antecedents to confirmatory and disconfirmatory behaviour of software testers. Furthermore, we aim to understand why and how those antecedents lead to (dis)confirmatory behaviour. Method: We follow grounded theory method for the analyses of the data collected through semi-structured interviews with twelve software testers. Results: We identified twenty antecedents to (dis)confirmatory behaviour, and classified them in nine categories. Experience and Time are the two major categories. Experience is a disconfirmatory category, which also determines which behaviour (confirmatory or disconfirmatory) occurs first among software testers, as an effect of other antecedents. Time Pressure is a confirmatory antecedent of the Time category. It also contributes to the confirmatory effects of antecedents of other categories. Conclusion: The disconfirmatory antecedents, especially that belong to the testing process, e.g., test suite reviews by project team members, may help circumvent the deleterious effects of confirmation bias in software testing. If a team's resources permit, the designing and execution of a test suite could be divided among the test team members, as different perspectives of testers may help to detect more errors. The results of our study are based on a single context where dedicated testing teams focus on higher levels of testing. The study's scope does not account for the testing performed by developers. Future work includes exploring other contexts to extend our results.

Replicability and reproducibility are essential for scientific credibility, promoted through open science practices. Mental health research often deals with variable and time-changing characteristics, making it challenging to implement these practices, especially in studies of social behavior and cognition. These studies must be investigated through replication-extension models to promote theoretical expansion and generalization. The seminal research by Fischhoff (1975) on hindsight bias is highly relevant, whereas evidence suggests interactions with depressive symptoms. However, few studies have explored such interaction, and no replications exist with the Brazilian population. This project aims to replicate Experiment 2 of the Fischhoff study (1975) in hindsight bias in a Brazilian sample, including an extension to the original research to broaden its scope of clinical relevance in depressive symptoms.

A fundamental aspect of human societies is collaboration, and trust is the basis for collaboration. Throughout evolution, we have developed heuristics which we rely on to assess if a potential partner is trustable. Homophily, or attraction to those who are similar, is one of these heuristics. The “country of origin” bias, where people’s attitudes and decisions are influenced by products' country of origin labelling is a prominent example of homophily in action. Gender bias is behaviour that shows favouritism toward one gender over another. Gender bias exists due to a complex interplay of social, cultural, and psychological factors. Gender bias can manifest in stereotyping, unequal opportunities, disparities in pay and employment, gender-based violence, and societal expectations that restrict individuals based on their gender, affecting both men and women. When it comes to collaboration, there are biases beyond homophily which discriminate against non-male genders. Today, interaction with intelligent machines is inevitable in our societies. Here we ask if in interacting with machines we would show similar biases as when interacting with other humans. In a series of behavioural experiments, we study how readily collaboration with machines happens depending on the perceived country of origin of the machine, how it compares to collaboration with individuals from the same country, and whether this varies based on people’s geography. We conduct similar experiments based on the perceived gender of a machine, and whether this varies by individuals' own gender identification.

This study seeks to determine the impact of food categorisation on desire to eat in high vs low restrictive eaters.

Critical care settings are unpredictable, dynamic environments where clinicians face high decision density in suboptimal conditions (stress, time constraints, competing priorities). Experts have described two systems of human decision making: one fast and intuitive; the other slow and methodical. Heuristics, or mental shortcuts, a key feature of intuitive reasoning, are often accurate, applied instinctively, and essential for efficient diagnostic decision making. Heuristics are also prone to failures, or cognitive biases, which can lead to diagnostic errors. A variety of strategies have been proposed to mitigate biases; however, current understanding of such interventions to optimize diagnostic safety is still incomplete.

Background Dysfunctional appraisals are a key mechanism in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Experimental manipulations of appraisals via Cognitive Bias Modification-Appraisal (CBM-App) training targeting cognitions related to the ‘self’ has shown to affect analog trauma symptoms. The present study aimed to conceptually replicate and extend previous findings by comparing a newly developed ‘world’ to the original ‘self’ training, and investigate the moderating role of locus of control (LOC) on intrusions. Methods Healthy participants (N = 173) were exposed to distressing films as an analog trauma induction. Next, participants received positive or negative CBM-App, targeting either self- or world-relevant appraisals. Dysfunctional appraisals and LOC were assessed pre- and post-training. During the week after the laboratory session, participants recorded their intrusions and associated distress in a diary. One week later, trauma-relevant symptomatology was assessed. Results Positive compared to negative CBM-App induced training-congruent appraisals, independent of the trained cognition (self vs. world). However, there was no effect on analog trauma symptoms and LOC did not moderate the training’s effect. Conclusions Our results underline the validity of CBM-App as a method to experimentally manipulate appraisals. However, since we did not fully replicate previous findings further research on mechanisms associated with transfer effects is warranted.

Purpose The majority of research studying the relationship between job stress and chronic pain has relied on physiological responses. This study aims to determine psycho-social mechanisms by which job stress can influence chronic pain in workers. Methods This cross-sectional study was carried out among 793 workers in gas and oil platforms or petroleum refinery plants in southern Iran. Structural equation modelling was applied to evaluate the direct, indirect, and total effects of job stress on chronic pain in the presence of mediating variables (work-family conflict and depression). Results According to the results, job stress (B=0.024, β=0.477), 95% CI [0.016, 0.032], work-family conflict (B=0.031, β=0.446), 95% CI [0.023, 0.038], depression (B=0.046, β=0.224), 95% CI [0.028, 0.064], and work experience (B=0.083, β=0.380), 95% CI [0.065, 0.101] had significant direct effects on chronic pain. The indirect paths from job stress to chronic pain via depression (B=0.002, β=0.042), 95%CI [0.001, 0.003] and work-family conflict (B=0.004, β=0.085), 95%CI [0.003, 0.006] were significant. Conclusions Given that depression and work-family conflict mediate the effects of job stress on pain, stress management programs for workers might include various strategies to reduce negative thoughts as well as cognitive biases and minimize role conflicts between work and private life.

The hypothesis of the psychosis continuum enables to study the mechanisms of psychosis risk not only in clinical samples but in non-clinical as well. The aim of this longitudinal study was to investigate self-disturbances (SD), a risk factor that has attracted substantial interest over the last two decades, in combination with trauma, cognitive biases and personality, and to test whether SD are associated with subclinical positive symptoms (PS) over a 12-month follow-up period. Our study was conducted in a non-clinical sample of 139 Polish young adults (81 females, age M = 25.32, SD = 4.51) who were selected for frequent experience of subclinical PS. Participants completed self-report questionnaires for the evaluation of SD (IPASE), trauma (CECA.Q), cognitive biases (DACOBS) and personality (TCI), and were interviewed for subclinical PS (CAARMS). SD and subclinical PS were re-assessed 12 months after baseline measurement. The hypothesized model for psychosis risk was tested using path analysis. The change in SD and subclinical PS over the 12-month period was investigated with non-parametric equivalent of dependent sample t-tests. The models with self-transcendence (ST) and harm avoidance (HA) as personality variables were found to be well-fitted and explained 34% of the variance in subclinical PS at follow-up. Moreover, we found a significant reduction of SD and subclinical PS after 12 months. Our study suggests that combining trauma, cognitive biases, SD and personality traits such as ST and HA into one model can enhance our understanding of appearance as well as maintenance of subclinical PS.

Obstetric anesthesiologists provide care under unique conditions, where frequently unscheduled cases demand flexibility in thinking and acting. And although most obstetric patients may be healthy, they can quickly deteriorate, necessitating rapid team diagnostic and treatment interventions. Examining decision making is a critical step in improving care to these patients. This article reviews evidence-based models of decision making both with individuals and with teams, and presents strategies to improve decision making under any circumstance.

Nurses are trusted to be truthful and to provide considered, substantiated information in a neutral way. Yet the COVID-19 crisis has highlighted how some nurses engage in misinformation on social media and in other venues. This article explores the reasons why people believe they are fully informed, including the possible influence of confirmation biases. It also describes the augmented ethical responsibilities of nurses to examine in depth what they think they know and understand and to account for cognitive biases. Strategies for nurse leaders, managers, and educators are provided to facilitate good practice and help ensure nurses are held accountable for their actions and social media postings.

Background Cognitive biases towards social stimuli have been identified as one of the putative modifiable mechanisms to remediate interpersonal difficulties in adolescents with mental disorders. However, evidence for these biases in adolescents with eating disorders is scarce. Methods This study assessed interpersonal sensitivity, cognitive biases towards social stimuli, and quantity and quality of social group memberships in adolescents with eating disorders (n = 80), compared to healthy controls (n = 78), and examined whether a negative interpretation bias would mediate the relationship between interpersonal sensitivity, eating disorder symptoms and positive group memberships. Results Adolescents with eating disorders displayed greater interpersonal awareness, negative interpretation biases of ambiguous social information and poorer quality relationships with their social groups compared to healthy controls. In a simple mediation model, interpersonal awareness predicted eating disorder symptoms, and this effect was partially mediated by a negative interpretation bias. Conclusions Psychological interventions which aim to reduce a negative interpretation bias might help to reduce the severity of eating disorder symptoms in adolescents with eating disorders.

After four decades of refining our understanding of decision-making processes, a form of consensus has developed around the crucial role that behavioral science can play in changing non-cooperative decisions and promoting pro-environmental behaviors. However, has behavioral science delivered on its promise to influence environmental policy and conservation practice? We discuss key lessons coming from studies into the dual process theory of thinking and the presence of cognitive biases, social norms and intrinsic motivations. We then discuss the empirical findings by reviewing relevant research published over the past five years, and identify emerging lessons. Recent studies focus on providing feedback, manipulating framing, using green nudges, or activating social norms on urban contexts, mainly energy and water. Interventions are needed in the context of common pool resources in the global south. We end by discussing the great potential for scaling-up programs and interventions, but there are still challenges for research and practice.

Background Clinical reasoning skills are essential for nurses to provide competent, evidenced informed nursing care. Cognitive biases are flaws in judgment that may have a negative impact on clinical reasoning skills. This pilot project used simulation based learning (SBL) to explore cognitive biases and the impact of these biases on clinical reasoning in BScN nursing students. Sample: Semester 7 undergraduate nursing students (n = 19) of an eight-semester curriculum. Method Simulation based learning. Results Students identified multiple cognitive biases during the debriefing session. The most prevalent cognitive biases identified were anchoring 63% (n = 12) and confirmation bias 47% (n = 9). Conclusion This pilot project supports that SBL is an effective tool to facilitate the identification of cognitive biases by nursing students and can help them develop stronger clinical reasoning and clinical decision making skills. SBL provides an opportunity to practice guided reflection and identification of cognitive biases in a setting that is safe for the student and patient.

Need for closure (NFC) is a cognitive bias that has been implicated in the pathogenesis of delusions. A general population sample (N = 1465) was dichotomized into high versus low schizotypal participants and matched based on core social demographic characteristics (each n = 98). For the first time, we aimed at capturing NFC subjectively (with the NFC Scale) and objectively with a new experimental paradigm, the Ambiguous Movie Scene Task. In this task, participants viewed video scenes with either open or closed endings (i.e., high or low ambiguity) and rated their (emotional) reactions to the clips. Open endings were expected to lead to more frustration (i.e., due to increased need for closure) and to induce greater eagerness to learn about the possible resolution among those high on positive schizotypy. High schizotypal individuals displayed higher scores on the NFC Scale than low schizotypal individuals. Contrary to our expectations, high schizotypal participants did not recognize video scenes with open endings as ambiguous and were less eager to learn about a possible resolution than low schizotypal individuals. In the Ambiguous Movie Scene Task, high schizotypal individuals showed evidence of a jumping to conclusions bias rather than frustration over unresolved storylines. We found an overall stronger emotional response in schizotypal participants and overconfidence in their judgments. The NFC Scale and selected scores of the new task correlated moderately. The study corroborates earlier evidence for a dissociation between objective and subjective biases in the psychosis spectrum.

Research has established that contextual information has the potential to influence the decisions of examiners in various forensic domains, including forensic anthropology. Studies have demonstrate...

PurposeThis research seized the COVID-19 pandemic-induced economic recession as a strategic response background to answer whether serious games (SGs) can be effectively applied to facilitate the strategic decision-making process.Design/methodology/approachThis paper develops a conceptual model and hypotheses based on the strategic formulation and SGs literature. Virtual-gamified workshops treat four companies in a quasi-experimental framework applying an action research design approach. The data were analysed triangularly from the observations, the focus group interviews and the surveys.FindingsA SG facilitates conveying conceptual recession management knowledge and structures the decision-making process. It incentivises creativity and motivation. Meanwhile, it is a tool to mitigate human errors due to cognitive biases. More importantly, it offers a new means to improve strategic decision-making adapted to different cases. The variety of game elements expands possibilities for different needs.Originality/valueThis paper creatively bridges the gap between strategic decision facilitation and serious gaming in a crisis. It contributes a conceptual model and provides practical insights into SGs mechanics for companies.

Anchoring is a cognitive bias connected to the conception of information by every individual. The initial notion created becomes a significant point of reference for all future interpretations of the same object or data, so as to block any further re-elaboration to the initially defined information. The article presents a practical case of a false numerical conception due to anchoring

Accurate self-assessment of knowledge and technical skills is key to self-directed education required in surgical training. We aimed to investigate the presence and magnitude of cognitive bias in self-assessment among a cohort of surgical interns.First-year general surgery residents self-assessed performance on a battery of technical skill tasks (knot tying, suturing, vascular anastomosis, Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Skills peg transfer and intracorporeal suturing) at the beginning of residency. Each self-assessment was compared to actual performance. Bias and deviation were defined as arithmetic and absolute difference between actual and estimated scores. Spearman correlation assessed covariation between actual and estimated scores. Improvement in participant performance was analyzed after an end-of-year assessment.Participants (N = 34) completed assessments from 2017 to 2019. Actual and self-assessment scores were positively correlated (0.55, P.001). Residents generally underestimated performance (bias -4.7 + 8.1). Participants who performed above cohort average tended to assess themselves more negatively (bias -7.3 vs -2.3) and had a larger discrepancy between self and actual scores than below average performers (deviation index 9.7 + 8.2 vs 3.8 + 3.1, P.05). End-of-year total scores improved in 31 (91.2%) participants by an average of 11 points (90 possible). Least accurate residents in initial self-assessments (deviation indices75th percentile) improved less than more accurate residents (median 5 vs 16 points, P.05). All residents with a deviation index75 percentile underestimated their performance.Cognitive bias in technical surgical skills is apparent in first-year surgical residents, particularly in those who are higher performers. Inaccuracy in self-assessment may influence improvement and should be addressed in surgical training.

We propose a framework that outlines several predominant cognitive biases of climate change, identifies potential causes, and proposes debiasing tools, with the ultimate goal of depolarizing climate beliefs and promoting actions to mitigate climate change.

Inspired by the recent health science findings that air pollution affects mental health and cognition, we examine whether air pollution can intensify the cognitive bias observed in the financial markets. Based on a proprietary data set obtained from a large Chinese mutual fund family consisting of complete trading information for more than 773,198 accounts in 247 cities, we find that air pollution significantly increases investors’ disposition effects. Analysis based on two plausible exogenous variations in air quality (the vast dissipation of air pollution caused by strong winds and the Huai River policy) supports a causal interpretation. Mood regulation provides a potential mechanism.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly embedded in business processes, including the Human Resource (HR) recruitment process. While AI can expedite the recruitment process, evidence from the industry, however, shows that AI-recruitment systems (AIRS) may fail to achieve unbiased decisions about applicants. There are risks of encoding biases in the datasets and algorithms of AI which lead AIRS to replicate and amplify human biases. To develop less biased AIRS, collaboration between HR managers and AI developers for training algorithms and exploring algorithmic biases is vital. Using an exploratory research design, 35 HR managers and AI developers globally were interviewed to understand the role of knowledge sharing during their collaboration in mitigating biases in AIRS. The findings show that knowledge sharing can help to mitigate biases in AIRS by informing data labeling, understanding job functions, and improving the machine learning model. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are suggested.

BACKGROUND While the goal of facial vascularized composite allotransplantation (FVCA) is to provide patients with improved physical and social function, no study has evaluated layperson perception of social acceptance and perceived career success of patients with FVCA. The purpose of this study was to determine how FVCA changes social acceptance and perceived career success of patients with facial disfiguration. METHODS Eight hundred fifteen laypersons were surveyed through Mechanical Turk to evaluate their perceptions of patients with FVCA. Respondents were shown facial photographs of patients pre-FVCA, post-FVCA, and matched controls and evaluated these photos on 26 items of perceived social acceptance and career success. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. RESULTS Both male and female post-FVCA photos were perceived as significantly more socially accepted and professionally successful than their pre-FVCA photos in at least 21 out of 26 items (P

Placement of internal jugular catheters is more likely to be complicated if a left-sided approach is used, assuming normal anatomy. Kartagener syndrome is the sine qua non of sidedness confusion and results in cognitive challenges that increase the risk of adverse patient outcomes. The altered anatomy can cause profound disorientation from our usual processes. In normal circumstances the right-sided approach is used for placement of internal jugular catheters, but in Kartagener syndrome the left-sided approach should be preferred. Surgical volume and use of ultrasound guided techniques are positively correlated with better outcomes. Clinical experience may be a detriment to performance. Knowledge of these issues will help clinicians maintain vigilance and avoid error. Keywords: Kartagener syndrome, central venous access, superior vena cava, landmark technique, internal jugular vein catheterization cognitive bias

We propose deception as a bridging concept that will enhance the study of misinformation, disinformation, and misperceptions. As we set it out here, the concept integrates insights from multiple social science disciplines and uniquely connects actors’ intentions, information, and attitudinal or behavioral outcomes. A focus on deception will enrich research that describes the existence of false and misleading information but stops short of identifying their influence. Equally, through its focus on how actors’ deceptive strategies are important in attempts to exercise power, it can augment the study of the cognitive and attitudinal biases that render people susceptible to misperceptions. We identify the main themes in the study of deception: media-systemic distortions in information supply; the relational interactions that both produce and activate cognitive biases; and the attributes, strategies, and techniques of deceptive entities. We conclude with a summary typology of ten principal variables and their 57 focal indicators. Keywords: deception, misperceptions, misinformation, disinformation, media, power

A common question among science consumers today is the fact that researchers are publishing a lot, and a lot fast. To have a mathematical dimension, every nine years, the production scientific doubles its size [1]. The growing number of publications in all the areas, especially in the health area, combined with the ease of access to scientific documents, allows current professionals to guide their practice in evidence, in the hope of improving the quality of their care [1,2]. To make decisions, have scientific knowledge as a basis for clinical reasoning provides the health professional with an aura of safety and efficiency [2].However, the consumption of a scientific article can hide many tattoos that appear before reading the document. The so-called cognitive biases are inherent to human behavior and directly influence the understanding of literature, distorting conceptual reality. These work as a varnish to legitimize and strengthen the personal beliefs of the reader, who comes to believe that he is making the best decision based on scientific evidence [3,4]. Several aspects can hinder the interpretation and correct application of evidence-based practice concepts. The purpose of this document is to call attention to some of the cognitive biases, the importance of critical reading, and to present a flowchart that will assist the reader in making decisions about his practice.The term Cognitive Bias was coined by researchers Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman for the first time in 1972. Since then, several researchers have described different types of biases that affect decision-making in a wide range of areas of knowledge, including health [3]. We can exemplify the tendency in human behavior using as an archetype a person who, in possession of a resource (equipment, technique, method, drug), observed a positive response in two or three peoples submitted to his intervention. The positive feeling about the intervention (affinity bias) will make him believe that the change in the outcome has as major cause the applied intervention. When challenged about the veracity of his intervention, this professional tends to look for "evidence" that is generally supported by people who have already undergone the intervention and have benefited, and the search for scientific literature that often happens selectively (literature selection bias) to validate your belief (confirmation bias) [4].This illustration brings us fundamental points for understanding the real meaning of scientific thought. It is necessary to assume that, as professionals, we have preferences and that they can cloud our judgment, this recognition and attempt at impartiality being the beginning for the most appropriate acceptance of scientific evidence. In the background, it is necessary to understand that these same biases are also present in the authors of the research. Therefore, on purpose or not, scientific writing carries, to a greater or lesser degree, the author's preferences. It is up to the reader to identify which ideas are or are not supported by overwhelming data.In the above example, the absence of a control group prevents us from measuring the benefit objectively. In this situation, the assessment of a subjective outcome, such as quality of life, can lead to a false-positive result due to the placebo effect. Other measures may occur depending on the time. For these reasons, clinical practice observations are subject to considerable risks of bias and interpretation, as it is an uncontrolled environment.Still, on the biases of human understanding, a search for positive results for a specific intervention reduces the number of treatment possibilities and harm the final acceptor of the health system, our patient. In the field of scientific literature, it is also possible to identify data that justify dichotomous thoughts. At this point, it is necessary to emphasize the importance of understanding and differentiating each study design, the type of inference allowed, and the analysis of biases present in the research, which will give us to trust or not the result, especially when there is a positive response to the intervention [5]. The flaws in the comparisons between the evidence can lead to the choice of misconduct (not supported by substantiated results) and influence by an affinity bias.Regarding the proof of results, a special warning is necessary: can be shown the significance of an outcome from a statistical and clinical point of view. In the first case, one must pay attention to the statistical test applied, the nature of the comparisons, and the presence of comparable groups at the beginning of an intervention study, when possible. The application of the statistical test, the assembly of the sample calculation, and the change in the outcome predictor variable can be used to achieve a statistically significant result, which unfortunately is still the most accepted result in scientific journals, and act against the scientific thinking of quality [6].Even in the presence of statistical findings, we need to reflect on the clinical importance of this finding [7]. Let's imagine conducting a study using an exercise protocol aimed at responding to systolic blood pressure (SBP) in hypertensive men. Both groups of hypertensive patients had an SBP of 170mmHg at the beginning of the study, and we found that the intervention group and the control group after three months had SBP equal to 168mmHg and 169mmHg, respectively. Checking these data, followed by a statistically significant statement (p