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Horta M, Shoenfelt A, Lighthall NR, Perez E, Frazier I, Heemskerk A, Lin T, Wilson RC, Ebner NC. Age-group differences in trust-related decision-making and learning. Sci Rep 2024; 14:68. [PMID: 38167997 PMCID: PMC10762071 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-50500-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Facial impressions contribute to evaluations of trustworthiness. Older adults are especially vulnerable to trust violations, incurring risks for deception and exploitation. Using the newly developed social Iowa Gambling Task (S-IGT), we examined age-group differences in the impact of facial trustworthiness on decision-making and learning. In the congruent condition (CS-IGT), advantageous decks were paired with trustworthy faces and disadvantageous decks with untrustworthy faces. In the incongruent condition (IS-IGT), this pairing was reversed. Younger (n = 143) and older (n = 129) participants completed either the standard Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), CS-IGT, or IS-IGT. Both age groups preferred trustworthy faces in their initial choices. Older adults performed worse than younger adults across all tasks over time. Further, compared to younger adults, older adults performed worse on the IS-IGT, suggesting that incongruent facial cues interfered with older adults' performance, which aligns with reduced sensitivity to negative social reputations in aging. Multilevel modeling also indicated that age-group differences were most pronounced across all tasks in the last 40 trials. Together these findings suggest that differences between younger and older adults in experience-dependent decision-making are magnified in social contexts that involve a "wolf in sheep's clothing," which may reflect age-related difficulties in integrating incongruent information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marilyn Horta
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
- Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
| | - Alayna Shoenfelt
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | | | - Eliany Perez
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Ian Frazier
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Amber Heemskerk
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Tian Lin
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Robert C Wilson
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Natalie C Ebner
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
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Tisdall L, Mata R. Age differences in the neural basis of decision-making under uncertainty. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 23:788-808. [PMID: 36890341 PMCID: PMC10390623 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-022-01060-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 03/10/2023]
Abstract
Humans globally are reaping the benefits of longer lives. Yet, longer life spans also require engaging with consequential but often uncertain decisions well into old age. Previous research has yielded mixed findings with regards to life span differences in how individuals make decisions under uncertainty. One factor contributing to the heterogeneity of findings is the diversity of paradigms that cover different aspects of uncertainty and tap into different cognitive and affective mechanisms. In this study, 175 participants (53.14% females, mean age = 44.9 years, SD = 19.0, age range = 16 to 81) completed functional neuroimaging versions of two prominent paradigms in this area, the Balloon Analogue Risk Task and the Delay Discounting Task. Guided by neurobiological accounts of age-related changes in decision-making under uncertainty, we examined age effects on neural activation differences in decision-relevant brain structures, and compared these across multiple contrasts for the two paradigms using specification curve analysis. In line with theoretical predictions, we find age differences in nucleus accumbens, anterior insula, and medial prefrontal cortex, but the results vary across paradigm and contrasts. Our results are in line with existing theories of age differences in decision making and their neural substrates, yet also suggest the need for a broader research agenda that considers how both individual and task characteristics determine the way humans deal with uncertainty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loreen Tisdall
- Center for Cognitive and Decision Sciences, University of Basel, Missionsstrasse 60-62, 4055, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Rui Mata
- Center for Cognitive and Decision Sciences, University of Basel, Missionsstrasse 60-62, 4055, Basel, Switzerland
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Gamonal-Limcaoco S, Montero-Mateos E, Lozano-López MT, Maciá-Casas A, Matías-Fernández J, Roncero C. Perceived stress in different countries at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Int J Psychiatry Med 2022; 57:309-322. [PMID: 34266339 PMCID: PMC9209880 DOI: 10.1177/00912174211033710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The coronavirus has spread around the world, causing an ongoing pandemic. After the lockdown and quarantine protocols, an evaluation of the population's current emotional state was made through a web-based survey available in both English and Spanish. The objective was to observe how respondents perceived stress and worry as a result of COVID-19. METHODS The survey gathered data across three sections: socio-demographic data, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) by Cohen, and additional queries on current worries and behaviors due to this pandemic. RESULTS The survey received 1523 respondents from 48 countries. The mean of the PSS-10 score was 17.4 (SD 6.5). Significantly higher scores were observed among women, young adults, students, and those who expressed concern about getting infected and considered themselves high-risk. No significant differences were observed between health professionals and other professions. CONCLUSIONS We describe an increase in stress levels due to the COVID-19 and point out groups at high risk. These findings could help to address the mental health care that is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sinta Gamonal-Limcaoco
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Salamanca Health Care Complex, Salamanca, Spain,Institute for Biomedical Research of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain,Sinta Gamonal-Limcaoco, Servicio de Psiquiatría, Hospital Universitario Salamanca, Paseo de San Vicente, 182, 37007 Salamanca, Spain.
| | | | - Maria Teresa Lozano-López
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Salamanca Health Care Complex, Salamanca, Spain,Institute for Biomedical Research of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Ana Maciá-Casas
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Salamanca Health Care Complex, Salamanca, Spain,Institute for Biomedical Research of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Juan Matías-Fernández
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Salamanca Health Care Complex, Salamanca, Spain,Institute for Biomedical Research of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Carlos Roncero
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Salamanca Health Care Complex, Salamanca, Spain,Institute for Biomedical Research of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain,Psychiatric Unit School of Medicine, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
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Frazier I, Lin T, Liu P, Skarsten S, Feifel D, Ebner NC. Age and intranasal oxytocin effects on trust-related decisions after breach of trust: Behavioral and brain evidence. Psychol Aging 2021; 36:10-21. [PMID: 33705182 DOI: 10.1037/pag0000545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Age-related differences in cognition and socioemotional functions, and in associated brain regions, may reduce sensitivity to cues of untrustworthiness, with effects on trust-related decision making and trusting behavior. This study examined age-group differences in brain activity and behavior during a trust game. In this game, participants received "breach-of-trust" feedback after half of the trials. The feedback indicated that only 50% of the monetary investment into their fellow players had resulted in returns. The study also explored the effects of intranasal oxytocin on trust-related decisions in aging, based on suggestions of a modulatory role of oxytocin in response to negative social stimuli and perceptions of trust. Forty-seven younger and 46 older participants self-administered intranasal oxytocin or placebo, in a randomized, double-blind, between-subjects procedure, before they engaged in the trust game while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Younger participants invested less into their game partners after breach-of-trust feedback, while older participants showed no significant difference in their investment after breach-of-trust feedback. Oxytocin did not modulate the behavioral effects. However, after breach-of-trust feedback, older participants in the oxytocin group showed less activity in the left superior temporal gyrus. In contrast, older participants in the placebo group showed more activity in left superior temporal gyrus after breach of trust. The findings may reflect reduced responsiveness to cues of untrustworthiness in older adults. Furthermore, the modulatory effect of oxytocin on left superior temporal gyrus activity among older adults supports the neuropeptide's age-differential role in neural processes in aging, including in the context of trust-related decision making. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Frazier
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida
| | - Tian Lin
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida
| | - Peiwei Liu
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida
| | | | - David Feifel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego
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Lighthall NR. Neural mechanisms of decision-making in aging. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2019; 11:e1519. [PMID: 31608583 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Revised: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The present review synthesizes findings on decision neuroscience and aging by focusing on decision processes that have been extensively studied in neuroeconomics and critically assessing the driving mechanisms of age-related change. The paper first highlights age-related changes to key brain structures that have been implicated in decision-making, then, reviews specific decision components and discusses investigations of age-related changes to their neural mechanisms. The review also weighs evidence for organic brain aging versus age-related changes to social and psychological factors in mediating age effects. Reviewed findings are discussed in the context of theories and frameworks that have been used to explain trajectories of change in decision-making across adulthood. This article is categorized under: Psychology > Development and Aging Psychology > Reasoning and Decision-Making Neuroscience > Cognition.
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