| Reference code: | PT/FB/BL-2008-122.02 |
| Location: | Arquivo PCA - Pasta 13/2008
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Title:
| Mindfulness and emotional factors contributing to intuitive decision-making in the medical settings
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| Publication year: | 2012
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URL:
| http://www.bial.com/imagem/Bial%20Sonhos%20Miolo_Total%20Bolsas.pdf
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| Abstract/Results: | ABSTRACT:
Objective: To contribute to the understanding of intuitive decision-making through investigating
the effectiveness and psycho-physiologically basis of the “gut-feeling”.
Method: For five consecutive days participants conducted a working memory (WM) experiment
where apparently random consonant-sequences had to be retained and reproduced.
Unbeknownst to the subjects these were generated by a complex artificial grammar. To study the
gradual acquisition of a preference for this grammar, subjects conducted a preference task at day
one, two and five. While evaluations were being made Galvanic Skin Response, heart rate and
pupil dilation were measured. Finally, subjects where debriefed about the grammaticality of the
WM sequences and explicitly asked to judge a series of sequences on their grammaticality, under
similar psycho-physiological measurements. To investigate the causal role of affective processes in
intuitive decision-making, every presentation in the preference (and final evaluation-) task was
preceded by very short (~30ms) and thereby unconsciously perceived, emotional images. Since we
hypothesized that intuitive decision-making partly relies upon accurate reading of one's affective
('gut-feeling') state, and that such skills vary within the population, we also measured mindfulness
skills through questionnaires.
Results: Subjects where shown to implicitly extract complex grammatical regularities while being
unable to verbally report these. According to the Somatic Marker Theory (SMT) we expected the
sympathetic system to provide emotionally coded information about the learned implicit
associations. Results suggest that the somatic responses indeed paralleled the acquisition of
implicit knowledge, as shown previously with the Ohio Gambling Task (OGT). Further
measurements and analysis of priming effects and individual differences are in progress.
Discussion and conclusion: The simplicity of the OGT has been one of the main concerns of the
paradigm and the SMT (Maia & McClelland (2004), Trends Cogn Sci). Another concern has been the
fact that a reversal of the reward/punishment scheme has been shown to reverse the anticipatory GSR
(Tomb et al. 2002, Nat Neurosci). Our replication in a complex task without any reward/punishment schemes
contributes to the understanding of the psycho-physiologically basis of the intuitive decision-making in terms
of the SMT.
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| Accessibility: | Document does not exist in file
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Language:
| eng
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Author:
| Barendregt, H.
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Secondary author(s):
| Whitmarsh, S., Lobach, E., Bierman, D., Giommi, F.
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Document type:
| Conference abstract
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Number of reproductions:
| 1
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Reference:
| Barendregt, H., Whitmarsh, S., Lobach, E., Bierman, D., & Giommi, F. (2012). Mindfulness and emotional factors contributing to intuitive decision-making in the medical settings. In Aquém e além do cérebro. Behind and beyond the brain. Proceedings of the 9th Symposium of Fundação Bial (p. 39/63). Porto: Fundação Bial.
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| Indexed document: | No
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| Keywords: | Intuition / Mindfulness / Learning / Priming
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