A sensory decision theory analysis of anxiety and pain responses in chronic drug abusers.

Relations between anxiety and pain were assessed in inpatient male drug abusers characterized by high, moderate, and low anxiety levels. A tonic pain stimulus was used for enhanced similarity to clinical pain, and sensory decision theory methodology was applied to measure discriminative and decisional aspects of pain response. Compared with minimally and moderately anxious subjects, highly anxious men demonstrated decreased pain response latencies, reduced abilities to discriminate noxious stimuli, and increased bias to report pain. These findings have relevance for understanding pain perception, self-perceived anxiety, and more general emotional distress in clinical samples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A signal-detection analysis of fast-and-frugal trees.

Models of decision making are distinguished by those that aim for an optimal solution in a world that is precisely specified by a set of assumptions (a so-called “small world”) and those that aim for a simple but satisfactory solution in an uncertain world where the assumptions of optimization models may not be met (a so-called “large world”). Few connections have been drawn between these 2 families of models. In this study, the authors show how psychological concepts originating in the classic signal-detection theory (SDT), a small-world approach to decision making, can be used to understand the workings of a class of simple models known as fast-and-frugal trees (FFTs). Results indicate that (a) the setting of the subjective decision criterion in SDT corresponds directly to the choice of exit structure in an FFT; (b) the sensitivity of an FFT (measured in d′) is reflected by the order of cues searched and the properties of cues in an FFT, including the mean and variance of cues' individual d′s, the intercue correlation, and the number of cues; and (c) compared with the ideal and the optimal sequential sampling models in SDT and a majority model with an information search component, FFTs are extremely frugal (i.e., do not search for much cue information), highly robust, and well adapted to the payoff structure of a task. These findings demonstrate the potential of theory integration in understanding the common underlying psychological structures of apparently disparate theories of cognition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Organizing and Evaluating Uncertainty in Geotechnical Engineering

Probabilistic methods are potentially useful in four stages of a typical project: site characterization and evaluation, evaluation of designs, decision making, and construction control. In evaluation of projects, it can be useful to express risk numerically. When uncertainties can be quantified and model errors are understood, reliability theory may be used. Event-tree analysis can be a framework for effectively applying judgment concerning uncertainty. The use of quantified risk in decision making is limited by standards for acceptable risk; good communication with a client is essential. Unless clients or regulators are interested in quantifying risks as part of decision making, engineers will continue to rely on traditional methods. When risks are large and the costs of absolute safety are large, clients are interested in discussing risks. Issues concerning the adequacy of existing structures such as earth dams are stimulating interest in risk assessment, and there will be spin-off from developments in earthquake engineering. More and better examples of applications of probabilistic methods are needed.     

Self-determination theory: A macrotheory of human motivation, development, and health.

Self-determination theory (SDT) is an empirically based theory of human motivation, development, and wellness. The theory focuses on types, rather than just amount, of motivation, paying particular attention to autonomous motivation, controlled motivation, and amotivation as predictors of performance, relational, and well-being outcomes. It also addresses the social conditions that enhance versus diminish these types of motivation, proposing and finding that the degrees to which basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness are supported versus thwarted affect both the type and strength of motivation. SDT also examines people's life goals or aspirations, showing differential relations of intrinsic versus extrinsic life goals to performance and psychological health. In this introduction we also briefly discuss recent developments within SDT concerning mindfulness and vitality, and highlight the applicability of SDT within applied domains, including work, relationships, parenting, education, virtual environments, sport, sustainability, health care, and psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comments on Batchelder and Riefer's multinomial model for source monitoring

Kinchla criticizes Batchelder and Riefer's multinomial model for source monitoring, primarily its high-threshold assumptions, and he advocates an approach based on statistical decision theory (SDT). In this reply, the authors lay out some of the considerations that led to their model and then raise some specific concerns with Kinchla's critique. The authors point out that most of his criticisms are drawn from contrasting the high threshold and the Gaussian, equal-variance SDT models on receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves for yes-no recognition memory. They indicate how source monitoring is more complicated than yes-no recognition and question the validity of standard ROC analyses in source monitoring. The authors argue that their model is a good approximation for measuring differences between sources on old-new detection and that it has the ability to measure source discrimination as well as detection. The authors also explore a low-threshold multinomial model and discuss the application of SDT models to source monitoring.     

Effect of values on perception and decision making: A study of alternative work values measures.

Four alternative methods of measuring values were used to examine the impact of work values on perception and decision-making tasks. Perception and its relation to values was assessed using interpretation of ambiguous stimuli. The effect of values on decision making was evaluated using within-subject regression analyses of 20 separate decisions. A total of 103 undergraduate subjects completed values measures and the perceptual and decision-making tasks in three work sessions, each separated by from 2 to 4 days. A rank order measure of values related more consistently to perception and decision making than did other measurement methods. Results also provide some support for a theory of values in which values affect perceptual organization and act as a guide to decision making. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Legal regulation of adolescent abortion: Unintended effects.

Legislatures often have established special procedures for judicial or parental involvement in adolescents' abortion decisions. Such procedures are intended ostensibly to protect pregnant minors' psychological health and increase the competence of their decision making. However, judicial bypass and parental notification statutes promote neither goal. At best, such statutes are benign but costly and purposeless. At worst, they increase pregnant minors' delay in seeking medical attention and induce embarrassment, anxiety, and family conflict. Additional research is needed to provide a foundation for legal decision making about the constitutionality of the actual operation of statutes regulating adolescent abortion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A simplified conjoint recognition paradigm for the measurement of gist and verbatim memory.

The distinction between verbatim and gist memory traces has furthered the understanding of numerous phenomena in various fields, such as false memory research, research on reasoning and decision making, and cognitive development. To measure verbatim and gist memory empirically, an experimental paradigm and multinomial measurement model has been proposed but rarely applied. In the present article, a simplified conjoint recognition paradigm and multinomial model is introduced and validated as a measurement tool for the separate assessment of verbatim and gist memory processes. A Bayesian metacognitive framework is applied to validate guessing processes. Extensions of the model toward incorporating the processes of phantom recollection and erroneous recollection rejection are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An analysis of the nature and justification of treatment decisions in inpatient settings.

83 mental health professionals employed at 2 inpatient settings participated in a study on the nature and justification of assessment and treatment decision making. Clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, a psychiatric nursing service staff group, social workers, nonpsychiatric physicians, physician assistants, mental health workers/psychiatric technicians who had at least a high school diploma, rehabilitation specialists, and psychiatric administrators completed a treatment decision questionnaire. It addressed several specific content areas relating to the types of assessment procedures, treatment goals, and treatment methods mental health professionals usually use, as well as the usual reason(s) for such procedures. Results showed that inpatient mental health professionals mostly relied on past success as well as logistical-practical factors in the determination and justification of assessment and treatment methods. Analyses of differences among inpatient institutions and mental health professionals are also presented. The conclusion was that, regardless of the specific assessment and treatment methods relied on, mental health professionals did use systematic decision procedures in choosing such methods. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perioperative pain management: a gate control perspective

The assessment and management of perioperative pain are critical skills for the surgical nurse, hence, the subjective nature of pain should be reflected in their approach to pain control. Unfortunately, many studies (Seers 1987, Kuhns et al 1990, Royal College of Surgeons and Royal College of Anaesthetists 1990, Closs 1992 and Field 1996) suggest that the nurse's knowledge of perioperative management is inadequate. However, as Carr (1997) reported, nurses are not the only group of health care professionals who demonstrate a lack of 'expertise' in providing analgesic relief. Carr reviewed the survey of 27 medical schools by Marcer and Deighton in 1988 which revealed that 4 schools undertook no formal teaching on pain control, and the remainder averaged only 3.5 hours during a four year course. Clearly, perioperative pain management remains a major problem! We have suggested that surgical nurses must have a sound knowledge of the neurophysiology associated with this subjective phenomenon (Clancy and McVicar 1998) since such an understanding is paramount in assisting the decision making process which underpins effective individualised perioperative pain management.     

Measuring memory factors in source monitoring: Reply to Kinchla.

D. A. Kinchla (see record 1994-16291-001) criticizes W. H. Batchelder and D. M. Reifer's multinomial model for source monitoring, primarily its high-threshold assumptions, and advocates an approach based on statistical decision theory (SDT). The authors lay out some of the considerations that led to their model and then raise some specific concerns with Kinchla's critique. The authors point out that most of his criticisms are drawn from contrasting the high threshold and the Gaussian, equal-variance SDT models on receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves for yes-no recognition memory. The authors indicate how source monitioring is more complicated than yes-no recognition and question the validity of standard ROC analyses in source monitoring. The authors argue that their model is a good approximation for measuring differences between sources on old-new detection and that it has the ability to measure source discrimination as well as detection. The authors also explore a low-threshold multinomial model and discuss the application of SDT models to source monitoring. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Signal Detection Theory Analyses of Semantic Priming in Word Recognition.

Word recognition, semantic priming, and cognitive impenetrability research have used signal detection theory (SDT) measures to separate perceptual and postperceptual processes. In the D. Norris (1986) checking model and model simulation (D. Norris, 1995), priming alters only postperceptual word decision criteria: Stimulus-related priming reduces uncertainty, increasing sensitivity; stimulus-unrelated priming increases false alarms more than hits, reducing sensitivity. This work is cited as strong evidence that criterion changes can alter perceptual sensitivity and that SDT is inappropriate for investigating complex cognitive processes. The authors' current SDT ideal observer analysis of the model demonstrates that related priming does not directly alter sensitivity and that unrelated priming increases only false-alarm rate, reducing sensitivity. This analysis provides new perspectives on SDT concepts of complex decision processing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessment of acute pain and anxiety in children and adolescents by self-reports, observer reports, and a behavior checklist.

Compared responses on a checklist of distress behaviors to ratings of medical-procedure-related pain and anxiety by 29 male and 21 female 6–17 yr old cancer patients and 1 adult observer. Results show that children showed greater behavioral distress than adolescents only during the actual medical procedure; however, additional behaviors were observed that suggested that the checklist was age-biased and that the 2 age groups experienced an equal amount of stress. This assumption was supported by a measure of intensity, observer reports, and patient self-reports, which showed no differences between the 2 age groups. None of the measures showed any significant differences for sex or ethnic origin. Data show that children had less physical control and more emotional outbursts than adolescents during a stressful procedure. It is concluded that clinical research on pain and anxiety should incorporate both self-report and observer data. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A high-risk method for studying psychosocial antecedents of chronic pain: The prospective investigation of herpes zoster.

Although patients with chronic pain (CP) are often psychologically distressed, it has been difficult to determine whether this distress is an antecedent of CP or whether it is caused by the experience of living with CP. This investigation aimed to develop a method that would allow individuals who are at risk for the development of CP to be studied before the pain has become chronic. Patients with acute herpes zoster (HZ) were assessed with demographic, medical, pain, and psychosocial measures. Pain was assessed in follow-up interviews at 6 wks and 3, 5, 8, and 12 mo after these initial assessments. There were no significant differences between Ss who developed short-term HZ pain and Ss who did not develop short-term pain for any of the measures at the initial assessment, except for 1 measure of pain intensity. Ss who developed HZ CP, however, had significantly greater pain intensity, higher state and trait anxiety, greater depression, lower life satisfaction, and greater disease conviction at the initial assessment than Ss who did not develop CP. In discriminant analyses, disease conviction, pain intensity, and state anxiety each made a unique contribution to discriminating Ss who did and did not develop CP. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measures and interpretations of vigilance performance: evidence against the detection criterion

Operators' performance in a vigilance task is often assumed to depend on their choice of a detection criterion. When the signal rate is low this criterion is set high, causing the hit and false alarm rates to be low. With increasing time on task the criterion presumably tends to increase even further, thereby further decreasing the hit and false alarm rates. Virtually all of the empirical evidence for this simple interpretation is based on estimates of the bias measure beta from signal detection theory. In this article, I describe a new approach to studying decision making that does not require the technical assumptions of signal detection theory. The results of this new analysis suggest that the detection criterion is never biased toward either response, even when the signal rate is low and the time on task is long. Two modifications of the signal detection theory framework are considered to account for this seemingly paradoxical result. The first assumes that the signal rate affects the relative sizes of the variances of the information distributions; the second assumes that the signal rate affects the logic of the operator's stopping rule. Actual or potential applications of this research include the improved training and performance assessment of operators in areas such as product quality control, air traffic control, and medical and clinical diagnosis.     

Medical decisions made by teams: carefulness and responsibility

To a growing extent, medical decision making takes place in the context of a team. Where multidisciplinary cooperation is necessary and the decisions to be taken are complex and consequential (in particular at the beginning and the end of life) joint decision making is considered an essential requirement of careful medical practice. From a legal point of view, this raises the question who is accountable for such decisions. Basically, accountability (and the liability that may result from it) will stay with the individual participants, and in particular with the first responsible, attending physician. In this respect, decision making in such situations is not basically different from other, more informal consultation structures (such as regular case reviews at department level) which are current practice in many health care institutions. Finally, if joint decision making is required, it should be clear in advance how decisions are to be arrived at in the team.     

Comparison of hypnosis and distraction in severely ill children undergoing painful medical procedures.

An ethnically diverse sample of high and low hypnotizable children (N?=?27) suffering from cancer or blood disorders and their parents were trained to use both distraction and hypnosis to reduce pain and anxiety. Measures of pain and anxiety were obtained from the children and their parents. Independent raters also judged participants' video-taped distress responses. Data were collected during painful medical procedures, for baseline, distraction, and hypnosis conditions. Supporting E. R. Hilgard's (1977, 1992) neodissociation theory, hypnotizable children showed significantly lower pain, anxiety, and distress scores in response to hypnosis in contrast to low hypnotizable children. Distraction produced significant positive effects for observer-rated distress scores for the low hypnotizable children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Information needs, sources of information, and decisional roles in women with breast cancer

PURPOSE: To describe preferred and actual roles in treatment decision making among women with newly diagnosed breast cancer, to describe their sources of information, and to identify and prioritize their information needs. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SAMPLE: Seventy-four women recently diagnosed with breast cancer. SETTING: Two tertiary, outpatient oncology clinics in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. METHODS: Three measures were completed: control preferences card sort, Thurstone scaling of information needs, and ranking of information sources. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Decisional roles, sources of information, and information needs. FINDINGS: More women (43%) preferred and more (57%) actually assumed a passive role in treatment decision making. This is particularly true of older women. Although 37% of women preferred a collaborative role, only 19% were able to assume such a role. The women preferred personal sources of information (physician, nurse, friend, or relative) over written sources. A medical journal was more relevant to women with higher levels of education. Most information needs included stage of disease, likelihood of cure, and treatment options. The women ranked self-care issues and sexuality as least important; older women, however, ranked self-care issues as more important. CONCLUSIONS: Women who want collaborative roles in decision making may experience difficulty in achieving such roles. Personal sources of information were more important to women than written sources. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Nurses can use a knowledge of women's priorities for information to guide information sharing. Nurses can assess women's desired roles in treatment decision making and facilitate women achieving their preferred roles.     

Euthanasia of piglets: gas or injection?

Methods for the humane killing of animals are watched critically by both the public and the veterinary community. Evaluation of such methods requires assessment of efficacy as well as emotional and ethical aspects. Rapidity of loss of consciousness is a crucial factor in such evaluations. In the present study, four methods for piglet euthanasia were compared with regard to presence of indicators of discomfort (pain, anxiety, stress) and rapidity of onset of death, defined as the absence of breathing, heart beats and reflexes, combined with isoelectricity of the electro-encephalogram (EEG). The study was performed on piglets, which had to be destroyed on account of preventive measures against swine fever. The following methods were applied: CO2 98%, CO2/O2 65/35%, T61 and pentobarbital (Euthesate) injected intracardially. Intracardial injections of T61 and pentobarbital provide fast unconsciousness and death with minimal discomfort to the animal.