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Beron JC, Solovey G, Ferrelli IA, Pedreira ME, Fernández RS. Large environmental changes reduce valence-dependent belief updating. Sci Rep 2024; 14:10429. [PMID: 38714776 PMCID: PMC11076288 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61207-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/10/2024] Open
Abstract
When updating beliefs, humans tend to integrate more desirable information than undesirable information. In stable environments (low uncertainty and high predictability), this asymmetry favors motivation towards action and perceived self-efficacy. However, in changing environments (high uncertainty and low predictability), this process can lead to risk underestimation and increase unwanted costs. Here, we examine how people (n = 388) integrate threatening information during an abrupt environmental change (mandatory quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic). Given that anxiety levels are associated with the magnitude of the updating belief asymmetry; we explore its relationship during this particular context. We report a significant reduction in asymmetrical belief updating during a large environmental change as individuals integrated desirable and undesirable information to the same extent. Moreover, this result was supported by computational modeling of the belief update task. However, we found that the reduction in asymmetrical belief updating was not homogeneous among people with different levels of Trait-anxiety. Individuals with higher levels of Trait-anxiety maintained a valence-dependent updating, as it occurs in stable environments. On the other hand, updating behavior was not associated with acute anxiety (State-Anxiety), health concerns (Health-Anxiety), or having positive expectations (Trait-Optimism). These results suggest that highly uncertain environments can generate adaptive changes in information integration. At the same time, it reveals the vulnerabilities of individuals with higher levels of anxiety to adapt the way they learn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Cruz Beron
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIByNE)-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Guillermo Solovey
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Instituto de Cálculo, UBA-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ignacio A Ferrelli
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIByNE)-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María E Pedreira
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIByNE)-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Rodrigo S Fernández
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIByNE)-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Laboratorio de Neurociencia de la Memoria, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires IFIByNE, CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria (C1428EHA), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Seitz RJ, Paloutzian RF, Angel H. Manifestations, social impact, and decay of conceptual beliefs: A cultural perspective. Brain Behav 2024; 14:e3470. [PMID: 38558538 PMCID: PMC10983810 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Believing comprises multifaceted processes that integrate information from the outside world through meaning-making processes with personal relevance. METHODS Qualitative Review of the current literature in social cognitive neuroscience. RESULTS Although believing develops rapidly outside an individual's conscious awareness, it results in the formation of beliefs that are stored in memory and play an important role in determining an individual's behavior. Primal beliefs reflect an individual's experience of objects and events, whereas conceptual beliefs are based on narratives that are held in social groups. Conceptual beliefs can be about autobiographical, political, religious, and other aspects of life and may be encouraged by participation in group rituals. We hypothesize that assertions of future gains and rewards that transcend but are inherent in these codices provide incentives to follow the norms and rules of social groups. CONCLUSION The power of conceptual beliefs to provide cultural orientation is likely to fade when circumstances and evidence make it clear that what was asserted no longer applies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rüdiger J. Seitz
- Department of Neurology, Centre of Neurology and Neuropsychiatry, LVR‐Klinikum Düsseldorf, Medical FacultyHeinrich Heine University DüsseldorfDüsseldorfGermany
| | | | - Hans‐Ferdinand Angel
- Institute of Catechetic and Pedagogic of ReligionKarl Franzens University GrazGrazAustria
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Abstract
Successful cooperation is tightly linked to individuals' beliefs about their interaction partners, the decision setting, and existing norms, perceptions, and values. This article reviews and integrates findings from judgment and decision-making, social and cognitive psychology, political science, and economics, developing a systematic overview of the mechanisms underlying motivated cognition in cooperation. We elaborate on how theories and concepts related to motivated cognition developed in various disciplines define the concept and describe its functionality. We explain why beliefs play such an essential role in cooperation, how they can be distorted, and how this fosters or harms cooperation. We also highlight how individual differences and situational factors change the propensity to engage in motivated cognition. In the form of a construct map, we provide a visualization of the theoretical and empirical knowledge structure regarding the role of motivated cognition, including its many interdependencies, feedback loops, and moderating influences. We conclude with a brief suggestion for a future research agenda based on this compiled evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susann Fiedler
- Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria
- Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods, Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Alina Fahrenwaldt
- Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods, Bonn, Germany
- Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Cologne, Germany
| | - Rima-Maria Rahal
- Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods, Bonn, Germany
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Spampatti T, Hahnel UJJ, Trutnevyte E, Brosch T. Psychological inoculation strategies to fight climate disinformation across 12 countries. Nat Hum Behav 2024; 8:380-398. [PMID: 38036655 PMCID: PMC10896732 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01736-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
Decades after the scientific debate about the anthropogenic causes of climate change was settled, climate disinformation still challenges the scientific evidence in public discourse. Here we present a comprehensive theoretical framework of (anti)science belief formation and updating to account for the psychological factors that influence the acceptance or rejection of scientific messages. We experimentally investigated, across 12 countries (N = 6,816), the effectiveness of six inoculation strategies targeting these factors-scientific consensus, trust in scientists, transparent communication, moralization of climate action, accuracy and positive emotions-to fight real-world disinformation about climate science and mitigation actions. While exposure to disinformation had strong detrimental effects on participants' climate change beliefs (δ = -0.16), affect towards climate mitigation action (δ = -0.33), ability to detect disinformation (δ = -0.14) and pro-environmental behaviour (δ = -0.24), we found almost no evidence for protective effects of the inoculations (all δ < 0.20). We discuss the implications of these findings and propose ways forward to fight climate disinformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobia Spampatti
- Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Ulf J J Hahnel
- Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Tobias Brosch
- Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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Coelho J, Rey M, Labonne A, Adan A, Taillard J, Geoffroy PA, Cugy D, Dakar A, Philip P, Poirot I, Royant-Parola S, Hartley S, Vecchierini MF, Micoulaud-Franchi JA. Better characterizing sleep beliefs for personalized sleep health promotion: the French sleep beliefs scale validation study. Front Public Health 2024; 11:1293045. [PMID: 38274535 PMCID: PMC10808670 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1293045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The Sleep Beliefs Scale (SBS) is a well-known tool to design and monitor personalized sleep health promotion at an individual and population level. The lack of an established French version limits the development of effective interventions targeting these populations. Thus, the aim of this study was to validate the French version of the SBS in a representative sample of the general population. Methods Quota sampling was used to recruit 1,004 participants (18-65 years, mean age: 43 years, 54% of female) who underwent an online survey to complete the SBS, and to assess sleep schedules, sleep quality and disorders, and mental health. Cronbach's α coefficient, confirmatory factor analysis, item-internal consistency (IIC), and item discriminant validity (IDV) of the SBS were computed to assess internal validity while bivariate associations with sleep schedules, sleep quality and disorders, and mental health were used to assess external convergent and discriminant validity. Results The mean score on the SBS was 12.3 ± 4.9. Item 19 ("Quiet & Dark") showed the highest rate of correct answers (n = 801, 79.8%), while item 20 ("Recovering sleep") showed the lowest rate of correct answers (n = 246, 24.5%). Overall, the SBS showed satisfactory internal consistency (α = 0.87) and confirmed the three-factor structure proposed by the original study. All items were found consistent (IIC > 0.4) and discriminant (IIC > IDV) except for item 20 ("recovering lost sleep by sleeping for a long time"). Females, older participants, and subjects with short time-in-bed, poor sleep quality, insomnia, and circadian rhythm disorder had higher SBS scores while participants with depressive symptoms had lower SBS scores. Conclusion We successfully translated and validated the French version of the SBS in a representative sample, making it a reliable instrument for researchers and clinicians to assess and target sleep beliefs. Correct answers vary from 25 to 80% which underlines the importance of continuing sleep health promotion campaigns by targeting poorly understood behaviors. Our findings also shed light on the fickleness of beliefs that are prone to vary within individuals across time, in step with societal changes. Several associated factors were identified, thus contributing to our understanding of sleep beliefs and offering insights for personalized approaches to enhance sleep health and overall well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Coelho
- University Sleep Medicine Department, University Hospital of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
- University Hospital of Bordeaux, CNRS, SANPSY, UMR 6033, Bordeaux, France
| | - Marc Rey
- Institut National du Sommeil et de la Vigilance, Paris, France
| | | | - Ana Adan
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, School of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jacques Taillard
- University Hospital of Bordeaux, CNRS, SANPSY, UMR 6033, Bordeaux, France
| | - Pierre-Alexis Geoffroy
- Département de psychiatrie et d'addictologie, AP-HP, GHU Paris Nord, DMU Neurosciences, Hopital Bichat - Claude Bernard, Paris, France
- GHU Paris-Psychiatry & Neurosciences, Paris, France
- Université Paris Cité, NeuroDiderot, Inserm, Paris, France
| | - Didier Cugy
- University Sleep Medicine Department, University Hospital of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
- Institut National du Sommeil et de la Vigilance, Paris, France
| | - Alexandre Dakar
- Institut National du Sommeil et de la Vigilance, Paris, France
- Clinique Médicale et Cardiologique d’Aressy, Aressy, France
| | - Pierre Philip
- University Sleep Medicine Department, University Hospital of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
- University Hospital of Bordeaux, CNRS, SANPSY, UMR 6033, Bordeaux, France
| | - Isabelle Poirot
- Institut National du Sommeil et de la Vigilance, Paris, France
- Service de médecine physique et réadaptation pédiatrique, hospices civils de Lyon, Bron, France
| | - Sylvie Royant-Parola
- Institut National du Sommeil et de la Vigilance, Paris, France
- Réseau Morphée, Garches, France
| | - Sarah Hartley
- Institut National du Sommeil et de la Vigilance, Paris, France
- APHP, Hôpital Raymond Poincaré, Sleep Center, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, Garches, France
| | - Marie-Françoise Vecchierini
- Institut National du Sommeil et de la Vigilance, Paris, France
- AP-HP, Hôpital Hôtel Dieu, Centre du Sommeil et de la Vigilance, Paris, France
- Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Arthur Micoulaud-Franchi
- University Sleep Medicine Department, University Hospital of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
- University Hospital of Bordeaux, CNRS, SANPSY, UMR 6033, Bordeaux, France
- Institut National du Sommeil et de la Vigilance, Paris, France
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Kube T. Factors influencing the update of beliefs regarding controversial political issues. J Soc Psychol 2023:1-23. [PMID: 37660358 DOI: 10.1080/00224545.2023.2253981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Selectively integrating new information contributes to belief polarization and compromises public discourse. To better understand factors that underlie biased belief updating, I conducted three pre-registered studies covering different controversial political issues. The main hypothesis was that cognitively devaluing new information hinders belief updating. Support for this hypothesis was found in only one of the three issues. The only factor that consistently influenced belief updating across issues was the discrepancy between prior beliefs and new information. These results suggest that usually people do use evidence to correct their beliefs, but may refuse to do so if doubts about its generalizability arise.
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Grogan JP, Rys W, Kelly SP, O’Connell RG. Confidence is predicted by pre- and post-choice decision signal dynamics. Imaging Neurosci (Camb) 2023; 1:1-23. [PMID: 37719838 PMCID: PMC10503486 DOI: 10.1162/imag_a_00005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
It is well established that one's confidence in a choice can be influenced by new evidence encountered after commitment has been reached, but the processes through which post-choice evidence is sampled remain unclear. To investigate this, we traced the pre- and post-choice dynamics of electrophysiological signatures of evidence accumulation (Centro-parietal Positivity, CPP) and motor preparation (mu/beta band) to determine their sensitivity to participants' confidence in their perceptual discriminations. Pre-choice CPP amplitudes scaled with confidence both when confidence was reported simultaneously with choice, and when reported 1 second after the initial direction decision with no intervening evidence. When additional evidence was presented during the post-choice delay period, the CPP exhibited sustained activation after the initial choice, with a more prolonged build-up on trials with lower certainty in the alternative that was finally endorsed, irrespective of whether this entailed a change-of-mind from the initial choice or not. Further investigation established that this pattern was accompanied by later lateralisation of motor preparation signals toward the ultimately chosen response and slower confidence reports when participants indicated low certainty in this response. These observations are consistent with certainty-dependent stopping theories according to which post-choice evidence accumulation ceases when a criterion level of certainty in a choice alternative has been reached, but continues otherwise. Our findings have implications for current models of choice confidence, and predictions they may make about EEG signatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- John P. Grogan
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Wouter Rys
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Simon P. Kelly
- School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and UCD Centre for Biomedical Engineering, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Redmond G. O’Connell
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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8
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Ni Y, Sun J, Li J. The shadowing effect of initial expectation on learning asymmetry. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1010751. [PMID: 37486955 PMCID: PMC10399892 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence for positivity and optimism bias abounds in high-level belief updates. However, no consensus has been reached regarding whether learning asymmetries exist in more elementary forms of updates such as reinforcement learning (RL). In RL, the learning asymmetry concerns the sensitivity difference in incorporating positive and negative prediction errors (PE) into value estimation, namely the asymmetry of learning rates associated with positive and negative PEs. Although RL has been established as a canonical framework in characterizing interactions between agent and environment, the direction of learning asymmetry remains controversial. Here, we propose that part of the controversy stems from the fact that people may have different value expectations before entering the learning environment. Such a default value expectation influences how PEs are calculated and consequently biases subjects' choices. We test this hypothesis in two learning experiments with stable or varying reinforcement probabilities, across monetary gains, losses, and gain-loss mixed environments. Our results consistently support the model incorporating both asymmetric learning rates and the initial value expectation, highlighting the role of initial expectation in value updating and choice preference. Further simulation and model parameter recovery analyses confirm the unique contribution of initial value expectation in accessing learning rate asymmetry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinmei Ni
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jingwei Sun
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Lenovo Research, Lenovo Group, Beijing, China
| | - Jian Li
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, China
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Tuominen J. Decisions under uncertainty are more messy than they seem. Behav Brain Sci 2023; 46:e109. [PMID: 37154119 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x22002576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Conviction Narrative Theory (CNT) is conceptually so multifaceted as to make critical evaluation difficult. It also omits one course of action: Active engagement with the world. Parsing the developmental and mechanistic processes within CNT would allow for a rigorous research programme to put the account under test. I propose a unifying account based on active inference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarno Tuominen
- Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland https://www.utu.fi/en/people/jarno-tuominen
- Department of Sociology, University of Helsinki, FI-00100 Helsinki, Finland.
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Hilchey MD, Soman D. Demand for information about potential wins and losses: Does it matter if information matters? Behavioral Decision Making 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/bdm.2322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew D. Hilchey
- Rotman School of Management University of Toronto 105 St George St Toronto Ontario M5S 3E6 Canada
| | - Dilip Soman
- Rotman School of Management University of Toronto 105 St George St Toronto Ontario M5S 3E6 Canada
- Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Science and Economics, Rotman School of Management University of Toronto 105 St George St Toronto Ontario M5S 3E6 Canada
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Stanovich KE, Toplak ME. Actively Open-Minded Thinking and Its Measurement. J Intell 2023; 11. [PMID: 36826925 DOI: 10.3390/jintelligence11020027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Actively open-minded thinking (AOT) is measured by items that tap the willingness to consider alternative opinions, sensitivity to evidence contradictory to current beliefs, the willingness to postpone closure, and reflective thought. AOT scales are strong predictors of performance on heuristics and biases tasks and of the avoidance of reasoning traps such as superstitious thinking and belief in conspiracy theories. Nevertheless, AOT is most commonly measured with questionnaires rather than performance indicators. Questionnaire contamination becomes even more of a danger as the AOT concept is expanded into new areas such as the study of fake news, misinformation, ideology, and civic attitudes. We review our 25-year history of studying the AOT concept and developing our own AOT scale. We present a 13-item scale that both is brief and accommodates many previous criticisms and refinements. We include a discussion of why AOT scales are such good predictors of performance on heuristics and biases tasks. We conclude that it is because such scales tap important processes of cognitive decoupling and decontextualization that modernity increasingly requires. We conclude by discussing the paradox that although AOT scales are potent predictors of performance on most rational thinking tasks, they do not predict the avoidance of myside thinking, even though it is virtually the quintessence of the AOT concept.
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