Cross-sectional studies have suggested age-related differences in decision-making competence, but these differences may also reflect cohort-related effects. We present a longitudinal study of age-related changes over 5 years in older adults (aged 60–85) for 3 important aspects of decision-making competence: resistance to framing, applying decision rules, and resistance to sunk costs. The findings show small age-related longitudinal declines in resistance to framing but no decline in applying decision rules or resistance to sunk costs. The results also indicate that individuals’ decision-making competence after 5 years is significantly related to their initial decision-making competence assessment and that the contribution of crystallized abilities to decision making in older adults is greater than previously thought.

Most everyday activities involve delayed intentions referring to different event structures and timelines. Yet, past research has mostly considered prospective memory (PM) as a dual-task phenomenon in which the primary task to fulfill PM intentions is realized within an ongoing secondary task. We hypothesized that these simplified simulations of PM may have obscured the role of spatial relational processing that is functional to represent and meet the increased temporal demands in more complex PM scenarios involving multiple timelines. To test this spatiotemporal hypothesis, participants monitored four digital clocks, with PM deadlines referring either to the same clock (single-context condition) or different clocks (multiple-context condition), along with separate tests of spatial ability (mental rotation task) and executive functioning (working memory updating). We found that performance in the mental rotation task incrementally explained PM performance in the multiple-context, but not in the single-context, condition, even after controlling for individual differences in working memory updating and ongoing task performance. These findings suggest that delayed intentions occurring in multiple ongoing task contexts reflect independent contributions of working memory updating and mental rotation and that spatial relational processing may specifically be involved in higher cognitive functions, such as complex PM in multiple contexts or multitasking.

Older adults perform worse than younger adults when applying decision rules to choose between options that vary along multiple attributes. Although previous studies have shown that general fluid cognitive abilities contribute to the accurate application of decision rules, relatively little is known about which specific cognitive abilities play the most important role. We examined the independent roles of working memory, verbal fluency, semantic knowledge, and components of executive functioning. We found that age-related decline in applying decision rules was statistically mediated by age-related decline in working memory and verbal fluency. Our results have implications for theories of aging and decision-making.

Although a number of theoretical accounts of proactive interference (PI) in episodic memory have been proposed, existing empirical evidence does not support conclusively a single view yet. In two experiments we tested the predictions of the temporal discrimination theory of PI against alternative accounts by manipulating the presentation schedule of study materials (lists blocked by category vs. interleaved). In line with the temporal discrimination theory, we observed a clear buildup of (and release from) PI in the blocked condition, in which all the lists of the same category were presented sequentially. In the interleaved condition, with alternating lists of different categories, a more gradual and smoother buildup of PI was observed. When participants were left free to choose their presentation schedule, they spontaneously adopted an interleaved schedule, resulting again in more gradual PI. After longer delays, we observed recency effects at the list level in overall recall and, in the blocked condition, PI-related effects. The overall pattern of findings agrees with the predictions of the temporal discrimination theory of PI, complemented with categorical processing of list items, but not with alternative accounts, shedding light on the dynamics and underpinnings of PI under diverse presentation schedules and over different time scales.

Despite the claims regarding the potential disruptiveness of subtitling for audiovisual processing, existing empirical evidence supports the idea that subtitle processing is semi-automatic and cognitively effective, and that, in moderately complex viewing scenarios, dubbing does not necessarily help viewers. In this paper we appraise whether the complexity of the translated audiovisual material matters for the cognitive and evaluative reception of subtitled vs. dubbed audiovisual material. To this aim, we present the results of two studies on the viewers' reception of film translation (dubbing vs. subtitling), in which we investigate the cognitive and evaluative consequences of audiovisual complexity. In Study 1, the results show that a moderately complex film is processed effectively and is enjoyed irrespective of the translation method. In Study 2, the subtitling (vs. dubbing) of a more complex film leads to more effortful processing and lower cognitive performance, but not to a lessened appreciation. These results expose the boundaries of subtitle processing, which are reached only when the audiovisual material to be processed is complex, and they encourage scholars and practitioners to reconsider old standards as well as to invest more effort in crafting diverse types of audiovisual translations tailored both to the degree of complexity of the source product and to the individual differences of the target viewers.

OBJECTIVE: Memory complaints are common in patients after brain tumor, but is difficult to map memory functions during awake surgery, to preserve them. Thus we analyzed one of the largest data sets on clinical, surgical, and anatomical correlates of memory in patients with brain tumor to date, providing anatomical hotspots for short and long-term memory functions. METHODS: A total of 260 patients with brain tumor (130 high-grade gliomas; 76 low-grade gliomas [LGG]; 54 meningiomas) were tested on 2 commonly used short-term memory (Digit Span Forward and Corsi Spatial Span) and 2 long-term memory tasks (Narrative Memory and Delayed Recall of Rey Figure). Patients were evaluated before and immediately after surgery and (for LGG) after 4 months and data analyzed by means of analysis of covariance and the voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping technique. RESULTS: As expected, patients with high-grade gliomas were already impaired before surgery, whereas patients with meningioma were largely unimpaired. Patients with LGG were unimpaired before surgery, but showed significant performance drop immediately after, with good recovery within few months. Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping analyses identified specific anatomical correlates for verbal memory tasks, whereas visuospatial tasks provided good sensitivity to cognitive damage but failed to show anatomical specificity. Anatomical hotspots identified were in line with both previous functional magnetic resonance imaging and clinical studies on other neurological populations. CONCLUSIONS: Verbal memory tasks revealed a set of specific anatomical hotspots that might be considered eloquent for verbal memory functions, unlike visuospatial tasks, suggesting that commonly used spatial memory tasks might not be optimal to localize the damage, despite an otherwise good sensitivity to cognitive damage.

Coordinating multiple tasks requires a high degree of cognitive control, and individuals with limited executive functions often show difficulties in everyday multitasking. We tested the hypothesis that demands on executive control can be alleviated by internally representing the temporal pattern of goals and deadlines as spatial relations. In two experiments, participants completed a multitasking session by monitoring deadlines of four clocks running at different rates, along with separate tasks of executive functioning and spatial ability. In Experiment 1, individual and gender-related differences in spatial ability (mental rotation) predicted multitasking performance, beyond the contributions of both the updating and inhibition components of executive functioning, and even when spatial cues were eliminated from the layout of the monitoring task. Experiment 2 extended these findings by showing that concurrent spatial load impaired task monitoring accuracy, and that these detrimental effects were accentuated when spatial abilities were compromized due to fluctuation in female sex hormones. These findings suggest that multiple task monitoring involves working memory-related functions, but that these cognitive control demands can be offloaded by relying on spatial relation processes.

Although the literature on the influence of memory on decisions is well developed, research on the effects of decision making on memory is rather sparse and scattered. Choice-supportive misremembering (i.e., misremembering choice-related information that boosts the chosen option and/or demotes the foregone options) has been observed in several studies and has the potential to affect future choices. Nonetheless, no attempt has been made to review the relevant literature, categorize the different types of choice-supportive misremembering observed, and critically appraise the existing evidence and proposed explanations. Thus, starting from a new theoretically motivated and empirically grounded taxonomy, we review the current research. Our taxonomy classifies choice-supportive misremembering into four conceptually distinct types: misattribution is when information is attributed to the wrong source, fact distortion when the facts are remembered in a distorted manner, false memory when items that were not part of the original decision scenarios are remembered as presented and, finally, selective forgetting is when information is selectively forgotten. After assessing the impact of various potentially moderating factors, we evaluate the evidence for each type of misremembering and conclude that the support for the phenomenon is solid in relation to misattribution when recognition memory is assessed, but significantly weaker for the other three types, and when other memory tests are used to assess memory. Finally, we review the cognitive and emotional explanations proposed for choice-supportive misremembering in the light of the available evidence and identify the main gaps in the current knowledge and the more promising avenues for future research.

Objective: The aim of this work is to provide an in-depth investigation of the impact of low-grade gliomas (LGG) and their surgery on patients' cognitive and emotional functioning and well-being, carried out via a comprehensive and multiple-measure psychological and neuropsychological assessment.

Patients and Methods: Fifty surgically treated patients with LGG were evaluated 40 months after surgery on their functioning over 6 different cognitive domains, 3 core affective/emotional aspects, and 3 different psychological well-being measures to obtain a clearer picture of the long-term impact of illness and surgery on their psychological and relational world. Close relatives were also involved to obtain an independent measure of the psychological dimensions investigated.

Results: Cognitive status was satisfactory, with only mild short-term memory difficulties. The affective and well-being profile was characterized by mild signs of depression, good satisfaction with life and psychological well-being, and good personality development, with patients perceiving themselves as stronger and better persons after illness. However, patients showed higher emotional reactivity, and psychological well-being measures were negatively affected by epileptic burden. Well-being was related to positive affective/emotional functioning and unrelated to cognitive functioning. Good agreement between patients and relatives was found.

Conclusions: In the long-term, patients operated on for LGG showed good cognitive functioning, with no significant long-term cognitive sequelae for the extensive surgical approach. Psychologically, patients appear to experience a deep psychological change and maturation, closely resembling that of so-called posttraumatic growth, which, to our knowledge, is for the first time described and quantified in patients with LGG.

This chapter provides an introduction to the economic psychology of price and inflation judgments, focusing on the main findings and the more relevant psychological theories. The first part of the chapter is devoted to the process of price evaluation. This is a fundamental process underlying individual economic and consumer behaviour, because purchase decisions usually imply a judgment of the price of a target product or service, and price is a fundamental evaluation dimension. Thus, it is important to understand the processes that lead individuals to deem a given price as cheap or expensive. We will initially focus on theories centred on the construct of a reference price, defined as a benchmark price used in relative evaluation processes. These theories share the assumption that one or more reference prices, stored in memory or available in the external environment, are used to make sense of the target price via comparative evaluation processes. We then briefly consider how prices are evaluated according to three psychological theories (prospect theory, decision by sampling, and norm theory), which provide further insight into evaluation processes and their effects. Finally, we will take into account the factors affecting retrieval of reference prices and briefly mention other aspects relevant to price evaluation. The second part of the chapter is devoted to perceived inflation and inflation expectations. Inflation refers to changes in the value of money over time. From an individual's point of view inflation is revealed as changes in the cost of living (price inflation) and changes in income, for example wage inflation. Past price inflation is officially measured by the annual percentage change in the total cost of a basket of goods and services purchased by the typical consumer. In contrast, official measures of price inflation expectations are forecasts of price changes in the basket of goods - the most widely used being based on complex models of the economy. People's perceptions of past and expectations of future inflation have been found to differ from official statistics, often substantially. It is important to understand how this occurs, since, as we show, perceived inflation influences expected inflation, which in turn affects economic behaviour such as wage negotiations, borrowing, saving and spending. Furthermore, because of such effects on individual and household behaviour, and because public expectations are used to inform monetary policy, perceived and expected inflation indirectly affect the performance of the macro-economy. After reviewing evidence of how people’s perceptions and expectations are formed we turn to research demonstrating some of their consequences. The chapter concludes by outlining some of the policy implications of the research reviewed.