Citation

Schiebener J, Brand M. Cogn. Emot. 2016; 31(4): 816-824.

Affiliation

b Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Essen , Germany.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/02699931.2016.1159944

PMID

27003192

Abstract

Previous literature has explained older individuals' disadvantageous decision-making under ambiguity in the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) by reduced emotional warning signals preceding decisions. We argue that age-related reductions in IGT performance may also be explained by reductions in certain cognitive abilities (reasoning, executive functions). In 210 participants (18-86 years), we found that the age-related variance on IGT performance occurred only in the last 60 trials. The effect was mediated by cognitive abilities and their relation with decision-making performance under risk with explicit rules (Game of Dice Task). Thus, reductions in cognitive functions in older age may be associated with both a reduced ability to gain explicit insight into the rules of the ambiguous decision situation and with failure to choose the less risky options consequently after the rules have been understood explicitly. Previous literature may have underestimated the relevance of cognitive functions for age-related decline in decision-making performance under ambiguity.

Language: en