The cognitive error in decision making

This issue deals with the partial data of a research in progress on focalization, pseudodiagnosticity and framing- effect in decision making, followed by the most important results of some experiments about the emotional aspects of the choice, and ends by stressing the potential contribution of the artificial neural networks to the medical diagnosis

Experimental data on authority of source bias in decision making

Dear Editor, The psychological approach to reasoning and decision making has shown i) the restricted cognitive resources available to people (see for example, the notion of bounded rationality by Simon1); ii) the inferential errors attributable, at least partly, to limited working memory capacity2; iii) the use of heuristics, i.e. strategies which allow saving cognitive resources by simplifying elaboration yet at the risk of biases, etc. These errors, or distortions, do not appear to be negligible but rather important and recurring behavioral anomalies.3,4 Moreover, since 1950s several psychological studies have highlighted the role of emotions in decision making, a role that has been evidenced also by the neurosciences.5 The three experimental studies presented here were aimed to evaluate the influence of authority of source on decision making, each one examining the following fields: logic, grammar, and figurative art. In the first experiment, 120 university students were administered the three questions of the Cognitive Reflection Test and a fourth question of logic; they were provided with the answers (all of which deliberately wrong) and were asked to express whether they agreed with them. The experimental group was told that the answers had been given by a mathematics teacher; the control group was told that the answers had been given by students with some difficulties in mathematics. In the second experiment 90 university students were administered five pairs of sentences; one sentence in each pair was grammatically correct, the other was wrong. The experimental group was required to evaluate the exactness of the answers (all of which wrong) given by a non-existent grammar teacher; the control group was required to indicate the exact sentence in each pair. In the third experiment, 60 participants were shown five pairs of pictorial reproductions; only one reproduction in each pair was of great artistic value. The experimental group was asked to accept or reject the judgements (all of which wrong) of a non-existent art critic; the control group was asked to indicate the picture deemed most valuable in each pair. In conclusion, statistical analysis, conducted through the χ2 test, has shown a significantly higher number of errors in the experimental group than in the control group all through the three experiments. The results emphasize the conditioning exerted by a source considered to be authoritative on the decision-making process of participants

Closure of an iatrogenic tracheo-esophageal fistula with bronchoscopic gluing in a mechanically ventilated adult patient

Management of acquired nonmalignant tracheo-esophageal fistula (TEF) in mechanically ventilated patients is controversial. Surgical correction is often contraindicated because the high operative risk and spontaneous closure is unlikely due to the positive pressure ventilation. We present a case of successful closure of an iatrogenic TEF in a mechanically ventilated patient with bronchoscopic application of fibrin glue. The technique may be proposed in high-risk patients as either an alternative to surgery or as a first-line attempt before surgical correction

Grammatical-Restrained Hidden Conditional Random Fields for Bioinformatics applications

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Discriminative models are designed to naturally address classification tasks. However, some applications require the inclusion of grammar rules, and in these cases generative models, such as Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) and Stochastic Grammars, are routinely applied.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We introduce Grammatical-Restrained Hidden Conditional Random Fields (GRHCRFs) as an extension of Hidden Conditional Random Fields (HCRFs). GRHCRFs while preserving the discriminative character of HCRFs, can assign labels in agreement with the production rules of a defined grammar. The main GRHCRF novelty is the possibility of including in HCRFs prior knowledge of the problem by means of a defined grammar. Our current implementation allows <it>regular grammar </it>rules. We test our GRHCRF on a typical biosequence labeling problem: the prediction of the topology of Prokaryotic outer-membrane proteins.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We show that in a typical biosequence labeling problem the GRHCRF performs better than CRF models of the same complexity, indicating that GRHCRFs can be useful tools for biosequence analysis applications.</p> <p>Availability</p> <p>GRHCRF software is available under GPLv3 licence at the website</p> <p><url>http://www.biocomp.unibo.it/~savojard/biocrf-0.9.tar.gz.</url></p

Error risk in the decision making process

This research starts from the assumption, widely observed in literature, that stress and distraction involve risks of error, especially in high-density decision-making work situations, including Urgent Care-Emergency Depart - ments. Three groups of undergraduates, 20 subjects each, were given fifteen multiplechoice logical questions: one group worked under stress; the second group worked under stress and was distracted twice; the third group worked under conditions that were neither stressful nor disturbing. The highest number of correct answers was generally scored by those working under quiet conditions. The group who worked under stress and was disturbed twice scored a greater number of correct answers than the group working under stress. For exploratory purposes, eight undergraduates were exposed to a condition of attentional disturbance for the entire duration of the test; they registered a significant lengthening of response times and a significant negative effect on their performance

Decision Making

This article points out some conditions which significantly exert an influence upon decision and compares decision making and problem solving as interconnected processes. Some strategies of decision making are also examined

Sviluppare il pensiero nella disabilit\ue0 intellettiva. Dal ragionamento induttivo alla metacognizione.

Il testo si propone di fornire un metodo d'intervento per la maturazione di competenze ritenute centrali nell'economia dei processi di pensiero. Particolare riguardo \ue8 dedicato alle funzioni autoattributive e metacognitive

Ipotesi teoriche sulla disabilit&#224; intellettiva

Nell'attivit\ue0 educativa, i riferimenti teorici costituiscono il necessario inquadramento entro cui obiettivi, programmi e scelte di metodo, derivati da essi in modo coerente, acquistano significato. Con soggetti disabili intellettivi, che presentano particolari difficolt\ue0 di apprendimento e talora anche di comportamento, diventa indispensabile avere un solido orientamento concettuale, che fornisca le linee-guida per operare in maniera competente e finalizzata. Diversamente, gli interventi non possono che essere frammentari, quindi poco o nulla incisivi, quando non dannosi per l'accavallarsi disordinato di proposte che generano confusione e rifiuto nel soggetto a cui sono indirizzate

MLT’88: Test di memoria di eventi storici (scheda descrittiva)

Test psicologico. Scheda descrittiva creata all'interno del progetto Bibliomedi