An ecological assessment of decision-making under risk and ambiguity through the virtual serious game Kalliste Decision Task.

Traditional methods for evaluating decision-making provide valuable insights yet may fall short in capturing the complexity of this cognitive capacity, often providing insufficient for the multifaceted nature of decisions. The Kalliste Decision Task (KDT) is introduced as a comprehensive, ecologically valid tool aimed at bridging this gap, offering a holistic perspective on decision-making. In our study, 81 participants completed KDT alongside established tasks and questionnaires, including the Mixed Gamble Task (MGT), Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), and Stimulating & Instrumental Risk Questionnaire (S&IRQ). They also completed the User Satisfaction Evaluation Questionnaire (USEQ). The results showed excellent usability, with high USEQ scores, highlighting the user-friendliness of KDT. Importantly, KDT outcomes showed significant correlations with classical decision-making variables, shedding light on participants' risk attitudes (S&IRQ), rule-based decision-making (MGT), and performance in ambiguous contexts (IGT). Moreover, hierarchical clustering analysis of KDT scores categorized participants into three distinct profiles, revealing significant differences between them on classical measures. The findings highlight KDT as a valuable tool for assessing decision-making, addressing limitations of traditional methods, and offering a comprehensive, ecologically valid approach that aligns with the complexity and heterogeneity of real-world decision-making, advancing research and providing insights for understanding and assessing decision-making across multiple domains.

Do Decision-Making Styles Predict Vagal Control? The Role of Resting Heart Rate Variability.

Decision-making styles are a habit-based propensity that drive behavior and affect daily life. Rational and intuitive decision-making styles have been associated with good mental health. However, the underlying mechanisms are not clear. In the last decade, high basal levels of heart rate variability (HRV) have been proposed as an index of health and emotional control, and this could be one of the variables involved in the effects of decision making on health. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze the capability of decision-making styles to predict resting HRV. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 199 (119 women) young university students, and a resting ECG was recorded to extract frequency domain HRV variables. Subsequently, participants completed sociodemographic data and the General Decision-Making Style questionnaire (GDMS). Results showed that the intuitive style predicted high-frequency HRV, while the avoidant style predicted less low-frequency HRV. This study presents new data on the relationship between decision-making style and HRV, suggesting that the intuitive style has a cardioprotective effect, while the avoidant style is related to lower HRV, which has been associated with health vulnerability. In conclusion, this study contributes to the understanding of HRV and its potential as a biomarker for cognitive styles that may improve health.

Differences in Cold and Hot Decision-Making between Gambling and Other Addictions.

Behavioral and biological addictions can impair decision-making processes, mainly by means of a dysfunction in brain regions associated with reward and frontal areas that may lead to disadvantageous choices. Understanding these differences helps establish appropriate terminology and enhances our ability to recognize, prevent, and treat these disorders effectively. Thus, while behavioral and biological addictions share some common elements, their underlying mechanisms and impact on decision-making vary significantly. Moreover, decision-making can be measured through questionnaires (stable or "cold" measures) or dynamic tasks (hot decisions) such as the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), which can reflect different dimensions of this process. The aim of this study was to compare decision-making from different perspectives-stable and dynamic measures-in patients with gambling addiction (GA) (n = 42) and patients with biological addictions (BA) (n = 43). Decision-making was assessed using GDMS (Decisional Styles) and the LCT (Loss Aversion), as cold decision-making measures, as well as a hot or situational task called the IGT (Iowa Gambling Task). The results revealed that GA patients exhibited lower rational style scores compared to BA patients. Additionally, GA patients showed greater loss aversion according to the LCT questionnaire. On the other hand, when analyzing the IGT results, no differences were observed between groups in the overall IG index, learning curves, or the loss aversion parameter. However, GA patients showed higher sensitivity to feedback and less consistency in their decisions. These findings highlight the differences between different types of addictions and highlight the importance of considering the type of measure used to evaluate decision-making.

Compliance with the 24-h Movement Guidelines for Portuguese children: differences between boys and girls.

The 24-h Movement Guidelines for children recommend at least 60 min per day of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (PA), ≤ 2 h/day of screen time, and 9-11 h/day of sleep for children. Since little information is available on the 24-h Movement Guidelines in Portuguese children, this research attempts to know the proportion of Portuguese children meeting individual and combinations of these 24-h Movement Guidelines. Another aim of this study is to test sex differences in compliance with 24-h Movement Guidelines. A final sample of 1351 Portuguese children (51.4% girls, aged 7.65 ± 1.21) participated in this cross-sectional study. PA, screen time and sleep duration were parent-reported through a questionnaire. Only 3.7% of children met all three 24-h Movement Guidelines, whereas 11.9% met none. Although boys showed greater compliance with PA recommendations and girls with screen time recommendations, no significant sex differences were found in the compliance of all three 24-h Movement Guidelines. Given that 96.3% of Portuguese children did not meet 24-h Movement Guidelines, promoting these three movement behaviours in both boys and girls is crucial to encouraging positive consequences early.

Highly logical and non-emotional decisions in both risky and social contexts: understanding decision making in autism spectrum disorder through computational modeling.

In risky contexts, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) individuals exhibit more logical consistency and non-emotional decisions than do typical adults (TAs). This way of deciding could be also prevailing in social contexts, leading to maladaptive decisions. This evidence is scarce and inconsistent, and further research is needed. Recent developments in computational modeling allow analysis of decisional subcomponents that could provide valuable information to understand the decision-making and help address inconsistencies. Twenty-seven individuals with ASD and 25 TAs were submitted to a framing-task and the ultimatum game (UG). The Rescorla-Wagner computational model was used to analyze UG decisions. Results showed that in the UG, the ASD group exhibited a higher utilitarianism, characterized by lower aversion to unfairness and higher acceptance of offers. Moreover, this way of deciding was predicted by the higher economic rationality found in the framing task, where people with ASD did not manifest emotional biases such as framing effect. These results could suggest an atypical decision making, highly logical and non-emotional, as a robust feature of ASD.

Physical Activity, Body Composition, Physical Fitness, and Body Dissatisfaction in Physical Education of Extremadura Adolescents: An Exploratory Study.

In recent years, physical activity levels among youths have declined significantly. This has led to a decline in adherence to physical activity recommendations. In this sense, physical education offers an ideal environment that contributes positively to improving adherence to physical activity recommendations, as it teaches students movement-related skills and knowledge. The objective of the present research was to investigate the relationship between physical activity levels, body composition, fitness in Physical Education, and body dissatisfaction levels, and to analyse sex differences in relation to the study variables. The sample was formed of 1166 participants from the 1st and 2nd secondary compulsory education, of which 642 were boys (age 13.16 ± 0.91), and 524 girls (age 13.08 ± 0.85). The measure of physical activity was the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A). Body composition was assessed using weight and height to calculate their body mass index. Cardiorespiratory capacity was assessed using the Course-Navette test in Physical Education lessons. The results showed the relationship between physical activity and body mass index, cardiorespiratory capacity, and body satisfaction. It was also confirmed that higher levels of physical activity were associated with a lower body mass index, improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness, and lower levels of body dissatisfaction to a greater extent in boys than in girls. The study concludes that improvements in the study variables were associated with increased physical activity. In addition, it seems necessary to promote healthy lifestyles in physical education lessons, especially during adolescence, as they could serve as a gateway for the improvement of health-related fitness in future generations. Increasing the amount of physical activity among young people is vital. Therefore, it would be essential to develop intervention programs in physical education classes, especially during adolescence, aimed at promoting and increasing physical activity and its benefits.

Looking for the Key to Winning: Psychophysiological Predicting Factors in Healthy University Students.

Performance in competitive situations has been linked to various psychobiological factors such as personality traits (e.g., competitiveness), situational appraisal (e.g., motivation), and cardiovascular response (e.g., heart rate). However, it remains unclear whether these factors can predict competitive success. This paper aims to assess, through discriminant analysis, the predictive capacity of these psychobiological variables regarding the likelihood of winning, ultimately delineating a psychophysiological profile associated with success. Across three distinct studies, a total of 154 participants (66 men) engaged in a face-to-face laboratory competition. Prior to the competition, assessments of competitiveness traits, anxiety, self-efficacy, and motivation were conducted, and heart rate reactivity during the competition was measured. These variables collectively formed the basis for constructing the predictive model. The results of the initial study demonstrated that our model accurately classified 68.8% of the cases. Specifically, high levels of competitiveness, self-efficacy, motivation, and heart rate reactivity, coupled with low anxiety, were predictive of winning. These findings were subsequently replicated in two independent validation samples involving both men and women (studies 2 and 3), thereby reinforcing the robustness of the earlier results. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the psychological state preceding competition, along with cardiovascular reactivity, may serve as predictors for the probability of winning.

Relación entre el Índice de Masa Corporal y el nivel de actividad física en adolescentes / The Relationship Between Body Mass Index and the Physical Activity Level in Adolescents / Relação entre o Índice de Massa Corporal e o nível de atividade física em adolescentes

Resumen Objetivo. Analizar la relación entre el Índice de Masa Corporal (IMC) percibido y la actividad física (AF) en adolescentes. Método. Participaron 605 adolescentes con edades comprendidas entre los 12 y los 15 años. Se valoraron las variables percibidas para el peso, la altura y el nivel de AF mediante un cuestionario autoinformado. Resultados. Se encontraron asociaciones significativas entre el IMC percibido y el nivel de AF. El análisis de regresión mostró que el IMC percibido sirve para predecir el nivel de AF. El análisis de la covarianza demostró la existencia de diferencias significativas entre los adolescentes con sobrepeso y obesidad frente a los normopeso. Conclusión. Se ha demostrado que los adolescentes que realizan menos AF tienen una mayor probabilidad de sufrir sobrepeso y obesidad.

Abstract Objective. The objective of this research is to analyse the relationship between the perceived body mass index and physical activity in adolescents. Method. A total of 605 adolescent students between 12 and 15 years old participated. The variables for perceived weight, height and physical activity level were assessed using a self-report questionnaire. Results. The results showed significant associations between the perceived body mass index and the physical activity level. The regression analysis showed that the perceived body mass index serves to predict the physical activity level. The analysis of covariance, demonstrated the existence of significant differences between overweight and obese adolescents versus those of normal weight. Conclusion. It has been shown that adolescents who perform less PA are more likely to be overweight.

Resumo Escopo. Analisar a relação entre o Índice de Massa Corporal (IMC) percebido e a atividade física (AF) em adolescentes. Metodologia. Participaram 605 adolescentes com idades compreendidas entre os 12 e os 15 anos. Foram valoradas as variáveis percebidas para o peso, a altura e o nível de AF através de um questionário auto informado. Resultados. Foram achadas associações significativas entre o IMC percebido e o nível de AF. A Análise de regressão mostrou que o IMC percebido serve para predizer o nível de AF. A análise da covariância demostrou a existência de diferenças significativas entre os adolescentes com sobrepeso e obesidade frente aos normopeso. Conclusão. Foi demostrado que os adolescentes que realizam menos AF têm uma maior probabilidade de sofrer sobrepeso e obesidade.

Factores psicosociales, cognitivos y de personalidad asociados a la adherencia al tratamiento en comunidades terapéuticas / Psychosocial factors, cognitive and personality associated with adherence to treatment in therapeutic communities

Diferentes investigaciones han relacionado la adherencia al tratamiento con el éxito y no éxito en la terapia, junto con características tales como el tiempo de permanencia, la motivación previa y estilos de afrontamiento más ecaces. Este estudio identicó factores psicosociales, cognitivos y de personalidad asociados a la adherencia al tratamiento en comunidades terapéuticas en Colombia. Muestra: 443 participantes (373 hombres y 70 mujeres), edad media de 18 años (D.E . 5.9; rango 11-50 años). Instrumentos: Escala de adherencia CMRS, Escala de acontecimientos vitales, Cuestionario de esquema YSQ, Cuestionario de creencias de trastornos de la personalidad CCE-TP , Escala de estrategias de afrontamiento EEC-M , Cuadro Toxicológico. Procedimiento: para el análisis estadístico se dividió el grupo en dos: alta adherencia y menor adherencia. Resultados: alta asociación de adherencia y tiempo de permanencia. La función discriminante predictora para alta adherencia estuvo compuesta por las siguientes variables: estrategia de búsqueda de apoyo profesional, personalidad obsesivo-compulsiva, reevaluación positiva, la edad, vulnerabilidad al daño y la enfermedad, solución de problemas y de manera negativa la autonomía.El porcentaje de pronóstico de la función discriminante fue del 67,72%.

Different studies have related adherence to treatment with success or failure in therapy, along with features such as length of stay, prior motivation and facing more effective coping styles. This study indentied psychosocial, cognitive and personality factors associated with adherence to treatment in therapeutic communities in Colombia. Sample: 443 participants (373 men and 70 women), mean age 18 (DE 5.9, range 11-50 years). Instruments: CMRS adhesion, Life Events Scale, YSQ Young Schema Questionnaire, Questionnaire of beliefs about personality disorders CCE-TP , Coping Strategies Scale CS-M, Toxicology Chart. Procedure: For the statistical analysis the group was divided into two: high adhesion and lower adhesion. Results: A high association of adherence and length of stay. The discriminatory function predictor for high adhesion was composed by the following variables: search for professional support strategy, obsessive-compulsive personality, positive re-evaluation, and age as a demographic variable, vulnerability to injury and disease, and negatively, autonomy and troubleshooting. The prognostic rate of the discriminatory function was 67.72%.