Schiebener Johannes, Wegmann Elisa, Gathmann Bettina, Laier Christian, Pawlikowski Mirko, Brand Matthias
General Psychology: Cognition, University of Duisburg-Essen Duisburg, Germany.
General Psychology: Cognition, University of Duisburg-Essen Duisburg, Germany ; Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Essen, Germany.
Front Psychol. 2014 Dec 3;5:1386. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01386. eCollection 2014.
Executive functioning is supposed to have an important role in decision making under risk. Several studies reported that more advantageous decision-making behavior was accompanied by better performance in tests of executive functioning and that the decision-making process was accompanied by activations in prefrontal and subcortical brain regions associated with executive functioning. However, to what extent different components of executive functions contribute to decision making is still unclear. We tested direct and indirect effects of three executive functions on decision-making performance in a laboratory gambling task, the Game of Dice Task (GDT). Using Brand's model of decisions under risk (2006) we tested seven structural equation models with three latent variables that represent executive functions supposed to be involved in decision making. The latent variables were general control (represented by the general ability to exert attentional and behavioral self-control that is in accordance with task goals despite interfering information), concept formation (represented by categorization, rule detection, and set maintenance), and monitoring (represented by supervision of cognition and behavior). The seven models indicated that only the latent dimension general control had a direct effect on decision making under risk. Concept formation and monitoring only contributed in terms of indirect effects, when mediated by general control. Thus, several components of executive functioning seem to be involved in decision making under risk. However, general control functions seem to have a key role. They may be important for implementing the calculative and cognitively controlled processes involved in advantageous decision making under risk.
执行功能在风险决策中理应发挥重要作用。多项研究报告称，更有利的决策行为伴随着执行功能测试中更好的表现，并且决策过程伴随着与执行功能相关的前额叶和皮层下脑区的激活。然而，执行功能的不同组成部分在多大程度上有助于决策仍不清楚。我们在一项实验室赌博任务——掷骰子任务（GDT）中测试了三种执行功能对决策表现的直接和间接影响。使用布兰德的风险决策模型（2006年），我们测试了七个结构方程模型，这些模型具有三个潜在变量，代表了被认为参与决策的执行功能。潜在变量分别是一般控制（由尽管存在干扰信息但仍能根据任务目标施加注意力和行为自我控制的一般能力来表示）、概念形成（由分类、规则检测和集合维持来表示）以及监控（由对认知和行为的监督来表示）。这七个模型表明，只有潜在维度一般控制对风险决策有直接影响。概念形成和监控仅在由一般控制介导时产生间接影响。因此，执行功能的几个组成部分似乎参与了风险决策。然而，一般控制功能似乎起着关键作用。它们对于实施风险有利决策中涉及的计算和认知控制过程可能很重要。
