Is impulsive behavior adaptive in harsh and unpredictable environments? A formal model

Fenneman, Jesse; Frankenhuis, Willem E.

doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2020.02.005

Cited by 50 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…One way that humans mitigate the risks of decision-making under uncertainty, is by using problem-solving heuristics or rules-of-thumb that are based on previous experience with similar situations 10,11 and are subject to individual differences . Specifically, in problem spaces or environments which change often or are otherwise uncertain, alternative strategies may be sampled frequently 47,48 or reliance on other sources of information, like socially-acquired strategies can increase 49 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overcoming cognitive set bias requires more than seeing an alternative strategy

Pope-Caldwell

Washburn

2022

Sci Rep

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Determining when to switch from one strategy to another is at the heart of adaptive decision-making. Previous research shows that humans exhibit a ‘cognitive set’ bias, which occurs when a familiar strategy occludes—even much better—alternatives. Here we examined the mechanisms underlying cognitive set by investigating whether better solutions are visually overlooked, or fixated on but disregarded. We analyzed gaze data from 67 American undergraduates (91% female) while they completed the learned strategy-direct strategy (LS-DS) task, which measures their ability to switch from a learned strategy (LS) to a more efficient direct strategy (DS or shortcut). We found that, in the first trial block, participants fixated on the location of the shortcut more when it was available but most (89.6%) did not adopt it. Next, participants watched a video demonstrating either the DS (N = 34 Informed participants) or the familiar LS (N = 33 Controls). In post-video trials, Informed participants used the DS more than pre-video trials and compared to Controls. Notably, 29.4% of Informed participants continued to use the LS despite watching the DS video. We suggest that cognitive set in the LS-DS task does not stem from an inability to see the shortcut but rather a failure to try it.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overcoming cognitive set bias requires more than seeing an alternative strategy

Pope-Caldwell

Washburn

2022

Sci Rep

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“…We restrict our focus to individuals detecting and developmentally adjusting to environmental unpredictability across developmental time; we do not discuss how species genetically adapt to unpredictability across evolutionary time. Further, (un)predictability is relative to a spatial and temporal scale (Burgess & Marshall, 2014;Fenneman & Frankenhuis, 2020). Here, we will focus exclusively on temporal unpredictability of caregiver behavior and affect within the lifetime of children.…”

Section: Life History Theory and Environmental Statisticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Unpredictability in Caregiver-Child Relationships: Insights from Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives

Ugarte¹,

Hastings²

2022

Preprint

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There has been significant interest and progress in understanding the role of caregiver-child unpredictability on brain maturation, cognitive and socioemotional development, and psychopathology. Theoretical consensus has emerged about its unique influence in shaping children’s experience, distinct from other adverse exposures or features of stress exposure. Nonetheless, the field still lacks theoretical and empirical common ground due to difficulties in accurately operationalizing and measuring unpredictability. In this paper, we first provide a historical overview of unpredictability and present four issues that are currently under-discussed but are crucial to the field. Focusing on how moment-to-moment and day-to-day dynamics are at the heart of caregiver unpredictability, we review three approaches aiming to address some of these nuances: dynamic systems, environmental statistics, and entropy. Lastly, we conclude with a broad summary and suggest future research directions. Systematic progress in this field can inform interventions and policies aiming to increase stability in the lives of children.

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“…From a biological fitness perspective, it makes sense for these individuals not to risk delaying the satisfaction of immediate needs to invest time and energy in long-term activities whose pay-offs are likely to change unpredictably. Some empirical data appears to support this hypothesis by showing that people who have experienced environmental uncertainty or low perceived control are more likely than others to act on a day-to-day basis in various domains such as health, reproduction, social or economic decision-making (108,(116)(117)(118)(119)(120)(121)(122)(123)(124)(125). Interestingly, such a present-future trade-off clearly appears to be at play in people with BPD (18).…”

Section: Why More Is Needed: Life-history Trade-offsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Cognitive, Ecological, and Developmental Origins of Self-Disturbance in Borderline Personality Disorder

et al. 2021

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Self-disturbance is recognized as a key symptom of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Although it is the source of significant distress and significant costs to society, it is still poorly specified. In addition, current research and models on the etiology of BPD do not provide sufficient evidence or predictions about who is at risk of developing BPD and self-disturbance, and why. The aim of this review is to lay the foundations of a new model inspired by recent developments at the intersection of social cognition, behavioral ecology, and developmental biology. We argue that the sense of agency is an important dimension to consider when characterizing self-disturbances in BPD. Second, we address the poorly characterized relation between self-disturbances and adverse life conditions encountered early in life. We highlight the potential relevance of Life-History Theory—a major framework in evolutionary developmental biology—to make sense of this association. We put forward the idea that the effect of early life adversity on BPD symptomatology depends on the way individuals trade their limited resources between competing biological functions during development.

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Is impulsive behavior adaptive in harsh and unpredictable environments? A formal model

Cited by 50 publications

References 86 publications

Overcoming cognitive set bias requires more than seeing an alternative strategy

Overcoming cognitive set bias requires more than seeing an alternative strategy

Assessing Unpredictability in Caregiver-Child Relationships: Insights from Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives

The Cognitive, Ecological, and Developmental Origins of Self-Disturbance in Borderline Personality Disorder

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