title: Know the risk, take the win: how executive functions and probability processing influence advantageous decision making under risk conditions.
abstract: Recent models on decision making under risk conditions have suggested that numerical abilities are important ingredients of advantageous decision-making performance, but empirical evidence is still limited. The results of our first study show that logical reasoning and basic mental calculation capacities predict ratio processing and that ratio processing predicts decision making under risk. In the second study, logical reasoning together with executive functions predicted probability processing (numeracy and probability knowledge), and probability processing predicted decision making under risk. These findings suggest that increasing an individual's understanding of ratios and probabilities should lead to more advantageous decisions under risk conditions.
authors.affiliation: a General Psychology: Cognition , University of Duisburg-Essen , Duisburg , Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brand
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schiebener
authors.forename: Marie-Theres
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Pertl
authors.forename: Margarete
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delazer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005717:Games, Experimental; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011336:Probability; D012309:Risk-Taking; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Decision making; Executive functions; Mental calculation; Numerical abilities; Ratio processing