Navigating Uncertainty: The Role of Mood and Confidence in Decision-Making Flexibility and Performance
Dealing with uncertainty is a pivotal skill for adaptive decision-making across various real-life contexts. Cognitive models suggest that individuals continuously update their knowledge based on past choices and outcomes. Traditionally, uncertainty has been linked to negative states such as fear and...
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MDPI AG
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Behavioral Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/14/12/1144 |
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| author | Claudio Lavín Roberto García Miguel Fuentes |
| author_facet | Claudio Lavín Roberto García Miguel Fuentes |
| author_sort | Claudio Lavín |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Dealing with uncertainty is a pivotal skill for adaptive decision-making across various real-life contexts. Cognitive models suggest that individuals continuously update their knowledge based on past choices and outcomes. Traditionally, uncertainty has been linked to negative states such as fear and anxiety. Recent evidence, however, highlights that uncertainty can also evoke positive emotions, such as surprise, interest, excitement, and enthusiasm, depending on one’s task expectations. Despite this, the interplay between mood, confidence, and learning remains underexplored. Some studies indicate that self-reported mood does not always align with confidence, as these constructs evolve on different timescales. We propose that mood influences confidence, thereby enhancing decision flexibility—defined as the ability to switch effectively between exploration and exploitation. This increased flexibility is expected to improve task performance by increasing accuracy. Our findings support this hypothesis, revealing that confidence modulates exploration/exploitation strategies and learning rates, while mood affects reward perception and confidence levels. These findings indicate that metacognition entails a dynamic balance between exploration and exploitation, integrating mood states with high-level cognitive processes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4f44582e0c494b0eb495fd9688510c3a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-328X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Behavioral Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-4f44582e0c494b0eb495fd9688510c3a2024-12-27T14:10:57ZengMDPI AGBehavioral Sciences2076-328X2024-11-011412114410.3390/bs14121144Navigating Uncertainty: The Role of Mood and Confidence in Decision-Making Flexibility and PerformanceClaudio Lavín0Roberto García1Miguel Fuentes2Departamento de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Región Metropolitana, Santiago 7500912, ChileFacultad de Psicología, Universidad Diego Portales, Región Metropolitana, Santiago 8320000, ChileSanta Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USADealing with uncertainty is a pivotal skill for adaptive decision-making across various real-life contexts. Cognitive models suggest that individuals continuously update their knowledge based on past choices and outcomes. Traditionally, uncertainty has been linked to negative states such as fear and anxiety. Recent evidence, however, highlights that uncertainty can also evoke positive emotions, such as surprise, interest, excitement, and enthusiasm, depending on one’s task expectations. Despite this, the interplay between mood, confidence, and learning remains underexplored. Some studies indicate that self-reported mood does not always align with confidence, as these constructs evolve on different timescales. We propose that mood influences confidence, thereby enhancing decision flexibility—defined as the ability to switch effectively between exploration and exploitation. This increased flexibility is expected to improve task performance by increasing accuracy. Our findings support this hypothesis, revealing that confidence modulates exploration/exploitation strategies and learning rates, while mood affects reward perception and confidence levels. These findings indicate that metacognition entails a dynamic balance between exploration and exploitation, integrating mood states with high-level cognitive processes.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/14/12/1144decision-makingprediction-erroruncertaintyconfidencemood |
| spellingShingle | Claudio Lavín Roberto García Miguel Fuentes Navigating Uncertainty: The Role of Mood and Confidence in Decision-Making Flexibility and Performance Behavioral Sciences decision-making prediction-error uncertainty confidence mood |
| title | Navigating Uncertainty: The Role of Mood and Confidence in Decision-Making Flexibility and Performance |
| title_full | Navigating Uncertainty: The Role of Mood and Confidence in Decision-Making Flexibility and Performance |
| title_fullStr | Navigating Uncertainty: The Role of Mood and Confidence in Decision-Making Flexibility and Performance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Navigating Uncertainty: The Role of Mood and Confidence in Decision-Making Flexibility and Performance |
| title_short | Navigating Uncertainty: The Role of Mood and Confidence in Decision-Making Flexibility and Performance |
| title_sort | navigating uncertainty the role of mood and confidence in decision making flexibility and performance |
| topic | decision-making prediction-error uncertainty confidence mood |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/14/12/1144 |
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