Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/264535 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Citation: 
[Journal:] Journal of Behavioral Decision Making [ISSN:] 1099-0771 [Volume:] 35 [Issue:] 3 [Article No.:] e2268 [Publisher:] Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [Place:] Hoboken, USA [Year:] 2021 [Pages:] 1-17
Publisher: 
Wiley Periodicals, Inc., Hoboken, USA
Abstract: 
Study 1 contributes to the sparse empirical research on decision‐making across the lifespan by presenting a direct comparison of middle‐aged children's (N = 40; fourth grade), younger adults' (N = 40; 20–39 years), and older adults' (N = 40; 62–82 years) adaptive decision‐making. Participants played a non‐probabilistic, multi‐attribute, information‐board decision game and completed a verbal skill test (serving as an indicator of crystallized intelligence). Information search and choices were analyzed for two task structures (manipulated within‐subjects; few vs. many relevant information‐dimensions). The competence to adapt search to the task structure was found from middle childhood to older adulthood. Also, participants of all age groups made comparably good, informed choices. Thus, results highlight similarities in decision‐making across a wide age range. Still, we observed distinct patterns on the process level. Older adults demonstrated difficulty in ignoring irrelevant information and searched an overly extensive information subset. In contrast, children showed an information‐frugal approach that was widely similar to younger adults. A reanalysis of Study 1's data and previous studies (N = 228) expands the child sample from third to sixth grade. It supports our main findings and suggests developmental improvement across childhood. In Study 2, we used a metacognition questionnaire to investigate the role of crystalized intelligence that might be a compensation mechanism for older adults (N = 63). We discuss implications for adaptive decision‐making models.
Subjects: 
adaptive decision‐making
aging
child decision‐making
development of decision‐making
information‐board
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by-nc-nd Logo
Document Type: 
Article
Document Version: 
Published Version

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