Repetition and emotional priming modulate complex decision-making processes differently depending on the task´s nature.

AYELÉN CARAMÉS; TOMAS ALVES SALGUEIRO; AXEL BRZOSTOWSKI; PABLO NICOLÁS FERNÁNDEZ LARROSA

Current Psychology

Springer-Nature

Año: 2024

1046-1310

Complex decision making (CDM) processes differ from simple ones in that they requiregreater cognitive engagement and a longer response time. In previous cognitiveexperiments, the effect of Repetition (RP) and Emotional Semantic priming (ESP) wasevaluated on decisions made by participants randomly divided into 2 groups askingthem to choose a face in order to perform an important task (IMT) or without specifyingthe task (UST). The results indicated that CDM processes could be modulated by bothpriming when the task was not specified (UST group), but not when the choice wasmade to perform an important task (IMT group), when response time was higher.These experiments raise the role of the nature of the task in a possible top-downmechanism modulating CDM. The aim of this work was to assess whether it iscomplexity, rather than relevance, that triggers the top-down mechanism. For thispurpose, online experiments were conducted to assess whether RP or ESP modulatedthe decisions of subject randomly assigned to a new experimental group, which wasasked to choose a face (from 4) for a non-important task (NIT), or a new UST group.The NIT group showed no susceptibility to priming, and their response times werelonger, compatible with type-2 reflexive processes. These results support thehypothesis that priming modulation might be affected by the cognitive complexityassociated with the task, rather than importance, initiating the top-down modulationmechanism. Knowing the conditions that make political decisions less automatic has asocial relevance, in order to improve our democracies.