Recent theories of decision-making have hinted that affect might be useful during some decision-making processes. I propose a model, the affective evaluation model, which defines the role of affect in decision-making as helpful when affect is decision-relevant and unhelpful when it is not. In three studies, I manipulate the decision-relevance of affect to test this central component of the affective evaluation model. Study 1 demonstrates that emphasizing decision-relevant affective signals facilitates optimal decision-making as compared to emphasizing purely cognitive evaluations. Study 2 tests the hypothesis that creating the expectation that affect is useful can facilitate decision-making. Finally, Study 3 tests the hypothesis that creating the expectation that affect is useful during decision-making can selectively improve decision making when affect is decision-relevant but not when it is decision-irrelevant, and demonstrates that instructing individuals to rely purely on cognitive evaluations can increase risk aversion. Together these studies find moderate support for a central tenet of the affective evaluation model that it is decision-relevance that determines whether affect is helpful or hurtful during decision-making and examines ways in which training or framing can optimize the decision-making process.
","abstract_html":"<p>Recent theories of decision-making have hinted that affect might be useful during some decision-making processes. I propose a model, the affective evaluation model, which defines the role of affect in decision-making as helpful when affect is decision-relevant and unhelpful when it is not. In three studies, I manipulate the decision-relevance of affect to test this central component of the affective evaluation model. Study 1 demonstrates that emphasizing decision-relevant affective signals facilitates optimal decision-making as compared to emphasizing purely cognitive evaluations. Study 2 tests the hypothesis that creating the expectation that affect is useful can facilitate decision-making. Finally, Study 3 tests the hypothesis that creating the expectation that affect is useful during decision-making can selectively improve decision making when affect is decision-relevant but not when it is decision-irrelevant, and demonstrates that instructing individuals to rely purely on cognitive evaluations can increase risk aversion. Together these studies find moderate support for a central tenet of the affective evaluation model that it is decision-relevance that determines whether affect is helpful or hurtful during decision-making and examines ways in which training or framing can optimize the decision-making process.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Zarolia, Pareezad Cyrus"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ph.D.","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Kateri McRae, Ph.D.","Max Weisbuch","Timothy Sweeny","Jeremy Reynolds","Mahammad Mahoor"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2016,"date_issued":"2016-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2016-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:02:53Z","subjects":["Affect","Decision-making","Economic decision-making","Emotion","Risk-aversion","Cognition and Perception","Psychology"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
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