Chronic Stress and Decision Making: A Lifespan Psychology Approach

摘要研究表明，应激反应系统的慢性激活可能会对许多神经结构产生有害影响，这些结构被认为是调节决策过程的媒介。因此，除了慢性压力可能对身心健康造成的不良后果(如心血管疾病、抑郁症)外，它还可能对决策能力构成重大威胁。这些影响可能在发育光谱的极端极端特别有害。例如，在老年人中，慢性压力可能会进一步加剧由于正常认知老化而可能已经在衰退的税收系统。在光谱的另一端，早期生活压力的影响可能导致幼儿适应性决策发展的成熟延迟。这项研究考察了慢性压力和决策之间的关系。它将对支持决策的神经结构的研究与研究高风险决策的新技术结合起来。它还考察了适应性决策的发展轨迹(即做出更有可能导致收益/回报的选择，并避免那些对损失/惩罚构成更大危险的选择的能力)。这项研究还将确定可能影响一生中适应性决策的个体差异变量。我们会进行三项研究。研究1调查了老年人的年龄差异如何影响涉及潜在收益和潜在损失的决策的风险选择行为，以及长期压力如何进一步损害决策能力。研究2考察了慢性压力对具有极端不确定性的决策的影响。研究3考察了目前寄养的儿童的适应决策能力，这些儿童暴露在巨大的早期生活压力中。总而言之，这些研究将提供关于慢性压力对人类决策过程的影响的见解，包括认知老化和神经心理学发展。这种加深的理解可能有助于确定与年龄相关的决策能力变化相关的具体脆弱性因素，并提供重要的见解，可能有助于研究人员制定干预措施，促进老年人和儿童更好的决策。

Abstract Research suggests that chronic activation of the stress response system may have deleterious effects on many of the neurological structures that are believed to mediate decision-making processes. As a result, in addition to the adverse consequences chronic stress can pose for physical and mental health (e.g., cardiovascular disease, depression) it may pose a significant threat to decision-making capabilities. These effects may be especially detrimental at the extreme ends of the developmental spectrum. For instance, in older adults, chronic stress may further tax systems that may already be declining as a function of normal cognitive aging. At the other end of the spectrum, the effects of early life stress may result in maturational delays in the development of adaptive decision-making for young children. This research examines the association between chronic stress and decision-making. It combines research on the neural structures that support decision-making with new techniques for studying risky decision-making. It also examines the developmental trajectory of adaptive decision-making (i.e., the ability to make choices that are more likely to result in a gain/reward, and avoid ones which pose greater danger for loss/punishment). The research will also identify individual difference variables that may influence adaptive decision-making across the lifespan. Three studies will be conducted. Study 1 investigates how age-differences in older adults may influence risky choice behavior for decisions involving potential gains and ones involving potential losses, and how chronic stress may further compromise decision-making abilities. Study 2 examines the effects of chronic stress on decisions posing extreme uncertainty. Study 3 examines adaptive decision-making abilities of children currently in foster care, who were exposed to significant early life stress. Together, these studies will provide insights regarding the effects of chronic stress on human decision processes, both with respect to cognitive aging and neuropsychological development. This increased understanding may assist in identifying specific vulnerability factors associated with age-related changes in decision-making abilities and provide important insights that may help researchers develop interventions to promote better decision-making in older adults and children.