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对许多被认为是介导决策过程的神经结构产生有害影响。 因此，除了不良后果外，慢性压力还可能对身心健康造成影响（例如，心血管疾病，抑郁症），它可能会对决策能力构成重大威胁。这些影响在发育范围的极端可能特别有害。 例如，在老年人中，慢性压力可能会进一步加重可能已经作为正常认知老化功能下降的系统。另一方面，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。这项研究探讨了慢性压力和决策之间的联系。 它将支持决策的神经结构的研究与研究风险决策的新技术相结合。 它还研究了适应性决策的发展轨迹（即，做出更有可能导致收益/奖励的选择，并避免造成更大损失/惩罚危险的选择的能力）。该研究还将确定可能影响整个生命周期的适应性决策的个体差异变量。将进行三项研究。 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，以及慢性压力如何进一步损害决策能力。研究2考察了慢性压力对极端不确定性决策的影响。研究3探讨了目前寄养儿童的适应性决策能力，他们暴露于显着的早期生活压力。 总之，这些研究将提供有关慢性压力对人类决策过程的影响的见解，无论是在认知老化和神经心理学发展方面。 这种增加的理解可能有助于确定与决策能力的年龄相关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，以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.