Decision-making ability identified, independent of IQ

Young people have a general decision-making ability, distinct from IQ, which is associated with good social function, and may be linked to poor mental health, finds a new study led by UCL and Karolinska Institutet researchers. The decision-making ability, called 'decision acuity', is a novel construct and may be underpinned by how strongly certain brain networks are connected, according to the findings published in Neuron . Lead author, Dr Michael Moutoussis (Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry & Ageing Research and Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology) said: "We worked to improve understanding of the brain underpinnings of decision-making ability in adolescence and early adulthood - a critical period of development and a common time for the emergence of psychiatric disorders. We find that a general factor underpins multiple types of decision-making, which we term 'decision acuity'. "People with higher decision acuity do not always make the best decisions, but they opt for specific decisions in a consistent way. Low decision acuity is associated with poorer social function, and may be linked with mental illness symptoms." For the study, 830 young people (aged 14 to 24) completed decision-making tasks testing for 32 separate measures, which related to facets such as risk-taking, trusting in other people, and sensitivity to gains and losses. The researchers found that a common factor underpinned how well people could make decisions, and called this 'decision acuity'.