![]() Subjects were then asked to provide a second estimate for each of the events, but only after being given the actual probability for that event to occur to someone of the same socio-economic background. used the same belief update task employed in 2011 they asked participants to estimate their likelihood of experiencing negative life events. (2012) go further, by demonstrating how the differential updating reported previously ( Sharot et al., 2011), is modulated by administering l-DOPA as belief updating for bad news becomes impaired. In their new study published in Current Biology, Sharot et al. This has naturally shifted attention towards the neurobiology underlying this phenomenon. Importantly, on first glance, this method does not appear to suffer from the problems inherent in the comparison approach of optimism research, and their findings have been interpreted as evidence of unrealistic optimism. They reported that this asymmetric “updating” originates from a prediction error bias which correlates (determined by functional magnetic resonance imaging) with activity in various regions of the frontal cortex. ![]() ![]() Sharot and colleagues reported that unrealistic optimism persists “in the face of reality” because good (versus bad) news is incorporated significantly more into one’s beliefs of personal risk. (2011) provided a promising, new approach to investigate optimism bias, via the concept of belief change. A compelling demonstration of how optimism research may be riddled with statistical artifacts has recently emerged ( Harris and Hahn, 2011). Despite the wealth of research, this work has been scrutinized, as many question (e.g., Moore and Small, 2008) the methods used in the majority of studies where the “comparison approach” is used, i.e., where optimism bias is interpreted by optimistic comparisons of one’s personal risk, relative to the average person. It has been the focus of much research, particularly in social and clinical psychology here it is argued that optimism bias is not just a pervasive feature of human judgment, but a crucial requirement to guard against depression ( Taylor and Brown, 1988). Unrealistic optimism is recognized as one of the major human cognitive biases ( Kahneman, 2011). In light of such evidence, the implications for future research on unrealistic optimism are discussed. (2012) propose that this process occurs as l-DOPA attenuates belief updating in response to bad news about the future. A new study ( Sharot et al., 2012) has now shown that optimism bias is increased by up-regulating dopaminergic function via dihydroxy-l-phenylalanine (l-DOPA). Most recently, attention has turned to investigating the neural underpinnings of this phenomenon ( Sharot et al., 2007, 2011). ![]() This work has recently garnered much interest, some question its existence ( Harris and Hahn, 2011), while others have found support for it by using novel experiments ( Massey et al., 2011 Simmons and Massey, 2012). Research spanning three decades has found that human judgment is characterized by unrealistic optimism (or “optimism bias”), the tendency to underestimate the likelihood of negative events and overestimate the likelihood of positive events ( Weinstein, 1980). How dopamine enhances an optimism bias in humansīy Sharot, T., Guitart-Masip, M., Korn, C.
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