Interference effects of choice on confidence: Quantum characteristics of evidence accumulation

Abstract

Most cognitive and neural decision-making models—owing to their roots in classical probability theory—assume that decisions are read out of a definite state of accumulated evidence. This assumption contradicts the view held by many behavioral scientists that decisions construct rather than reveal beliefs and preferences. We present a quantum random walk model of decision-making that treats judgments and decisions as a constructive measurement process, and we report the results of an experiment showing that making a decision changes subsequent distributions of confidence relative to when no decision is made. This finding provides strong empirical support for a parameter-free prediction of the quantum model.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Aug 10, 2015
Source ID
10.1073/pnas.1500688112

Entities

People

  • Jerome Busemeyer
  • Peter D Kvam
  • Shuli Yu
  • Timothy J. Pleskac

Organizations

  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
  • Indiana University
  • Max Planck Institute for Human Development
  • Michigan State University
  • National Science Foundation

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Statistical inference.
  • Team-Based Human-Centered Cognitive Task Decision Making and Information Performance.
  • Theoretical Analysis.

Technology Areas

  • Quantum Computing