Annotated Bibliography: Decision-making
Theory-Based Article: Depression and Cognitive Decision-Making Deficits
Cui, L., Li, S., Wang, S., Wu, X., Liu, Y., Yu, W., Wang, Y., Tang, Y., Xia, M., & Li, B. (2024). Major depressive disorder: Hypothesis, mechanism, prevention, and treatment. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-024-01738-y
This article examines how depression impacts decision-making by affecting key cognitive functions such as cognitive control, reward processing, and uncertainty evaluation. Depression is linked to altered brain activity in the prefrontal cortex and limbic system, which leads to slower decision-making, indecisiveness, and increased risk avoidance: Annotated Bibliography: Decision-making.
This study directly supports the research question by explaining the neural mechanisms behind decision-making impairments in depressed individuals. The findings show how cognitive biases lead to indecisiveness and risk-averse decisions, making this relevant to understanding how depression affects daily decision-making.
The article is strong in using neuroimaging and behavioral studies to explain decision-making deficits in depression. However, it mainly focuses on theoretical models and does not provide many real-world applications or specific intervention strategies. Notably, future studies could explore how therapeutic interventions, such as cognitive training or behavioral therapies, can address the neural changes that affect decision-making in depression.
Theory-Based Article: Dual-Process Theories and Depression
Bellini-Leite, S. C. (2022). Dual process theory: Embodied and predictive; symbolic and classical. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(13). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.805386
This article explores how dual-process theories of decision-making, which include System 1 (intuitive) and System 2 (analytical), explain decision-making impairments in depression. Depressed individuals tend to over-rely on System 2, leading to excessive rumination and decision paralysis, which hinders timely and effective decision-making.
This research highlights how depression can impair the balance between intuitive and analytical thinking, which directly impacts high-stakes decision-making. Depressed individuals often get stuck in overthinking, which exacerbates their struggles with making effective decisions, particularly in complex scenarios.
The article effectively integrates cognitive psychology and neuroscience to explain the cognitive challenges faced by individuals with depression. However, it lacks practical treatment suggestions for improving the decision-making balance between System 1 and System 2. Further research could investigate how interventions like mindfulness-based therapies might improve cognitive flexibility and help individuals with depression switch between intuitive and analytical decision-making more effectively.
Applied Research Article: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Decision-Making
Nakao, M., Shirotsuki, K., & Sugaya, N. (2021). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for management of mental health and stress-related disorders: Recent advances in techniques and technologies. BioPsychoSocial Medicine, 15(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13030-021-00219-w
This study investigates the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in improving decision-making abilities in individuals with depression. The findings suggest that CBT significantly enhances risk-taking adaptability, reduces decision avoidance, and improves executive function. Depressed patients who underwent CBT were more confident and decisive in their decision-making compared to a control group.
This study directly supports the research question by showing that depressed individuals, who are typically more hesitant and risk-averse, can improve their decision-making through CBT. Before therapy, participants demonstrated significant indecisiveness, but post-CBT, they showed increased confidence and decisiveness. The findings emphasize the role of cognitive restructuring in overcoming hesitation and enhancing decision-making ability in individuals with depression.
The strength of this study lies in its use of longitudinal data and clinical trial participants, which provides strong evidence for the effectiveness of CBT in improving decision-making. However, the study is limited because it solely focuses on CBT, does not compare its effectiveness with other treatment options like pharmacotherapy, and does not explore the long-term sustainability of CBT’s effects on decision-making. Future studies could compare the effectiveness of CBT with pharmacological treatments in improving decision-making, providing insights into the relative benefits of psychological versus medication-based interventions.
Applied Research Article: Antidepressant Medication and Decision-Making
Oslin, D. W., Lynch, K. G., Shih, M., Ingram, E. P., Wray, L. O., Chapman, S. R., Kranzler, H. R., Gelernter, J., Pyne, J. M., Stone, A., DuVall, S. L., Lehmann, L. S., Thase, M. E., Aslam, M., Batki, S. L., Bjork, J. M., Blow, F. C., Brenner, L. A., Chen, P., . . . Wood, A. E. (2022). Effect of pharmacogenomic testing for drug-gene interactions on medication selection and remission of symptoms in major depressive disorder. JAMA, 328(2), 151. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2022.9805
This research examines how selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) influence decision-making in individuals with major depressive disorder. The study finds that SSRIs help normalize risk assessment by reducing risk aversion, enabling individuals to make more balanced and rational decisions.
This study directly relates to the research question because it establishes that SSRIs have the potential to enhance decision-making abilities in depressed individuals by reducing the extent of the risk aversion bias. The positive health benefits of SSRIs are that despite not alleviating decision-making difficulty in the instant, SSRIs have been seen to muster cognitive flexibility, hence, the ability of affected individuals to make more balanced and less avoidant decisions over time and space. This is especially important to explain how drug intervention can help people with depression to make better decisions.
The strength of this study is based on neurobiological measures that have been used to ascertain the effects of SSRIs on decision-making and thus support the assertion that SSRIs have detrimental effects on decision-making because they impair cognitive flexibility. However, these findings are short-term, and the stability of the changes in decision-making affected by SSRIs after longer periods is not clear. Future research can explore the comparative difference between medication treatment (SSRIs) and psychological therapy, including CBT, about the decision-making ability after a longer period to determine their effectiveness in terms of enhancing the decision-making ability of a patient with depression.
References
Bellini-Leite, S. C. (2022). Dual process theory: Embodied and predictive; symbolic and classical. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(13). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.805386
Cui, L., Li, S., Wang, S., Wu, X., Liu, Y., Yu, W., Wang, Y., Tang, Y., Xia, M., & Li, B. (2024). Major depressive disorder: Hypothesis, mechanism, prevention, and treatment. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-024-01738-y
Nakao, M., Shirotsuki, K., & Sugaya, N. (2021). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for management of mental health and stress-related disorders: Recent advances in techniques and technologies. BioPsychoSocial Medicine, 15(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13030-021-00219-w
Oslin, D. W., Lynch, K. G., Shih, M., Ingram, E. P., Wray, L. O., Chapman, S. R., Kranzler, H. R., Gelernter, J., Pyne, J. M., Stone, A., DuVall, S. L., Lehmann, L. S., Thase, M. E., Aslam, M., Batki, S. L., Bjork, J. M., Blow, F. C., Brenner, L. A., Chen, P., . . . Wood, A. E. (2022). Effect of pharmacogenomic testing for drug-gene interactions on medication selection and remission of symptoms in major depressive disorder. JAMA, 328(2), 151. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2022.9805
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Question
Milestone Two Guidelines: Decision-making
In this milestone, you will work from the topic, applied setting, and research questions you identified in Module Two (Attached) and start identifying relevant research to support your final proposal. Two major aspects of your final project include selecting foundational theories relevant to your topic and suggesting potential strategies or techniques that may alleviate a problem in an applied setting.
To help you prepare for these aspects of the project, you will complete an annotated bibliography featuring a minimum of four research articles. Two of the articles that you find should be related to the theories you related to your topic that you intend to feature in your final proposal. The other two articles should discuss applied research related to your topic area.

Annotated Bibliography: Decision-making
For each article, include a summary that highlights how the article relates to your chosen topic and setting, and address the following questions:
- How do the research results and statistical findings in the article apply to your research question and your applied setting?
- What are the strengths and limitations of the research results and findings in supporting the research question?
- How could you expand on available research to more specifically address your research question?
For additional details, please refer to the Milestone Two Guidelines and Rubric and the Final Project Guidelines and Rubric.
RESOURCES:
- Textbook: Cognitive Psychology Interactive eBook, Chapter 4
- Video: Psychology of Attention Explained | Selective Attention, Inattentional Blindness, and Change Blindness (5:56)
- A video transcript is available: Transcript for Psychology of Attention Explained opens in new window.
- Article: Attention in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Machine Learning
