Introduction
Methods
Participants
Design and materials
Medical characteristica
| Patient Lo
| Patient Med1
| Patient Med2
| Patient Hi
|
---|---|---|---|---|
Smoking
| −/− | + | −/− | + |
Body mass index (kg/m2) | + (22) | −/− (30)↑ | + (23.5) | −/− (30.5)↑ |
Family history
| −/− | + | −/− | + |
Total cholesterol
(mmol/L)
| −/− (7.3)↑ | −/− (7.2)↑ | + (5.3) | + (5.1) |
Blood pressure (mm/Hg) | −/− (170/110)↑ | + (140/80) | −/− (180/105)↑ | + (135/85) |
Alcohol use | −/− | + | −/− | + |
Haemoglobin (mmol/L) | −/− (6.3)↓ | −/− (6.0)↓ | + (8.9) | + (9.2) |
Proteinuria (g/days) | −/− (1.3)↑ | −/− (1.0)↑ | + | + |
Fasting blood sugar (mmol/L) | −/− (10.5)↑ | −/− (11)↑ | + (5.0) | + (4.5) |
Body exercise | + | + | −/− | −/− |
C-reactive protein (mg/L) | + (3) | −/− (22)↑ | + (2) | −/− (23)↑ |
Serum creatinine (μmol/L) | −/− (125)↑ | + (70) | −/− (127)↑ | + (72) |
25 + 75 % −/− | 50 + 50 % −/− | 50 + 50 % −/− | 75 + 25 % −/− |
Mode of thought | Simple versions (SIM) | Complex versions (CPX) |
---|---|---|
Conscious (CSC) | 4 × 4 statements | 4 × 12 statements |
4 min conscious thought | 4 min conscious thought | |
Unconscious (UNC) | 4× 4 statements | 4× 12 statements |
4 min anagrams | 4 min anagrams |
Procedure
Data reduction
Statistical analysis
Results
Level of expertise | Simple/Complex | Conscious/Unconscious | Patienta
| Mean | SE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Novices (N = 57) | Simple (N = 29) | CSC (N = 15) | Lo | 2.03 | 0.27 |
Med1 | 2.40 | 0.25 | |||
Med2 | 2.37 | 0.24 | |||
Hi | 3.20 | 0.29 | |||
UNC (N = 14) | Lo | 2.14 | 0.28 | ||
Med1 | 2.57 | 0.25 | |||
Med2 | 2.57 | 0.25 | |||
Hi | 2.71 | 0.30 | |||
Complex (N = 28) | CSC (N = 15) | Lo | 2.43 | 0.27 | |
Med1 | 2.47 | 0.25 | |||
Med2 | 2.20 | 0.24 | |||
Hi | 2.90 | 0.29 | |||
UNC (N = 13) | Lo | 1.54 | 0.29 | ||
Med1 | 2.89 | 0.26 | |||
Med2 | 2.81 | 0.26 | |||
Hi | 2.77 | 0.31 | |||
Expertsb (N = 86) | Simple (N = 27) | CSC (N = 14) | Lo | 2.18 | 0.28 |
Med1 | 2.25 | 0.25 | |||
Med2 | 2.46 | 0.25 | |||
Hi | 3.11 | 0.30 | |||
UNC (N = 13) | Lo | 1.96 | 0.29 | ||
Med1 | 1.92 | 0.26 | |||
Med2 | 3.12 | 0.26 | |||
Hi | 3.00 | 0.31 | |||
Complex (N = 59) | CSC (N = 28) | Lo | 1.68 | 0.20 | |
Med1 | 2.54 | 0.18 | |||
Med2 | 2.41 | 0.18 | |||
Hi | 3.38 | 0.21 | |||
UNC (N = 31) | Lo | 1.98 | 0.19 | ||
Med1 | 2.24 | 0.17 | |||
Med2 | 2.52 | 0.17 | |||
Hi | 3.26 | 0.20 |
Simple/Complex | Conscious/Unconscious | Mean | SE |
---|---|---|---|
Novices | |||
Simple | CSC | 0.35 | 0.15 |
UNC | 0.19 | 0.16 | |
Complex | CSC | 0.12 | 0.15 |
UNC | 0.37 | 0.16 | |
Experts | |||
Simple | CSC | 0.31 | 0.16 |
UNC | 0.47 | 0.16 | |
Complex | CSC | 0.53 | 0.11 |
UNC | 0.47 | 0.11 |
Discussion
Conclusion
Essentials
-
The basic design for the deliberation-without-attention effect was successfully extrapolated to a decision task in the medical domain, where doctors and medical students assessed the life expectancies of virtual patients as a computerized medical decision task.
-
The deliberation-without-attention effect could not be replicated.
-
Unconscious thought did not lead to better performance of experienced physicians or medical students than conscious thought.
-
Experts made more accurate assessments of life expectancies than novices.