ERIC Number: EJ965126
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Jun
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0964-2633
EISSN: N/A
Practical Aspects of a Visual Aid to Decision Making
Fisher, Z.; Bailey, R.; Willner, P.
Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, v56 n6 p588-599 Jun 2012
Background: Previous research has demonstrated that people with mild intellectual disabilities (ID) have difficulty in "weighing up" information, defined as integrating disparate items of information in order to reach a decision. However, this problem could be overcome by the use of a visual aid to decision making. In an earlier study, participants were taught to translate information about the pros and cons of different choices into a single evaluative dimension, by manipulating green (good) and red (bad) bars of varying lengths (corresponding to the value ascribed). Use of the visual calculator increased the consistency of performance (and decreased impulsive responding) in a temporal discounting task, and increased the amount of information that participants provided to justify their decisions in scenario-based financial decision-making tasks. Methods: The present study examined some practical aspects of visual calculator training, using a pen-and-paper version of two temporal discounting tasks. Participants with mild ID were tested, individually and in a group setting, before and after training in the group setting, and 2 months later. Results: (i) The visual aid improved temporal discounting performance using pen-and-paper presentation in a group setting as effectively as previously demonstrated using computer-based individual presentation. (ii) Following withdrawal of the aid, improvements in temporal discounting performance were maintained at 1 day post training, but lost following a 2-month hiatus; however, participants showed perfect retention, over 2 months, of how to use the aid. (iii) In addition to decreasing impulsivity in a hypothetical task, as previously demonstrated, use of the visual calculator also increased the ability of impulsive participants to wait in real time. Conclusion: The results suggest that the visual calculator has practical applicability to support decision making by people with mild ID in community settings.
Descriptors: Mild Mental Retardation, Visual Aids, Program Effectiveness, Calculators, Decision Making, Intervention, Outcomes of Education
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A