Emotion and Gender in Reasoning and Decision Making

Abstract

This study addresses three issues: (1) whether there is a relation between reasoning and decision making performance, (2) whether general levels of positive or negative emotion predict reasoning or decision making performance, and (3) whether there are gender differences in reasoning or decision making performance. Undergraduate students were assessed with three measures: the Selection Task, the Iowa Gambling Task, and the PANAS questionnaire were used to assess reasoning, decision making, and general emotion, respectively. The results suggest that a positive relation exists between decision making and reasoning performance, that general levels of emotion predict neither reasoning performance nor decision making performance, and that there are significant gender differences in decision making performance, favoring males, but not in reasoning performance. It is concluded that similar processes appear to underlie both reasoning and decision making, that general levels of emotion do not predict reasoning or decision making performance, and that the gender difference observed for decision making performance is likely related to the way the Iowa Gambling Task is approached.