Risk aversion for moderate-likelihood gains is perhaps the best-known stylized fact from decision research. Though studies documenting it have focused on decisions involving money, such behavior is presumed to prevail very generally, across diverse domains. We investigate the validity of this generalization by contrasting two types of decisions. In unimodal choices, outcomes are "apples-to-apples." Consider choosing between sure and uncertain monetary payoffs, or between sure receipt of a product and a chance at several units of it. In crossmodal choices, outcomes are "apples-to-oranges." Consider choosing between sure receipt of one product and uncertain receipt of a disparate product. We observe two patterns by which risk matters less crossmodally, contrary to straightforward generalizations. First, relative to unimodal preferences involving actuarially fair risky options, corresponding crossmodal preferences exhibit less risk aversion. Second, crossmodal preferences vary less across risk levels: As the likelihood and subjective value of a risky option's outcomes become increasingly unfavorable (favorable), people do not exhibit as much additional distaste (appetite) for it. These patterns of insensitivity engender an interaction: relative to unimodal settings, crossmodal settings yield less aversion to unfavorable and fair risk but more aversion to favorable risk. To explain this interaction, we present the translate-and-accommodate model, in which unimodal preferences follow standard accounts, but crossmodal preferences reflect processes of (a) deterministic translation and (b) risk accommodation. The translate-and-accommodate model also explains the uncertainty effect and related patterns of seemingly bizarre, dominated choices. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
The fleeing famine hypothesis (FFH) posits that a genetically and evolutionarily based predisposition for food restriction and hyperactivity is activated among susceptible humans and nonhumans upon experiencing a prolonged energy deficit. Such circumstances manifest in the counterintuitive responses to starvation that are characteristic of anorexia nervosa: continued dietary restriction, denial of declining physical state, and, in at least a subset of those with anorexia nervosa, increased motor activity. We consider the nine predictions derived by Guisinger (2003) in her original formulation of the FFH and evaluate the evidence regarding each, including, of course, evidence that has accumulated subsequent to the 2003 statement of the model. We further expand upon Guisinger's original hypothesis by addressing apparent contradictions, outlining important directions for future research, and discussing the clinical implications of the FFH. We conclude that the relevant literature is unsurprisingly imperfect but that, with a number of reconsiderations, the FFH has substantial explanatory scope. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Inferring the true cause of noise-distinguishing between volatility (environmental change) and stochasticity (outcome randomness)-is essential for learning in noisy environments. While most studies rely on binary outcomes, previous models are designed for continuous outcome and use ad hoc approximations to handle binary data, introducing theoretical inconsistencies and interpretational issues. Here, we develop a normative framework for inferring the causes of noise from binary feedback that remains faithful to the discrete nature of the generative process and underlying statistical structure. First, we establish a generative model using a state space approach tailored for binary outcomes and derive the corresponding hidden Markov model inference procedure. Second, we introduce a computational model combining the hidden Markov model with particle filtering to simultaneously infer volatility and stochasticity from binary outcomes. Third, we validate predictions through a 2 × 2 probabilistic reversal-learning task with human participants, systematically manipulating both noise parameters. Results show that participants adjust their learning rates consistent with model predictions, increasing learning rates under volatile conditions and decreasing them under high stochasticity. Our theoretical and experimental results offer a principled approach for dissociating volatility and stochasticity from binary outcomes, providing insights into learning processes relevant to typical cognition and psychiatric conditions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Stimulus-response and action-effect links are discussed in several paradigms in different fields of psychology and treated as separate conceptual entities. We criticize this separation. Ideomotor approaches like the Theory of Event Coding (Hommel et al., 2001) provide measures to unite and harmonize these research fields. In particular, the concept of event files, internal representations, that code stimulus, response, and effect features can connect still separate fields on human action in cognitive psychology. This is even more obvious, as the original ideomotor theory never separated perception and action the way it is done in contemporary research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
