Study the Effect of Acute Stress on Decision Making Using Function Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS)

The prevalence of stress among individuals has become increasingly common, as approximately 40% of the population experiences stress. Given that decision-making under stressful conditions can have catastrophic consequences, it is imperative to devote additional attention to investigating the impact of acute stress on decision-making processes. The present study aims to explore the effects of acute stress, induced in a controlled laboratory environment, on decision-making. The study employed the Balloon Analog Risk Task (BART), a task designed to assess individuals’ behaviour and coping strategies during three distinct stages. The participants in this study were individuals aged between 30 and 34 years. During the first stage, participants engaged in the decision-making task without any time constraints, whereas the second stage introduced time limitations. In the third stage, both time constraints and the N-Back memory task were presented simultaneously. Participants were outfitted with the Function Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) device throughout the experiment. Multiple repetitions of tasks and measurements were conducted. The findings of this preliminary experiment revealed that participants performed poorly in the second stage and exhibited the lowest scores in the third stage. This diminished performance was attributed to their inability to process all available information due to limited cognitive resources, resulting in increased errors and misconceptions about the main task. Consequently, these cognitive lapses facilitated the occurrence of unsafe decision-making behaviours.