Fuzzy trace theory and medical decisions by minors: differences in reasoning between adolescents and adults. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Standard models of adolescent risk taking posit that the cognitive abilities of adolescents and adults are equivalent, and that increases in risk taking that occur during adolescence are the result of socio emotional differences in impulsivity, sensation seeking, and lack of self-control. Fuzzy-trace theory incorporates these socio emotional differences. However, it predicts that there are also cognitive differences between adolescents and adults, specifically that there are developmental increases in gist-based intuition that reflects understanding. Gist understanding, as opposed to verbatim-based analysis, generally has been hypothesized to have a protective effect on risk taking in adolescence. Gist understanding is also an essential element of informed consent regarding risks in medical decision- making. Evidence thus supports the argument that adolescents' status as mature minors should be treated as an exception rather than a presumption, because accuracy in verbatim analysis is not mature gist understanding. Use of the exception should be accompanied by medical experts' input on the bottom-line gist of risks involved in treatment.

publication date

  • April 19, 2013

Research

keywords

  • Adolescent Development
  • Brain
  • Decision Making
  • Judgment
  • Problem Solving

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC3682113

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 84878097074

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1093/jmp/jht018

PubMed ID

  • 23606728

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 38

issue

  • 3