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Cited by 5Decision-Making and Behavioral EconomicsMindfulness and Compassion InterventionsNeural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 69 of the 69 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

A computational modeling approach to brief slow-paced breathing and mental health moderators of decision-making under uncertainty in college students

Open access
Byrne, Kaileigh A., Pilcher, June J., Liu, Yizhou, Spinelli, Michael R., Rosinski, Margaret L., Brancato, Madelyn G., Daughenbaugh, Delaini, Batres, Anthony Alvarado·2025·Acta Psychologica
DOI 10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105222
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Abstract

Decision-making is a critical cognitive function that can be significantly impacted by stress and other mental health factors. While interventions such as slow-paced breathing (SPB) have been shown to reduce stress and enhance executive functioning, their effects on decision-making under uncertainty remain poorly understood. This study examined the effect of a brief SPB intervention on Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) performance and assessed whether individual differences in mental health symptoms differentially impacted such effects. College students (n = 216) were randomized into an SPB intervention or mind-wandering control condition. Participants completed mental health and state surveys, the assigned manipulation, and the IGT. Expectancy valence and prospect valence learning (PVL) computational models were fit to the data to assess specific decision-making strategies. Mixed ANOVA results showed that the SPB intervention reduced self-reported stress and arousal (ps < 0.05). Critically, regression results demonstrated a significant interaction between condition and perceived stress for IGT performance (β = 0.858, p = 0.034) and the PVL model recency (β = -0.507, p = 0.037) and consistency (β = 0.638, p = 0.010) parameters. This key finding revealed that higher perceived stress was associated with worse decision-making in the control but better decision-making in the SPB intervention. The control's IGT data were best fit by higher recency and lower choice consistency parameter values than the SPB condition. Higher stress in the control condition was linked to more random, short-sighted choices, while SPB mitigated these suboptimal strategies. This study is among the first to demonstrate that perceived stress impairs decision-making in college students, but a brief slow-paced breathing intervention can mitigate these negative effects.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105222

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69 of 69 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Laborde, 2021, The influence of slow-paced breathing on executive function, Journal of Psychophysiology
  2. Sutton, 1998, Vol. 1

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Metadata

Authors
Byrne, K. A., Pilcher, J. J., Liu, Y., Spinelli, M. R., Rosinski, M. L., Brancato, M. G., Daughenbaugh, D., & Batres, A. A.
Affiliations
Clemson University (US)
Corresponding author
Byrne, Kaileigh A.
ORCID
Venue
Acta Psychologica
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2025-08
Volume
258
Pages
105222
ISSN
0001-6918 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105222
OpenAlex
W4411986031
Cited by
5
References
69
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 1
FWCI
3.02
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Acta Psychologica (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
Clemson University (1267)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
Keywords
slow-paced breathing, decision making under uncertainty, perceived stress, Iowa Gambling Task, computational modeling, mind wandering, university students, stress arousal, decision consistency
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Breathing Exercises, Computer Simulation, Decision Making, Female, Humans, Male, Mental Health, Stress, Psychological, Students, Universities, Uncertainty, Young Adult

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