@article{queen_hess_ennis_dowd_gruehn_2012, title={Information Search and Decision Making: Effects of Age and Complexity on Strategy Use}, volume={27}, ISSN={["0882-7974"]}, DOI={10.1037/a0028744}, abstractNote={The impact of task complexity on information search strategy and decision quality was examined in a sample of 135 young, middle-aged, and older adults. We were particularly interested in the competing roles of fluid cognitive ability and domain knowledge and experience, with the former being a negative influence and the latter being a positive influence on older adults' performance. Participants utilized 2 decision matrices, which varied in complexity, regarding a consumer purchase. Using process tracing software and an algorithm developed to assess decision strategy, we recorded search behavior, strategy selection, and final decision. Contrary to expectations, older adults were not more likely than the younger age groups to engage in information-minimizing search behaviors in response to increases in task complexity. Similarly, adults of all ages used comparable decision strategies and adapted their strategies to the demands of the task. We also examined decision outcomes in relation to participants' preferences. Overall, it seems that older adults utilize simpler sets of information primarily reflecting the most valued attributes in making their choice. The results of this study suggest that older adults are adaptive in their approach to decision making and that this ability may benefit from accrued knowledge and experience.}, number={4}, journal={PSYCHOLOGY AND AGING}, publisher={American Psychological Association (APA)}, author={Queen, Tara L. and Hess, Thomas M. and Ennis, Gilda E. and Dowd, Keith and Gruehn, Daniel}, year={2012}, month={Dec}, pages={817–824} }
 @article{hess_queen_patterson_2012, title={To deliberate or not to deliberate: Interactions between age, task characteristics, and cognitive activity on decision making}, volume={25}, ISSN={["1099-0771"]}, DOI={10.1002/bdm.711}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={1}, journal={JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DECISION MAKING}, author={Hess, Thomas M. and Queen, Tara L. and Patterson, Taryn R.}, year={2012}, month={Jan}, pages={29–40} }
 @article{queen_hess_2010, title={Age Differences in the Effects of Conscious and Unconscious Thought in Decision Making}, volume={25}, ISSN={["1939-1498"]}, DOI={10.1037/a0018856}, abstractNote={The roles of unconscious and conscious thought in decision making were investigated to examine both (a) boundary conditions associated with the efficacy of each type of thought and (b) age differences in intuitive versus deliberative thought. Participants were presented with 2 decision tasks, one requiring active deliberation and the other intuitive processing. Young and older adults then engaged in conscious or unconscious thought processing before making a decision. A manipulation check revealed that young adults were more accurate in their representations of the decision material than older adults, which accounted for much of the age-related variation in performance when the full sample was considered. When only accurate participants were considered, decision making was best when there was congruence between the nature of the information and the thought condition. Thus, unconscious thought was more appropriate when participants relied on intuitive rather than deliberative processing to make their decision, whereas the converse was true with conscious thought. Although older adults displayed somewhat less efficient deliberative processing, their ability to process information at the intuitive level was relatively preserved. Additionally, both young and older adults displayed choice-supportive memory.}, number={2}, journal={PSYCHOLOGY AND AGING}, author={Queen, Tara L. and Hess, Thomas M.}, year={2010}, month={Jun}, pages={251–261} }