Reducing the Influence of Time Pressure on Risky Choice.

Abstract

While the impact of time pressure on decision-making is extensively studied, how individuals regulate their behavior under such conditions is less understood. This study addressed this gap by prompting participants to use cognitive reappraisal, an emotion regulation strategy. Participants were instructed to reinterpret their emotions during the decision-making process and asked to answer within 1,000 ms. Findings revealed that cognitive reappraisal mitigated the effects of time pressure in gain-framed trials by decreasing risk aversion that is usually induced by time pressure. A post hoc moderated mediation analysis indicated that this was attributed to the dual influence of cognitive reappraisal: less emotional intensity toward options and less overall emotional reliance during the cognitive process, both modulating risky preferences. However, this modulation was not observed in loss-framed trials. These results enhance our understanding of cognitive reappraisal's role in moderating the behavioral impact of time pressure and suggest interventions to reduce affect heuristics in decision-making.