# A scoping review of emotion and non-cognitive measures of decision-making ability in older adults by the ARMCADA study

## TL;DR

This study reviews how emotion and non-cognitive factors affect decision-making in older adults, focusing on tools used to measure these abilities.

## Contribution

The study provides a comprehensive overview of emotion and non-cognitive decision-making measures used in aging research.

## Key findings

- 232 articles were analyzed, revealing 143 unique emotion and non-cognitive decision-making measures.
- Common measures like the Iowa Gambling Task focus on risk-taking and impulsivity.
- Findings highlight the use of these measures in both clinical and normative aging samples.

## Abstract

Decision-making is a complex form of cognitive function that declines with age and is highly susceptible to impairment from dementia due to Alzheimer’s and related neurogenerative diseases. Emotions and other non-cognitive assets are also believed to influence decision-making ability. The Advancing Reliable Measurement in Cognitive Aging and Decision-making Ability (ARMCADA) research initiative seeks to understand how measures of emotion and non-cognitive influences of decision-making (ENC DM) have been used in research and clinical settings. The scoping review examined the recent literature on decision-making measures involving emotion and non-cognitive domains in aging samples.

Using a well-established scoping review methodology framework we conducted a systematic search across six databases—Embase (Elsevier), MEDLINE (Ovid), PsycINFO (EbscoHost), Cochrane Library, Web of Science (Clarivate), and Scopus (Elsevier)—to identify studies published between January 2018 and November 2023 that met our predefined eligibility criteria. In line with recommended best practices, sample selection was carried out in two-stages: First, two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts for relevance; second, full-text articles were reviewed, and data were extracted from those that met the inclusion criteria.

The final dataset included 232 articles and, among them, 143 unique emotion and non-cognitive decision-making measures. Twenty-eight percent of manuscripts used measures with a clinical sample, 26% used measures with a normative adult sample, and 47% used measures with both clinical and non-clinical samples. The five most frequent measures used were: Iowa Gambling Task, Balloon Analogue Risk Task, Delay Discounting Task, Decisional Conflict Scale, and Cambridge Gambling Task.

Results of the most common decision-making measures reflect a preference for assessing risk-taking and impulsivity in the sphere of non-cognitive and emotion function. Such trends were also found in clinical samples of older adults with neurodegenerative diseases. These findings inform the larger ARMCADA project in the development of reliable and validated measurement of decision-making among older adults. It will also support researchers studying older adults’ decision-making skills and their vulnerability to diseases that cause cognitive impairment and dementia, with an understanding of the current assessments used to track ENC DM.

https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/14/12/e084178