Mercede Erfanian

Neuroscientist, interested in 🧠 stuff

[Mercede Erfanian @MercedeE82]

@parsapure Thanks for sharing 😀

[Mercede Erfanian @MercedeE82]

@audialsense Thanks Paul!

[Mercede Erfanian @MercedeE82]

Just published!

The Effect of #Cognitive Load and Default #Nudges on #Decision-#Making: Experimental Evidence From a Behavioral Study

https://t.co/b2rLKsgV88

[Mercede Erfanian @MercedeE82]

8/ The takeaway: defaults can act as conditional scaffolds under cognitive strain. They can support judgment in some contexts, but they can also introduce risk when poorly designed.

[Mercede Erfanian @MercedeE82]

7/ But when the default was misaligned, it backfired and reduced accuracy.

[Mercede Erfanian @MercedeE82]

6/ Default nudges helped under load only when they were aligned with the most probable response: they sped up decisions and improved accuracy.

[Mercede Erfanian @MercedeE82]

5/ What did we find? Cognitive load did not reduce accuracy, but it did slow responses.

[Mercede Erfanian @MercedeE82]

4/ Then, in the main experiment, we embedded this load manipulation into the Phillips’ audit task to examine professional skepticism in decision-making.

[Mercede Erfanian @MercedeE82]

3/ First, an online pilot study validated our cognitive load manipulation using a dot memory task and identified low vs. high load conditions for the main experiment.

[Mercede Erfanian @MercedeE82]

2/ We tested whether default nudges—pre-selected response options—can help people make better decisions when cognitive resources are strained.

[Mercede Erfanian @MercedeE82]

1/ Cognitive overload can weaken professional skepticism in high-stakes settings like auditing, where careful judgment is critical.

[Mercede Erfanian @MercedeE82]

@unclebooyeh من الان میتونم از کلمات خیلی وحشیانه تری به جای سرویس کردن استفاده کنم

[Mercede Erfanian @MercedeE82]

In our study, we measured pupil size — a marker of arousal — while people listened to each type of noise. We found no differences across noises, suggesting they don’t reliably alter arousal in new listeners, despite popular claims.

[Mercede Erfanian @MercedeE82]

Just published!
Pupil-linked #arousal does not differ between ‘white’, ‘pink’ and ‘brown’ #noises

https://t.co/Uqjcgg3cTg

[Mercede Erfanian @MercedeE82]

White, pink, and brown noise are often promoted as ways to boost sleep, memory, or focus. These noises differ in their sound qualities, but it’s unclear if they actually affect us differently.

[Mercede Erfanian @MercedeE82]

“Only the tip of the iceberg:” #Misophonia may reflect deeper psychological realities

https://t.co/cL9eCcoVHJ

[Mercede Erfanian @MercedeE82]

The Sound of Colour!
What are white, pink and brown noise, and can they help your health?
https://t.co/2ZT75ckSxy

[Mercede Erfanian @MercedeE82]

👁️ Participants needed for an eye-tracking study! Must read English + have some audit knowledge.
@EsscaLyon

[Mercede Erfanian @MercedeE82]

@audialsense More is yet to come 😀

[Mercede Erfanian @MercedeE82]

Just published!

#Misophonia symptom severity is linked to impaired #flexibility and #heightened #rumination

https://t.co/Bh4OYqMM85

[Mercede Erfanian @MercedeE82]

but not affective flexibility. We conclude that misophonia involves both executive inflexibility in emotional contexts and psychological rigidity through cognitive inflexibility and rumination.