Book contents
- Cognitive Neuroscience of Decision-Making
- Cognitive Neuroscience of Decision-Making
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Glossary
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Executive Function and Cognitive Control
- 3 The Prefrontal Cortex
- 4 Prefrontal Cortex Structure and Organisation
- 5 Neurotransmitters and Neurophysiology
- 6 Memory
- 7 Decision Networks
- 8 Decision-Making Styles and Models of Decision-Making
- 9 Development
- 10 The Role of Childhood Experiences in Decision-Making
- 11 Decision-Making Deficits
- 12 Implications of Decision-Making
- Index
- References
10 - The Role of Childhood Experiences in Decision-Making
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 November 2025
Book contents
- Cognitive Neuroscience of Decision-Making
- Cognitive Neuroscience of Decision-Making
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Glossary
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Executive Function and Cognitive Control
- 3 The Prefrontal Cortex
- 4 Prefrontal Cortex Structure and Organisation
- 5 Neurotransmitters and Neurophysiology
- 6 Memory
- 7 Decision Networks
- 8 Decision-Making Styles and Models of Decision-Making
- 9 Development
- 10 The Role of Childhood Experiences in Decision-Making
- 11 Decision-Making Deficits
- 12 Implications of Decision-Making
- Index
- References
Summary
Childhood is an important time for cognitive development, during which time many factors can influence the development of complex functions like decision-making. The relationship between the HPA axis and stress reactions is of particular relevance in the development of decision-making. Fear signals activate the HPA axis, which results in cortisol production. Cortisol acts with adrenaline to form memories associated with emotional responses. This system develops early on and is dependent on exposure to stressful situations. Over activation during development, such as in cases of overexposure to stress, can result in elevated cortisol. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are understood to impact a range of cognitive function; however, the relationship between negative childhood experiences and decision-making is not a linear one; research is ongoing to unravel the complexities of this relationship.
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Cognitive Neuroscience of Decision-Making , pp. 112 - 126Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
References
Alvarez, J. A., & Emory, E. (2006). Executive function and the frontal lobes: A meta-analytic review. Neuropsychology Review, 16(1), 17–42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-006-9002-xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anda, R. G., Feliti, V. J., Bremner, J. D., Walker, J. D., Whitfield, C., Perry, B. D., Dube, S. R., & Giles, W. H. (2006). The enduring effects of abuse and related adverse experiences in childhood. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 256, 174–186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-005-0624-4CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bechara, A. (2004). The role of emotion in decision-making: Evidence from neurological patients with orbitofrontal damage. Brain and Cognition, 55(1), 30–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2003.04.001CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bedwell, S. A., Harrison, N., Fradley, S., & Brooks, M. (2023). The role of sibling aggression during childhood in decision-making during adulthood. Current Psychology, 43, 2264–2276. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04475-7CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bedwell, S. A., & Hickman, C. (2023). Effects of childhood trauma in psychopathy and response inhibition. Development & Psychopathology, 35(2), 724–729. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579421001863CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bellis, M. A., Hughes, K., Leckenby, N., Perkins, C., & Lowey, H. (2014). National household survey of adverse childhood experiences and their relationship with resilience to health-harming behaviors in England. BMC Medicine, 12, 72. https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7015-12-72CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bowes, L., Wolke, D., Joinson, C., Lereya, S. T., & Lewis, G (2014). Sibling bullying and risk of depression, anxiety, and self-harm: A prospective cohort study. Pediatrics, 134(4), e1032–e1039. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2014-0832CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Clark, L. (2010). Decision-making during gambling: An integration of cognitive and psychobiological approaches. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 365(1538), 319–330. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2009.0147CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Clark, L., Bechara, A., Damasio, H., Aitken, M. R., Sahakian, B. J., & Robbins, T. W. (2008). Differential effects of insular and ventromedial prefrontal cortex lesions on risky decision-making. Brain: A Journal of Neurology, 131(Pt 5), 1311–1322. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awn066CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cook, A., Spinazzola, J., Ford, J., Lanktree, C., Blaustein, M., Cloitre, M., DeRosa, R., Hubbard, R., Kagan, R., Liautaud, J., Mallah, K., Olafson, E., & van der Kolk, B. (2005). Complex trauma in children and adolescents. Psychiatric Annals, 35(5), 390–398. https://doi.org/10.3928/00485713-20050501-05CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crews, F., He, J., & Hodge, C. (2007). Adolescent cortical development: A critical period of vulnerability for addiction. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 86(2), 189–199. https://doi.org/10.106/j.pbb.2006.12.001CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dannlowski, U., Stuhrmann, A., Beutelmann, V., Zwanzger, P., Grotegerd, D., Domschke, K., Hohoff, C., Ohrmann, P., Bauer, J., Lindner, C., Postert, C., Konrad, C., Arolt, V., Heindel, W., Suslow, T., & Lenzen, T. (2012). Limbic scars: Long-term consequences of childhood maltreatment revealed by functional and structural MRI. Biological Psychiatry, 71(4), 286–293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.10.021CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dantchev, S., & Wolke, D. (2019). Trouble in the nest: Antecedents of sibling bullying victimization and perpetration. Developmental Psychology, 55(5), 1059–1071. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000700CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dantchev, S., Zammit, S., & Wolke, D. (2018). Sibling bullying in middle childhood and psychotic disorder at 18 years: A prospective cohort study. Psychological Medicine, 48(14), 2321–2328. https://doi.org/10.1017/S00332917003814CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dauvermann, M. R., & Donohoe, G. (2018). The role of childhood trauma in cognitive performance in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: A systematic review. Schizophrenia Research: Cognition, 16, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scog.2018.11.001Google ScholarPubMed
Eren-Koçak, E., & Kiliç, C. (2014). Posttraumatic growth after earthquake trauma is predicted by executive functions: A pilot study. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 202(12), 859–863. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0000000000000211CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fuster, J. M. (2001). The prefrontal cortex – an update: Time is of the essence. Neuron, 30(2), 319–333. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0896-6273(01)00285-9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Guez, J., Naveh-Benjamin, M., Yankovsky, Y., Cohen, J., Shiber, A., & Shalev, H. (2011). Traumatic stress is linked to a deficit in associative episodic memory. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 24(3), 260–267. https://doi-org.ezproxy.bcu.ac.uk/10.1002/jts.20635CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harmon, J., & Venta, A. (2021). Adolescent posttraumatic growth: A review. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 52(4), 596–608. https://doi-org.ezproxy.bcu.ac.uk/10.1007/s10578-020-01047-9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hart, H., & Rubia, K. (2012). Neuroimaging of child abuse: A critical review. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 6, 52. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2012.00052CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hulbert, J. C., & Anderson, M. C. (2018). What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger: Psychological trauma and its relationship to enhanced memory control. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 147(12), 1931–1949. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000461CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hussain, D., & Bhushan, B. (2011). Posttraumatic stress and growth among Tibetan refugees: The mediating role of cognitive-emotional regulation strategies. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 67(4), 720–735. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20801CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jin, Y., Xu, J., & Liu, D. (2014). The relationship between post traumatic stress disorder and post traumatic growth: Gender differences in PTG and PTSD subgroups. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 49, 1903–1910. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-014-0865-5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kira, I. A., Shuweikh, H., Al-Huwailiah, A., El-wakeel, S. A., Waheep, N. N., Ebada, E. E., & Ibrahim, E. R. (2020). The direct and indirect impact of trauma types and cumulative stressors and traumas on executive functions. Applied Neuropsychology: Adult, 29(5). https://doi.org/10.1080/23279095.2020.1848835Google ScholarPubMed
Kolb, B. (1984). Functions of the frontal cortex of the rat: A comparative review. Brain Research, 320(1), 65–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-0173(84)90018-3CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCrory, E., De Brito, S. A., & Viding, E. (2012). The link between child abuse and psychopathology: A review of neurobiological and genetic research. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 105(4), 151–156. https://doi.org/10.1258/jrsm.2011.110222CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pechtel, P., & Pizzagalli, D. A. (2011). Effects of early life stress on cognitive and affective function: An integrated review of human literature. Psychopharmacology, 214, 55–70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-010-2009-2CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Perkins, N. H., & Meyers, A. (2020). The manifestation of physical and emotional sibling abuse across the lifespan and the need for social work intervention. Journal of Family Social Work, 23(4), 338–356. https://doi.org/10.1080/10522158.2020.1799894CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scott, S. G., & Bruce, R. A. (1995). Decision-making style: The development and assessment of a new measure. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 55(5), 818–831. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164495055005017CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stockton, H., Hunt, N. C., & Joseph, S. A. (2011). Cognitive processing, rumination, and posttraumatic growth. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 24(1), 85–92. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.20606CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (1996). The posttraumatic growth inventory: Measuring the positive legacy of trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 9(3), 455–471. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02103658CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (2004). Posttraumatic growth: Conceptual foundations and empirical evidence. Psychological Inquiry, 15(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1501_01CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, K. R., Hansen, D. J., & Li, M. (2011). The traumatic stress response in child maltreatment and resultant neuropsychological effects. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 16(2), 87–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2010.12.007CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wong, C. C. Y., & Yeung, N. C. Y. (2017). Self-compassion and posttraumatic growth: Cognitive processes as mediators. Mindfulness, 8(4), 1078–1087. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-017-0683-4CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Young Minds. (2018). Understanding trauma and adversity. www.youngminds.org.uk/professional/resources/understanding-trauma-and-adversityGoogle Scholar
Zhang, Y., Xu, W., Yuan, G., & An, Y. (2018). The relationship between posttraumatic cognitive change, posttraumatic stress disorder, and posttraumatic growth among Chinese adolescents after the Yancheng Tornado: The mediating effect of rumination. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 474. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00474CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Accessibility standard: WCAG 2.2 AAA
Why this information is here
This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.Accessibility Information
The PDF of this book
complies with version 2.2 of the
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
(WCAG), offering more comprehensive accessibility measures for a broad range
of users and attains the highest
(AAA)
level of WCAG compliance, optimising the user experience by meeting the most extensive
accessibility guidelines.
Content Navigation
Table of contents navigation
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Index navigation
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Reading Order & Textual Equivalents
Single logical reading order
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
Short alternative textual descriptions
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
Full alternative textual descriptions
You get more than just short alt text: you have comprehensive text equivalents, transcripts, captions, or audio descriptions for substantial non‐text content, which is especially helpful for complex visuals or multimedia.
You get more than just short alt text: you have comprehensive text equivalents, transcripts, captions, or audio descriptions for substantial non‐text content, which is especially helpful for complex visuals or multimedia.
Visualised data also available as non-graphical data
You can access graphs or charts in a text or tabular format, so you are not excluded if you cannot process visual displays.
You can access graphs or charts in a text or tabular format, so you are not excluded if you cannot process visual displays.
Visual Accessibility
Use of colour is not sole means of conveying information
You will still understand key ideas or prompts without relying solely on colour, which is especially helpful if you have colour vision deficiencies.
You will still understand key ideas or prompts without relying solely on colour, which is especially helpful if you have colour vision deficiencies.
Use of high contrast between text and background colour
You benefit from high‐contrast text, which improves legibility if you have low vision or if you are reading in less‐than‐ideal lighting conditions.
You benefit from high‐contrast text, which improves legibility if you have low vision or if you are reading in less‐than‐ideal lighting conditions.