cautious shift

a choice shift in which an individual making a decision as part of a group adopts a more cautious approach than the same individual would have adopted had he or she made the decision alone. Studies suggest that such shifts are (a) rarer than the opposite risky shift and (b) most likely to occur when the majority of the members of the group, prior to discussion, favor a cautious rather than a risky choice. See also group polarization.

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Psychology term of the day

December 26th 2024

anticholinergic effects

side effects that are characteristic of anticholinergic drugs and are also associated with other agents (e.g., tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors) that exert antagonist effects at muscarinic receptors. They include dry mouth, blurred vision, urinary hesitancy or retention, and constipation. Similar antagonistic effects may occur at nicotinic receptors as well. Depending on the specific receptors involved, these effects may also be called antimuscarinic effects or antinicotinic effects.