Time and accuracy of supervisors' and employees' decision making

Recently a great amount of studies revealed influence of socioeconomic status (SES) on brain development and cognitive processes (e.g., attention, learning, cognitive control), as well as related social cognition. Along with education and income, occupational status is considered as one of the SES-factors. In the article an occupational status in terms of supervisors' and employees' positions in organization was explored. We compared reaction time and accuracy of decision making associated with different emotions (negative, neutral, and positive) of the superiors and subordinates. For this purpose we analyzed relevant data of a longitudinal study from the United States Database called "Midlife Development in the U.S. (MIDUS II): A National Study of Health and Well-Being" (2004-2006, 2009) and MIDUS II: Neuroscientific Project (2004-2009). MIDUS II survey was used (the participants' answers on the question concerning their occupational status) for two samples - supervisors and employees. Based on the participants' identification numbers the target participants from Neuroscientific Project were identified. From this Project we analyzed data concerning decision making of supervisors and employees on the color of the borders which surrounded the negative, neutral, or positive images selected from International Affective Picture System. It was found that supervisors (N=89) on average decided more rapidly, irrespective of emotions, than employees (N=138). They are also more accurate in decision making. The differences in accuracy of the decisions, connected with negative emotions, are statistically significant (p<0.05) between the target samples. At the same time, significant differences in accuracy of the decisions concerning positive and neutral tasks were not revealed, as well as in reaction times between the two samples. The conducted research has several limitations. First, the answer on MIDUS II question: Do you supervise anyone on your main job? - did not allow us to identify exactly those who were supervisors for a long period. At the same time, this is essential for revealing a longitudinal effect of the professional status on the decision making. Second, in the Neuroscience Project database the results on the reaction times are presented as a median and the results on the accuracy are presented as a proportion of all the decisions. Such information limits diapason of the statistical instruments. At last, using both social and not-social emotional-evocative images did not allow us to conclude about social decision making. The study led to the conclusion that supervisors' everyday activity at work (experience of power, personal control, and multitask activity) contributes to their emotional immunity, as well as it makes them skillful in decision making.

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