Projection in surrogate decisions about life-sustaining medical treatments.

摘要: To honor the wishes of an incapacitated patient, surrogate decision makers must predict treatment decisions patients would make for themselves if able. Social psychological research, however, suggests that surrogates' own preferences may influence their predictions others' preferences. In 2 studies (1 involving 60 college student surrogates and a parent, other 361 elderly outpatients chosen maker), predicted whether close want life-sustaining in hypothetical end-of-life scenarios stated same scenarios. Surrogate more closely resembled than they did individual were trying to predict. Although majority prediction errors reflected inaccurate use preferences, projection was also found result accurate often counterprojective predictions. The rationality accuracy making is discussed.