INVITED AND SPECIAL SESSIONS
Thursday, October 27
11:00 AM-1:00 PM
Concurrent Invited Sessions II (26-32)
SESSION 31 - How People Make Choices
Ballroom I-J
Moderator: Peter T. Rowley, University of Rochester, NY
In medical genetics, the person counseling acts on the assumption that the patient will rationally process quantitative probability information. However many people do not think about risks quantitatively. The way risk information is presented can unintentionally influence how risk is perceived. Decision making is influenced by emotional as well as rational factors. This symposium is intended to clarify the responsibility of the counselor to assist patients to assess risks realistically and make decisions in accord with their own values.
11:00 AM How people assess risks. Isaac Lipkus, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC.
11:35 AM Discussion.
11:40 AM Deliberative and emotional elements in decision making. Ellen Peters, University of Oregon, Eugene.
12:15 PM Discussion.
12:20 PM Can the geneticist empower patients without becoming directive? Seymour Kessler, Berkeley, CA.
12:55 PM Discussion.
