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. 2013 Feb;131(2):e566–e572. doi: 10.1542/peds.2012-1957

TABLE 3.

Predominant Explicit Heuristic Categories and 5 Primary Functions

Top 12 Categoriesa 5 Primary Functionsb
N (%) of 69 Depict and Ground a Situation Clarify and Focus Decision-making Compass Communicate About a Complex Topic Justify a Choice
“I want my child to be comfortable.” 29 (42.0)
“I want my child to have quality of life.” 27 (39.1)
“I don’t want my child to be in pain.” 22 (31.9)
“I want my child to have a normal life.” 21 (30.4)
“Everything happens for a reason.” 20 (29.0)
“I want the best for my child.” 19 (27.5)
“I don’t want my child to suffer.” 18 (26.1)
“I want my child to have a longer life.” 17 (24.6)
“I have to be strong.” 17 (24.6)
“I have to fight.” 15 (21.7)
“It’s hard.” 15 (21.7)
“I want my child to be happy.” 15 (21.7)
a

As illustrated by a typical paradigmatic phrase.

b

A particular instance of an explicit heuristic may have a different primary function depending on the context in which it was used; the check marks indicate common functions for various categories of explicit heuristics.