Decision-making

Question 1

Stages of decision making

Answer 1

1. At least 2 choices known
2. Expectations of potential outcomes
3. Values of potential outcomes

Question 2

Prospect Theory: 3 Perspectives

Answer 2

1. Psychological perspective: decisions should be examined on individual needs, preferences, values
2. Cognitive Perspective - decision making as integrated in interaction with environment.
3. Normative - logic and rationality leads to choice

Question 3

Normative vs Descriptive theories

Answer 3

Normative - how we should make decisions
Descriptive - how we do
Behavior can deviate from normative in systematic ways

Question 4

Multiple systems model

Answer 4

System 1 (Rational, cold, controlled, reflective) vs System 2 (emotional, automatic, hot, reflective) 
Integrate the two in mPFC to get behavior.

Question 5

Analytic cognition

Answer 5

Uses rational/cognitive systems. Prefrontal and parietal cortex. Remember that frontoparietal also involved in high-g.

Question 6

Affective cognition

Answer 6

Uses value system (mesolimbic dopamine: striatum, vmPFC) and emotional systems (amygdala, insula)

Question 7

5-HT system

Answer 7

Avoids danger - the aversive system.

Question 8

Marshmallow experiment

Answer 8

Predicts a number of things. As teenagers, higher scores on tests, popularity, confidence. As adults, job success, criminal convictions, credit score…Hot and cold go nogo test showed they were still impulsive 40 years later. Dopamine activity increase with those who could not resist

Question 9

Asking questions

Answer 9

Important how we ask questions as status quo bias. We prefer staying where we are. Aversive processes in insula underlie the default bias.

Question 10

Shopping

Answer 10

Product preference - nucleus accumbens/striatum
Excessive prices activated insula (aversion) and deactivated the mPFC prior to the purchase decision. These regions predicted even better than self-report.

Question 11

Dieting

Answer 11

Self-control: high self-controllers made decisions on basis of both health and taste; low self controllers on basis of taste alone.

Question 12

Self Control

Answer 12

Goal-directed decisions are based on value signal in vmPFC. This signal is modulated by dlPFC to produce self-control.

Question 13

Framing effect

Answer 13

Cognitive bias - people choose differently depending on whether it is presented as a loss or gain.

Question 14

Ultimatum game

Answer 14

Divide up 100 dollars, the first decides which way to do it. If other person feels the offer is unfair they can reject it and make the other person lose too. Teaches person sharing that it is not acceptable. When you accept unfair offers, decreased anterior insula. Fairness is in the vmPFC, ventral striatum, and amygdala.

Question 15

Trusting others

Answer 15

We trust depending on reputation - the trust experiment. Caudate nucleus differentiated between positive and negative feedback only from neutral partner. That is to say, preconceptions can diminish reliance on feedback mechanisms in trial-and-error learning.