decision neuroscience Flashcards
what is reasoning
all information is available
rules of logic, e.g., if A then B
how does reasoning differ to decision making?
not all information is available in decision making
weigh possible choices (risk/reward)
influences on decisions
knowledge
strategic
random
pattern recognition
emotional (gut feeling)
what is utility
each decision has costs and benefits based on personal goals
costs move us further away from goals, benefits move us closer
we decide by finding the course of action with more favourable balance of benefits and costs
estimate a subjective utility of each item
what are the predictions of utility theory
people will seek to maximise utility in their choices
people seek options with the greatest expected utility
all that matters are utility calculations
what are assumptions/problems with utility theory
- people have unlimited knowledge
- people have unlimited time
- people have unlimited information processing power
however, this is not the case. due to Heuristics (cognitive shortcuts)
what are neuroeconomics
decision making traditionally investigated by economics
economic models need psychology to make better predictions
psychology needs economic models to take advantage of normative framework
why do psychology and economics need neuroscience
to gain fine grained (biological) insight into the distinct processes involved in decision making
what is homo economicus
using rational assessments, this attempts to maximise utility as a consumer and economic profit as a producer
what is decision neuroscience
brain-behaviour associations relevant for decision making
what is metacognition
a decision is binary or discrete
underlying model is likely a probability distribution
how the brain encodes uncertainty or confidence
Decision-making and metacognition common and unique brain correlates
debate concerning the extent to which meta cognition relies on unique or common neural structures to the process of making a decision
Prefrontal Cortex thought as important for metacognition but this may not be domain-general
what does right inferior frontal gyrus play a role in?
integrating confidence violations (surprise) into decision-making
what is the Iowa gambling task
participants have a good deck and bad deck
gain a certain amount per card, lose a certain amount per 10 cards
every 20 cards, PPs asked about their knowledge of the situations and their feelings about it - not aware of what is going on
however, do have an anticipatory skin conductive response before choosing a card from the bad deck, even if they cannot express it
what is the somatic maker hypothesis
We have a system (emotional) that guides our decisions even before we have awareness of the situation
there is evidence of this from brain lesion patients, who lacked this advantage compared to control
what are the roles of amygdala and Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex (vmPFC) in somatic marker hypothesis
amygdala encodes the emotional reaction to bad stimuli
vmPFC recalls the emotional reaction and uses it to guide behaviour
what are gut feelings
Process other than rational thinking contribute to decision-making
Emotional and automatic processes
reward sensitivity and self control - what is time discounting
a reward loses value if it is delivered later in time
e.g., the marshmallow test
time discounting - vmPFC, Striatum, and Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC)
vmPFC and Striatum (reward system) respond to immediate rewards
Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) responds to all the options, and is not related to the immediacy of the rewards (higher cognitive function
what is game theory
set of strategies used by several players to maximise outcomes
tend to find equilibrium - solution which suits both parties the most
social influence on decision making
in group conformity
selfish or altruistic motivations
social motivations
Strongly linked to emotions, positive and negative
People receive utility from giving (reward)
Irrationality derives from involvement of anger, guilt, shame, reward from revenge
cooperation activates areas associated with reward processing
People tend to want to cooperate
Activation of Striatum and Orbitofrontal Cortex (reward areas) for mutual cooperation
Strength of this Striatum activation predicts future cooperative choices
alturism is rewarding
mentalising networks:
- Self-Other boundaries
- Reputation
- Considering the emotions and thoughts of others
Emotion/Salience Networks:
- Interoceptive information
- Attention to emotional stimuli (esp negative)
what brain area is associated with interpretation of negative emotion/bodily reaction to emotive stimuli
anterior insula
what is the dlPFC involved in
self control
when is striatum activation higher?
Striatum (reward area) activation is higher when people are given the opportunity to spend money in order to punish people who betrayed them in a prisoner’s dilemma
People are rewarded by punishment more than money
