NEUROSCIENCE Suboptimal decision criteria are predicted by subjectively weighted probabilities and rewards ABSTRACT Subjects performed a visual detection task with varied probability of target occurrence and rewards. To maximize monetary gain...
More infoMeasuring people’s internal models of motor error distribution
NEUROSCIENCE Measuring people’s internal models of motor error distribution ABSTRACT A good decision maker in perception and action (e.g. a good surgeon) needs to allow for the irreducible errors in her own movement. In simple reaching tasks, the...
More infoThinking Like A Trader
NEUROSCIENCE Thinking Like A Trader ABSTRACT We know surprisingly little about the role of emotions in decision-making, and nearly nothing about how we can change those emotions, and thereby our choices. In a series of studies, we asked...
More infoEconomic decision-making in Drosophila larvae
NEUROSCIENCE Economic decision-making in Drosophila larvae ABSTRACT The goal of this project is two-fold. First, we use tools from microeconomics to characterize the choices of wild type Drosophila larvae as they tradeoff goods (dark and food) in...
More infoEvidence demonstrating working memory limitations in human decision-making
NEUROSCIENCE Evidence demonstrating working memory limitations in human decision-making ABSTRACT If you were asked to evaluate the lottery [0.8765 probability of $99.98 or 0.1235 probability of $53.46], you will likely “edit” the numbers by...
More infoRat Prefrontal Cortex Inactivations during Decision Making Are Explained by Bistable Attractor Dynamics
NEUROSCIENCE Rat Prefrontal Cortex Inactivations during Decision Making Are Explained by Bistable Attractor Dynamics AUTHORS: Alex T. Piet, Jeffrey C. Erlich, Charles D. Kopec, and Carlos D. Brody ABSTRACT Two-node attractor...
More infoSaving the Masses: The Role of Perceived Efficacy in Charitable Giving
NEUROSCIENCE Saving the Masses: The Role of Perceived Efficacy in Charitable Giving ABSTRACT People tend to be more sympathetic and generous to single than to multiple beneficiaries. We identify one factor—perceived efficacy—that when increased...
More infoNeuroanatomy accounts for age-related changes in risk preferences
NEUROSCIENCE Neuroanatomy accounts for age-related changes in risk preferences AUTHORS: Paul Glimcher, Michael A. Grubb, Agnieszka Tymula, Sharon Gilaie-Dotanand Ifat Levy ABSTRACT Many decisions involve uncertainty, or...
More infoThinking About Thinking and Its Cognitive Limits
NEUROSCIENCE Thinking About Thinking and Its Cognitive Limits AUTHORS: Adam Brandenburger and Xiaomin Li ABSTRACT Evidence shows that when engaged in game-playing tasks, individuals think about what other individuals are thinking. Presumably...
More infoForaging, serial decision making and the opportunity cost of time
NEUROSCIENCE Foraging, serial decision making and the opportunity cost of time ABSTRACT We have an ongoing series of studies that use a patch-foraging paradigm from ecology in order to investigate how individuals make serial (stop/search)...
More infoInsight and addiction
NEUROSCIENCE Insight and addiction ABSTRACT Previous studies have suggested impairments in insight in neuropsychiatric disorders. However it is often difficult to distill impairments in insight from other cognitive impairments. Together with...
More infoNeural dynamics of decision confidence
NEUROSCIENCE Neural dynamics of decision confidence ABSTRACT Previous studies in non-human primates have revealed neural activity in the parietal and prefrontal cortex that correlates with the animal’s confidence after a decision has been made...
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