Wir danken Aldo Rustichini für fruchtbare Diskussionen und Kommentare zum Design. Gefördert durch NIA grant R01-AG033406 IL und PWG.

<ol>
	<li>Glimcher, P. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Understanding+risk:+a+guide+for+the+perplexed.">Understanding risk: a guide for the perplexed.</a> Cogn. Affect Behav. Neurosci. 8, 348-354 (2008).</li><li>Camerer, C., Weber, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Recent+Developments+in+Modeling+Preferences+-+Uncertainty+and+Ambiguity.">Recent Developments in Modeling Preferences - Uncertainty and Ambiguity.</a> Journal of Risk and Uncertainty. 5, 325-370 (1992).</li><li>Holt, C. A., Laury, S. K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Risk+aversion+and+incentive+effects.">Risk aversion and incentive effects.</a> Am. Econ. Rev. 92, 1644-1655 (2002).</li><li>Levy, I., Snell, J., Nelson, A. J., Rustichini, A., Glimcher, P. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Neural+representation+of+subjective+value+under+risk+and+ambiguity.">Neural representation of subjective value under risk and ambiguity.</a> J. Neurophysiol. 103, 1036-1047 (2010).</li><li>Kahneman, D., Tversky, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Prospect+Theory+-+Analysis+of+Decision+under+Risk.">Prospect Theory - Analysis of Decision under Risk.</a> Econometrica. 47, 263-291 (1979).</li><li>Deichmann, R., Gottfried, J. A., Hutton, C., Turner, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Optimized+EPI+for+fMRI+studies+of+the+orbitofrontal+cortex.">Optimized EPI for fMRI studies of the orbitofrontal cortex.</a> Neuroimage. 19, 430-441 (2003).</li><li>Gilboa, I., Schmeidler, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Maxmin+Expected+Utility+with+Non-Unique+Prior.">Maxmin Expected Utility with Non-Unique Prior.</a> J. Math Econ. 18, 141-153 (1989).</li><li>Hsu, M., Bhatt, M., Adolphs, R., Tranel, D., Camerer, C. F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Neural+systems+responding+to+degrees+of+uncertainty+in+human+decision-making.">Neural systems responding to degrees of uncertainty in human decision-making.</a> Science. 310, 1680-1683 (2005).</li><li>Boynton, G. A., Engel, S. A., Glover, G., Heeger, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> J Neurosci. 16, 4207-4221 (1996).</li><li>Forman, S. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Improved+Assessment+of+Significant+Activation+in+Functional+Magnetic-Resonance-Imaging+(Fmri)+-+Use+of+a+Cluster-Size+Threshold.">Improved Assessment of Significant Activation in Functional Magnetic-Resonance-Imaging (Fmri) - Use of a Cluster-Size Threshold.</a> Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. 33, 636-647 (1995).</li><li>Genovese, C. R., Lazar, N. A., Nichols, T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Thresholding+of+statistical+maps+in+functional+neuroimaging+using+the+false+discovery+rate.">Thresholding of statistical maps in functional neuroimaging using the false discovery rate.</a> NeuroImage. 15, 870-878 (2002).</li><li>Huettel, S. A., Stowe, C. J., Gordon, E. M., Warner, B. T., Platt, M. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Neural+signatures+of+economic+preferences+for+risk+and+ambiguity.">Neural signatures of economic preferences for risk and ambiguity.</a> Neuron. 49, 765-775 (2006).</li><li>Smith, V. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Papers in experimental economics. , (1991).</li></ol>

Keine Interessenskonflikte erklärt.

Wir haben eine Methode aus der experimentellen Ökonomik verwendet, um Subjekte Verhalten charakterisieren und schätzen individuelle Einstellung gegenüber Risiko und Ambiguität. Wir haben dann verwendet diese Schätzungen zu neuronalen Daten zu analysieren. Andere Methoden zur Untersuchung von fMRI-Aktivität während Personen Entscheidungen treffen unter Risiko und Ambiguität haben, bevor 8,12 verwendet. Unser Ansatz ist jedoch vereint mehrere wichtige Funktionen. Zuerst, verwendet es eine parametrische Konstruktion, in der verschiedene Parameter (Betrag, Wahrscheinlichkeit und Mehrdeutigkeit Ebene) systematisch variiert werden. Dies ermöglicht uns, das individuelle Risiko und Ambiguität Einstellungen zu quantifizieren und den subjektiven Wert für jede Option zu jedem Thema zu berechnen. Zweitens, mit den individuellen Verhaltens Maßnahme ermöglicht es uns, für die Hirnareale, deren Aktivierung ist mit dieser Maßnahme korreliert schauen, getrennt für Risiko und Ambiguität, bei einer im fachlichen Ebene. Dies ist eine saubere Art und Weise, um die neuronale Codierung eines Parameters (subjektiven Wert) u untersuchennter unterschiedlichen Bedingungen (Risiko-und Mehrdeutigkeit) bei gleichzeitiger Kontrolle für mögliche Unterschiede zwischen den Bedingungen (wie Wahlverhalten). Drittens durch zufällige Auswahl einer Studie am Ende des Experiments und spielt es für echtes Geld fördern wir Themen, um ihre wahren Präferenzen zu offenbaren 13. Auf der Verhaltensebene, ermöglicht dieses Verfahren es uns, die einzigartige Auswahl Verhalten jedes Subjekts mit nur zwei Zahlen zusammenzufassen, was das Risiko und Mehrdeutigkeit Einstellung des einzelnen Subjekts. Standard ökonomische Theorie zeigt, dass für choosers sich verhalten konsequent diese sowohl notwendige und hinreichende Charakterisierung ihrer Präferenzen sind. Anders ausgedrückt, kann man zeigen, dass 1) keine andere mögliche Charakterisierung kann mehr komplette oder kompakte und 2) dass alle komplexeren Charakterisierungen redundant sind. Am neuronalen Ebene erlaubt das Verfahren wir die neuronale Repräsentation des subjektiven Wert daß einzelne Fächer ASCRI identifizierenwerden, um die Optionen, dass sie an dieser notwendigen und ausreichenden Charakterisierung begegnen. Selbstverständlich sind auch andere Charakterisierungen des Verhaltens sind möglich, aber mit Ad-hoc-Maßnahmen &quot;Gefährlichkeit&quot;, die nicht in einer vollständigen Weise entweder mit dem Verhalten oder der neuralen Signale zugeordnet werden können möglicherweise mehr Probleme aufwerfen, als sie ein löst. Wir beschrieben eine spezifische Methode zur Lokalisierung Gebiete, deren Aktivität mit subjektiven Wert korreliert. Es gibt andere, ergänzende Möglichkeiten, um die Daten in einem neuronalen exploratorischen Weise das keine vorherige Hypothesen untersuchen. Clustering Methoden und Independent Component Analysis (ICA) sind solche Verfahren, die zusätzliche Risiko-und Mehrdeutigkeit-bezogene Aktivierung offenbaren konnte. Die Ergebnisse zeigten deutliche Verhaltensstörungen Variabilität in Fächern, was mehrere mögliche Erweiterungen der Methode, die in zukünftigen Studien von Risiko und Ambiguität verwendet werden könnten. Erstens könnten die Methoden zur Sonde unterscheidenschiede im Verhalten zwischen Individuen zu und identifizieren die neuronalen Korrelate dieser Unterschiede in den verschiedenen unterworfene Bevölkerung. Von besonderem Interesse wäre Studien an Patienten die Hypothese auf extreme Risikobereitschaft Verhalten zeigen, zum Beispiel die in der Behandlung von Drogenmissbrauch. Die Unterscheidung zwischen den Beiträgen von Risiko und Ambiguität Einstellung zu solchen Verhaltensweisen und Abgrenzung ihrer neuronalen Korrelate sind für das Verständnis der grundlegenden Ursachen für solche pathologischen Verhaltensweisen und für die Entwicklung Verhaltens-und pharmakologische Interventionen wichtig. Weitere interessante Orte würde Prüfung Menschen aus unterschiedlichen Kulturen oder Menschen verschiedener Altersgruppen. Die Fähigkeit, spezifische Wert-bezogene Aktivität auf diese Weise zu identifizieren, hat das Potential, Unterschiede zwischen den Gruppen, die den Kern der beobachteten Unterschiede im wirklichen Leben zu offenbaren. Zweitens könnte die verwendete Methode, um den Einfluss von spezifischen Erfahrungen über die Einstellung der einzelnen s zu untersuchenubjects zum Risiko und Ambiguität. Die experimentellen Paradigma könnte beispielsweise vor und nach einem Verhaltensstörungen Manipulation durchgeführt wird oder natürlicher Ereignisse eintreten, wie z. B. einer Bildungseinrichtung Intervention einer Belastung Manipulation oder einer lebensverändernden Ereignisses verwendet werden. Drittens könnte ein ähnliches Paradigma mit verschiedenen Bereichen der Ergebnisse und Wahrscheinlichkeiten, die für die Frage, die Sie ansprechen möchte sind, verwendet werden. Zum Beispiel könnte Patienten mit Wahl zwischen verschiedenen Verluste, anstatt Gewinne präsentiert werden, um mehr direkt betreffen die experimentelle Einstellung Risikoverhalten im realen Leben, dessen mögliche Ergebnisse sind oft negativ (zB rücksichtsloses Fahren oder Drogenmissbrauch). Viertens, nicht-monetäre Ergebnisse können verwendet werden, um Einstellungen zu Risiko und Ambiguität in verschiedenen Bereichen, wie zB Auswahl von Lebensmitteln und sozialen Präferenzen zu erkunden. Das kritische Merkmal dieses Ansatzes ist, dass es ein kompaktes und logisch c bietetomplete Weg Verhalten hinsichtlich einer vollständig spezifizierten zugrundeliegende Variable, die vollständig charakterisiert die Vorlieben eines konsistenten Gegenstand zu charakterisieren. Dies bietet somit eine leistungsfähige Methode eng mit der Theorie, die weit über Ad-hoc-Charakterisierung bewegt gebunden.

<table border="1"><tbody><tr><td> Name </td><td> Firma </td><td> Kommentare </td></tr><tr><td> Allegra Leiter Nur 3,0 T MRT-Scanner </td><td> Siemens </td><td> Ein Ganzkörperscan können ebenfalls verwendet werden </td></tr><tr><td> NM-011 Sende-Kopfspule </td><td> Nova Medical </td><td></td></tr><tr><td> E-prime </td><td> Psychology Software Tools </td><td> Stimuli Präsentationssoftware </td></tr><tr><td> Matlab </td><td> MathWorks </td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

measuring the subjective value of risky and ambiguous options using experimental economics and functional mri methods

Die meisten Entscheidungen, die wir treffen müssen ungewissen Folgen. In einigen Fällen sind die Wahrscheinlichkeiten für verschiedene mögliche Ergebnisse genau bekannt sind, ein Zustand als &quot;riskant&quot;. In anderen Fällen, wenn Wahrscheinlichkeiten nicht abgeschätzt werden kann, ist dies ein Zustand als &quot;mehrdeutig&quot; beschrieben. Während die meisten Menschen abgeneigt Risiko-und Mehrdeutigkeit 1,2 sind, variieren das Ausmaß dieser Aversionen im Wesentlichen über Einzelpersonen, so dass der subjektive Wert des gleichen riskanten oder mehrdeutige Option kann sehr unterschiedlich sein für verschiedene Individuen. Wir kombinieren funktionellen MRT (fMRT) mit einer experimentellen Ökonomie-basierte Methode 3, um die neuronale Repräsentation der subjektiven Werte von riskanten und mehrdeutig Optionen 4 bewerten. Diese Technik kann nun verwendet werden, um diese neuronale Repräsentationen in unterschiedlichen Populationen, wie unterschiedliche Altersgruppen und unterschiedlichen Patientengruppen zu untersuchen. In unserem Experiment machen Themen Folgeschäden Entscheidungen bVergleicht man zwei Alternativen, während ihre neuronale Aktivierung verfolgt wird mittels fMRT. Auf jeder Prüfungsteilnehmer wählen zwischen Lotterien, die in ihren Geldbetrag und entweder in der Wahrscheinlichkeit des Gewinnens diesen Betrag oder der Mehrdeutigkeit Ebene mit Gewinnen verbunden variieren. Unsere parametrische Konstruktion ermöglicht es uns, auf die individuellen Wahlverhalten nutzen, um ihre Einstellung gegenüber Risiko und Ambiguität zu schätzen, und so die subjektiven Werte, dass jede Option für sie bereithielt schätzen. Ein weiteres wichtiges Merkmal des Entwurfs ist, dass der Ausgang des ausgewählten Lotterie nicht während des Versuchs zeigte, so dass kein Lernen stattfinden kann und somit die mehrdeutigen Optionen bleiben mehrdeutig und Risikoeinstellung sind stabil. Statt am Ende der Scan-Sitzung ein oder wenige Studien werden nach dem Zufallsprinzip ausgewählt und spielte für echtes Geld. Da die Motive nicht im Voraus wissen, welche Studien ausgewählt werden, müssen sie jeden Versuch, als ob sie zu behandeln und sie allein war das ein Versuch, bei dem sie bezahlt werden. Dieses Design ensorgt dafür, dass wir die wahre subjektive Wert jeder Option zu jedem Thema abschätzen können. Wir haben dann für die Bereiche im Gehirn, dessen Aktivierung ist mit dem subjektiven Wert der riskanten Optionen und für Bereiche, deren Aktivierung mit dem subjektiven Wert von mehrdeutigen Möglichkeiten korreliert aussehen.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Measuring the Subjective Value of Risky and Ambiguous Options using Experimental Economics and Functional MRI Methods at JoVE.com

Measuring the Subjective Value of Risky and Ambiguous Options using Experimental Economics and Functional MRI Methods

Mit Hilfe von funktioneller MRT und verhaltenstherapeutischen Methoden, um die neuronale Repräsentation der subjektiven Wert der riskanten und mehrdeutig Optionen im menschlichen Gehirn zu bestimmen.

Messung des subjektiven Wert des Risky und mehrdeutig Optionen mit Experimental Economics and Functional MRI Methoden

Most of the choices we make have uncertain consequences. In some cases the probabilities for different possible outcomes are precisely known, a condition ...

measuring-subjective-value-risky-ambiguous-options-using-experimental

Nanyang Technological University

Research

JoVE Journal

Neuroscience

12.0K Aufrufe.  Yale School of Medicine. Mit Hilfe von funktioneller MRT und verhaltenstherapeutischen Methoden, um die neuronale Repräsentation der subjektiven Wert der riskanten und mehrdeutig Optionen im menschlichen Gehirn zu bestimmen.

Serie: Measuring the Subjective Value of Risky and Ambiguous Options using Experimental Economics and Functional MRI Methods

Combining Behavioral Endocrinology and Experimental Economics: Testosterone and Social Decision Making

Behavioral endocrinological research in humans as well as in animals suggests that testosterone plays a key role in social interactions. Studies in rodents have shown a direct link between testosterone and aggressive behavior1 and folk wisdom adapts these findings to humans, suggesting that testosterone induces antisocial, egoistic or even aggressive behavior2. However, many researchers doubt a direct testosterone-aggression link in humans, arguing instead that testosterone is primarily involved in status-related behavior3,4. As a high status can also be achieved by aggressive and antisocial means it can be difficult to distinguish between anti-social and status seeking behavior.
We therefore set up an experimental environment, in which status can only be achieved by prosocial means. In a double-blind and placebo-controlled experiment, we administered a single sublingual dose of 0.5 mg of testosterone (with a hydroxypropyl-&beta;-cyclodextrin carrier) to 121 women and investigated their social interaction behavior in an economic bargaining paradigm. Real monetary incentives are at stake in this paradigm; every player A receives a certain amount of money and has to make an offer to another player B on how to share the money. If B accepts, she gets what was offered and player A keeps the rest. If B refuses the offer, nobody gets anything. A status seeking player A is expected to avoid being rejected by behaving in a prosocial way, i.e. by making higher offers.
The results show that if expectations about the hormone are controlled for, testosterone administration leads to a significant increase in fair bargaining offers compared to placebo. The role of expectations is reflected in the fact that subjects who report that they believe to have received testosterone make lower offers than those who say they believe that they were treated with a placebo. These findings suggest that the experimental economics approach is sensitive for detecting neurobiological effects as subtle as those achieved by administration of hormones. Moreover, the findings point towards the importance of both psychosocial as well as neuroendocrine factors in determining the influence of testosterone on human social behavior.

The procedure described in this protocol shows that testosterone administration and folk beliefs about testosterone may be associated with directly opposed social behaviors.

Die Kombination Behavioral Endokrinologie und Experimentelle Wirtschaftsforschung: Testosteron und Social Decision Making

Behavioral endocrinological research in humans as well as in animals suggests that testosterone plays a key role in social interactions. Studies in ...

Forschung

Neurowissenschaften

Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans

A key challenge in studying reward processing in humans is to go beyond subjective self-report measures and quantify different aspects of reward such as hedonics, motivation, and goal value in more objective ways. This is particularly relevant for the understanding of overeating and obesity as well as their potential treatments. In this paper are described a set of measures of food-related motivation using handgrip force as a motivational measure. These methods can be used to examine changes in food related motivation with metabolic (satiety) and pharmacological manipulations and can be used to evaluate interventions targeted at overeating and obesity. However to understand food-related decision making in the complex food environment it is essential to be able to ascertain the reward goal values that guide the decisions and behavioral choices that people make. These values are hidden but it is possible to ascertain them more objectively using metrics such as the willingness to pay and a method for this is described. Both these sets of methods provide quantitative measures of motivation and goal value that can be compared within and between individuals.

This article describes a set of methods for the measurement of food related motivation and food related goal values in humans.

Studieren Essen Belohnung und Motivation in Humans

A key challenge in studying reward processing in humans is to go beyond subjective self-report measures and quantify different aspects of reward such as ...

Verhalten

Measurement of Fronto-limbic Activity Using an Emotional Oddball Task in Children with Familial High Risk for Schizophrenia

Adolescence is a critical developmental period where the early symptoms of schizophrenia frequently emerge. First-degree relatives of people with schizophrenia who are at familial high risk (FHR) may show similar cognitive and emotional changes. However, the neurological changes underlying the emergence of these symptoms remain unclear. This study sought to identify differences in frontal, striatal, and limbic regions in children and adolescents with FHR using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Groups of 21 children and adolescents at FHR and 21 healthy controls completed an emotional oddball task that relied on selective attention and the suppression of task-irrelevant emotional information. The standard oddball task was modified to include aversive and neutral distractors in order to examine potential group differences in both emotional and executive processing. This task was designed specifically to allow for children and adolescents to complete by keeping the difficulty and emotional image content age-appropriate. Furthermore, we demonstrate a technique for suitable fMRI registration for children and adolescent participants. This paradigm may also be applied in future studies to measure changes in neural activity in other populations with hypothesized developmental changes in executive and emotional processing.

This paper describes how to use the emotional oddball task and fMRI to measure brain activation in children and adolescents at familial high risk for schizophrenia (FHR).&#160;FMRI was used to measure differences in fronto-striato-limbic regions during an emotional oddball task. Children with FHR exhibited abnormal functional activation during adolescence.

Die Messung der Fronto-limbischen Aktivität unter Verwendung einer emotionalen Oddball Aufgabe bei Kindern mit familiärer High Risk for Schizophrenia

Adolescence is a critical developmental period where the early symptoms of schizophrenia frequently emerge. First-degree relatives of people with ...

Experimental Research Examining How People Can Cope with Uncertainty Through Soft Haptic Sensations

Human beings are constantly surrounded by uncertainty and change. The question arises how people cope with such uncertainty. To date, most research has focused on the cognitive strategies people adopt to deal with uncertainty. However, especially when uncertainty is due to unpredictable societal events (e.g., economical crises, political revolutions, terrorism threats) of which one is unable to judge the impact on one&#8217;s future live, cognitive strategies (like seeking additional information) is likely to fail to combat uncertainty. Instead, the current paper discusses a method demonstrating that people might deal with uncertainty experientially through soft haptic sensations. More specifically, because touching something soft creates a feeling of comfort and security, people prefer objects with softer as compared to harder properties when feeling uncertain. Seeking for softness is a highly efficient and effective tool to deal with uncertainty as our hands are available at all times. This protocol describes a set of methods demonstrating 1) how environmental (un)certainty can be situationally activated with an experiential priming procedure, 2) that the quality of the softness experience (what type of softness and how it is experienced) matters and 3) how uncertainty can be reduced using different methods.

To date research has focused on cognitive strategies people adopt to cope with uncertainty. This research examines instead an experiential way of dealing with uncertainty and introduces a set of experimental methods showing how the experience of haptic softness can serve as a tool to deal with uncertainty.

Experimental Research Untersuchen, wie Menschen mit Unsicherheit durch weiche Haptik Sensations Cope

Human beings are constantly surrounded by uncertainty and change. The question arises how people cope with such uncertainty. To date, most research has ...

Measuring Delay Discounting in Humans Using an Adjusting Amount Task

Delay discounting refers to a decline in the value of a reward when it is delayed relative to when it is immediately available. Delay discounting tasks are used to identify indifference points, which reflect equal preference for two dichotomous reward alternatives differing in both delay and magnitude. Indifference points are key to assessing the shape of a delay-discounting gradient because they allow us to isolate the effect of delay on value. For example, if at a 1 week delay and a maximum of $1,000, the indifference point is at $700 we know that, for that participant, a 1-week delay corresponds to a 30% reduction in value. This video outlines an adjusting amount delay-discounting task that identifies indifference points relatively quickly and is inexpensive and easy to administer. Once data have been collected, non-linear regression techniques are typically used to generate discounting curves. The steepness of the discounting curve reflects the degree of impulsive choice of a group or individual. These techniques have been used with a wide range of commodities and have identified populations that are relatively impulsive. For example, people with substance abuse problems discount delayed rewards more steeply than control participants. Although degree of discounting varies as a function of the commodity examined, discounting of one commodity correlates with discounting of other commodities, which suggests that discounting may be a persistent pattern of behavior1.

Delay discounting refers to a decline in the value of a reward when it is delayed relative to when it is immediately available. We outline a computer-based delay discounting task that is easy to implement and allows for the quantification of the degree of delay discounting in human participants.

Messverzögerung Diskontierung in Humans Mit einem Einstellbetrag Task-

Delay discounting refers to a decline in the value of a reward when it is delayed relative to when it is immediately available. Delay discounting tasks ...

Functional Imaging with Reinforcement, Eyetracking, and Physiological Monitoring

We use functional brain imaging (fMRI) to study neural circuits that underlie decision-making.  To understand how outcomes affect decision processes, simple perceptual tasks are combined with appetitive and aversive reinforcement.  However, the use of reinforcers such as juice and airpuffs can create challenges for fMRI.  Reinforcer delivery can cause head movement, which creates artifacts in the fMRI signal.  Reinforcement can also lead to changes in heart rate and respiration that are mediated by autonomic pathways.  Changes in heart rate and respiration can directly affect the fMRI (BOLD) signal in the brain and can be confounded with signal changes that are due to neural activity.  In this presentation, we demonstrate methods for administering reinforcers in a controlled manner, for stabilizing the head, and for measuring pulse and respiration.

This presentation demonstrates the use of fMRI to study neural circuits that underlie decision-making. Simple perceptual tasks are combined with appetitive and aversive reinforcements to investigate how outcomes affect decision processes.

Funktionelle Bildgebung mit Verstärkung, Eyetracking und Physiologische Überwachung

We use functional brain imaging (fMRI) to study neural circuits that underlie decision-making.  To understand how outcomes affect decision processes, ...

Biologie

Operant Protocols for Assessing the Cost-benefit Analysis During Reinforced Decision Making by Rodents

Reinforcement-guided decision making is the ability to choose between competing courses of action based on the relative value of the benefits and their consequences. This process is integral to the normal human behavior and has been shown to be disrupted by neurological and psychiatric disorders such as addiction, schizophrenia, and depression. Rodents have long been used to uncover the neurobiology of human cognition. To this end, several behavioral tasks have been developed; however, most are non-automated and are labor-intensive. The recent development of the open-source microcontroller has enabled researchers to automate operant-based tasks for assessing a variety of cognitive tasks, standardizing the stimulus presentation, improving the data recording and consequently, improving the research output. Here, we describe an automated delay-based reinforcement-guided decision-making task, using an operant T-maze controlled by custom-written software programs. Using these decision-making tasks, we show the changes in the local field potential activities in the anterior cingulate cortex of a rat whilst it performs a delay-based cost-and-benefit decision-making task.

A cost-benefit analysis is a weighing-scale approach that the brain performs during the course of decision making. Here, we propose a protocol to train rats on an operant-based decision-making paradigm where rats choose higher rewards at the expense of waiting for 15 s to receive them.

Operant Protokolle für die Beurteilung der Kosten / Nutzen-Analyse während verstärkte Entscheidungsfindung durch Nagetiere

Reinforcement-guided decision making is the ability to choose between competing courses of action based on the relative value of the benefits and their ...

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

Intertemporal choice plays a crucial role in our daily lives, influencing decisions related to education, health, consumption, and investment. This research proposes an innovative experimental protocol that examines how social comparison and social distance jointly affect the neural processes involved in outcome assessment for intertemporal choices. The study is based on the theoretical framework of cognitive resource competition. This protocol enables researchers to dynamically establish an indifference point for each participant, effectively eliminating the influence of any biased indifference points on the assessment of intertemporal choices. Consequently, the study solely measures the combined impact of social comparison and social distance on how participants evaluate intertemporal choice outcomes. The findings reveal that individuals are more inclined to opt for immediate outcomes under negative unfair conditions. Moreover, compared to the fair and positive unfair conditions, people tend to undervalue delayed outcomes in the negative unfair condition. The strength of this approach lies in its dynamic indifference point setting, making it an effective method to investigate the influence of various external factors (such as social status and power level) on intertemporal decision-making. While the protocol is designed to measure electrophysiological events like event-related potentials, it can also be tailored for use with fMRI.

This protocol aims to investigate the neural activity related to social comparison and social distance during the processing of intertemporal decision outcomes. Indifference points will be measured using event-related potentials as part of the study.

Der gemeinsame Effekt von sozialem Vergleich und sozialer Distanz auf die Bewertung von intertemporalen Entscheidungsergebnissen in ereigniskorrelierten Potenzialstudien

Intertemporal choice plays a crucial role in our daily lives, influencing decisions related to education, health, consumption, and investment. This ...

Using fMRI to Dissect Moral Judgment

Source: William Brady &#38; Jay Van Bavel&#8212;New York University
In examining the roles of reason and emotion in moral judgments, psychologists and philosophers alike point to the trolley dilemma and the footbridge dilemma. With the trolley dilemma, most people say that it is appropriate to pull a switch to stop a train from hitting five people by diverting it to kill one person. However, with the footbridge dilemma, most people say it is inappropriate to push a large man off of a bridge in order to hit a train (killing him) and stop it from running into five people. Reason would dictate that in both of the foregoing dilemmas, one life should be sacrificed to save five lives. But to many people, pushing the large man just &#8220;feels wrong&#8221; because it triggers more negative emotions than pulling a switch. In this case, emotion seems to trump reason. &#160;
In recent years, psychology and neuroscience have entered the debate over the roles of reason and emotion in moral judgment. Researchers can scan brain activity as individuals make making moral judgments. Research shows that different brain areas associated are active during contemplation of the footbridge dilemma versus the trolley dilemma.
Inspired by Greene, Sommerville, Nystrom, Darley and Cohen, this video demonstrates how to design moral dilemma tasks and integrate them into experiments using using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology.1

Analyse moralischer Urteile mit fMRI

Source: William Brady &#38; Jay Van Bavel&#8212;New York University
In examining the roles of reason and emotion in moral judgments, psychologists and ...

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Psychologie

Grundlagen der Sozialpsycholgie

Decision-making and the Iowa Gambling Task

Source: Laboratories of Jonas T. Kaplan and Sarah I. Gimbel&#8212;University of Southern California
Decision-making is an important component of human executive function, in which a choice about a course of action or cognition is made from many possibilities. Damage to the inferior parts of the frontal lobes can affect a person's ability to make good decisions. However, while decision-making deficits can have a large impact on one's life, these deficits can be difficult to quantify in the laboratory. In the mid-1990s, a task was designed to mimic real life decision-making in the laboratory. This task, known as the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), is a cognitively complex task used widely in research and clinical studies as a highly sensitive measure of decision-making ability.1-3
In the IGT, a participant is shown four decks of cards and chooses to reveal a card from one deck on each turn. When a card is turned over, the participant will receive some money, but sometimes will also be required to pay a penalty. Two of the decks have higher payoffs, but also have high penalties such that choosing from these decks leads to a net loss in the long term. The other two decks have lower payoffs, but also present smaller penalties, so that choosing from these decks leads to a net gain. Thus, to make an advantageous choice, participants must integrate information about losses and gains over time.
This video demonstrates how to administer the IGT to compare the performance of patients with damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex to a group of matched control subjects, revealing the unique contribution of this brain region to decision-making.

Decision-making and the Iowa Gambling Task- Effect of VMPFC Damage

Entscheidungsfindung und die Iowa Gambling Task

Source: Laboratories of Jonas T. Kaplan and Sarah I. Gimbel&#8212;University of Southern California
Decision-making is an important component of human ...