Oscillatory mechanisms related to (pre-)reflective decision-making
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1
University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Brain & Cognition, The Netherlands
In settings when a quick and complex decision is crucial to a successful outcome people often rely on pre-deliberate decisions. For instance, in crisis situations or in tennis ('a game of emergencies') a quick and intuitive response to a complex situation is critical for saving lives or, less dramatic, for winning a match. Through extensive training and experience intuitive decisions can often become highly sophisticated and adept. In this talk I will present data demonstrating how expertise modulates neural responses during perceptual decision-making. We recorded EEG signals while participants were asked to make a diagnosis after seeing a sample (a complex visual pattern) of fictive patient data. This sample could either belong to a sick or to a healthy patient. Participants gradually learned to distinguish sick from healthy patterns, while indicating on each occasion how they made their decision (i.e., guessing, intuitive or rational choice). Results demonstrate that the level of (conscious) knowledge about the decision is reflected in increased levels of frontocentral and occipital theta power during evidence accrual and enhanced frontopolar and occipital beta power prior to the actual choice. Further, we observed different amounts of fronto-occipital beta coherence briefly before the choice was made, suggesting enhanced fronto-occipital functional connectivity as the level of expertise increased. These findings indicate that expertise increases top-down control and boosts information integration in the brain during perceptual decision-making.
Keywords:
Awareness,
Learning,
Visual Perception,
decision-making,
EEG
Conference:
XII International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON-XII), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 27 Jul - 31 Jul, 2014.
Presentation Type:
Poster
Topic:
Cognition and Executive Processes
Citation:
Wokke
ME and
Ridderinkhof
K
(2015). Oscillatory mechanisms related to (pre-)reflective decision-making.
Conference Abstract:
XII International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON-XII).
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2015.217.00324
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Received:
19 Feb 2015;
Published Online:
24 Apr 2015.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Martijn E Wokke, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Brain & Cognition, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, martijnwokke@gmail.com