Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered that the brain’s decision-making algorithms are implemented through a neurological circuit and the habenula, a small structure located deep in the brain. Research results published In Nature Neuroscience.
The purpose of the study by American scientists was to determine the source of cognitive rewards – for example, the mechanism by which a person can feel joy when accessing the necessary information. It turns out that the desire for certain information or the reluctance to receive this information significantly affects the decision-making process.
This became clear as a result of an experiment in which 824 volunteers participated. The main task of the subjects was to choose between two option sentences representing options to receive a certain amount of virtual money with different (pre-known or unknown) probabilities. Researchers were interested in hidden factors that could provide strong motivation to choose one option over another.
In the research, the team discovered that the habenula, a small element located deep in the brain, is involved in the decision-making process. This is an ancient vertebrate brain structure that plays a key role in controlling the activity of the reward system. Habenula is stated to be the main regulator of dopamine.
Another finding was that people tend to seek information to resolve uncertainty. The experiment showed that greater uncertainty (the potential to receive a large amount of virtual money when choosing one of the options) encouraged subjects to satisfy their curiosity, even though such information had no practical value. Scientists explained that this phenomenon is called non-instrumental information seeking.
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