Neural computations of decision utility
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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Measuring the Subjective Value of Risky and Ambiguous Options using Experimental Economics and Functional MRI Methods
Published on: September 19, 2012
1Psychology Department, 1503 E University Blvd, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA. asanfey@u.arizona.edu
Abstract:
How are decision alternatives represented in the primate brain? A recent study by Sugrue et al. sought to answer this question by integrating behavioral, computational and physiological methods in examining the choice patterns of monkeys placed in a dynamic foraging environment. They observed specific encoding of the relative value of alternatives by neurons in the parietal cortex, providing an important starting point for researchers interested in how value and probability are combined in the brain to arrive at decision outcomes.
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