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Related Concept Videos

Reason and Intuition01:37

Reason and Intuition

The human brain processes information for decision-making using one of two routes: an intuitive system and a rational system (Epstein, 1994; popularized by Kahneman, 2011 as System 1 and System 2, respectively). The intuitive system is quick, impulsive, and operates with minimal effort, relying on emotions or habits to provide cues for what to do next, while the rational system is logical, analytical, deliberate, and methodical. Research in neuropsychology suggests that the brain can only use...
Decision Making01:20

Decision Making

Decision-making is a fundamental cognitive process that involves evaluating alternatives and selecting among them. This process can range from simple choices, such as deciding what to wear, to complex decisions, like choosing a major in college or a career path. The complexity of the decision often dictates the approach we use, which can be broadly categorized into two types: automatic and controlled decision-making.
Automatic decision-making is fast, intuitive, and relies on gut feelings...
Timing and Consequences on Behavior01:08

Timing and Consequences on Behavior

In operant conditioning, the timing of reinforcement is crucial. For animals like rats and cats, immediate reinforcement (within a few seconds) is much more effective than delayed reinforcement. For example, a food reward for a rat needs to follow within 30 seconds of pressing a bar to be effective. 
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Decision Making: Traditional Method01:14

Decision Making: Traditional Method

The process of hypothesis testing based on the traditional method includes calculating the critical value, testing the value of the test statistic using the sample data, and interpreting these values.
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is decided based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to this claim is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses, out of which a null hypothesis would be a...
Decision Making: P-value Method01:09

Decision Making: P-value Method

The process of hypothesis testing based on the P-value method includes calculating the P- value using the sample data and interpreting it.
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is proposed. The claim is based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to the claim  is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses:  a null hypothesis would be a neutral statement while the alternative hypothesis can have a...
Hindsight Biases01:12

Hindsight Biases

Hindsight bias leads you to believe that the event you just experienced was predictable, even though it really wasn’t. In other words, you knew all along that things would turn out the way they did. Can you relate this to the phrase "Hindsight is 20/20" now?

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 14, 2026

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
08:24

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

Published on: August 25, 2023

Medial prefrontal cortex predicts intertemporal choice.

Jason P Mitchell1, Jessica Schirmer, Daniel L Ames

  • 1Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Northwest Science Building, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. jason_mitchell@harvard.edu

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
|March 31, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

People often make shortsighted decisions because they struggle to connect with their future selves. Reduced activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vMPFC) during future thinking correlates with present-biased choices.

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Online Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of Dorsomedial and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Cognition Decision Making, and Cognitive Dissonance

Published on: December 5, 2025

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Behavioral Economics

Background:

  • Individuals frequently prioritize immediate rewards over larger future gains, a phenomenon known as present bias.
  • This bias impacts financial planning, health behaviors, and long-term decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying shortsighted decision-making.
  • To explore the role of self-referential processing in intertemporal choice.

Main Methods:

  • Two functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies were conducted.
  • Participants evaluated the anticipated enjoyment of future and present events.
  • Neural activity in self-referential brain regions, particularly the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vMPFC), was measured.

Main Results:

  • Lower vMPFC activity was observed when participants contemplated future events compared to present events.
  • The degree of vMPFC reduction predicted the extent of shortsighted monetary choices made weeks later.
  • This suggests a diminished self-referential processing for future experiences.

Conclusions:

  • Shortsighted decisions are partly driven by a failure to adequately engage self-referential processing for one's future self.
  • The vMPFC plays a crucial role in simulating future subjective experiences.
  • Enhancing future self-connection may mitigate present bias and promote long-term goal achievement.