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Related Concept Videos

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...
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...
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...
Heuristics01:21

Heuristics

Heuristics are problem-solving strategies that use mental shortcuts to simplify decision-making. Unlike algorithms, which must be followed precisely to achieve a correct result, heuristics offer a general problem-solving framework. They save time and energy but can sometimes lead to less rational decisions.
People often rely on heuristics when faced with an overload of information, limited time, low importance of the decision, limited information, or when a heuristic readily comes to mind. For...
Problem-Solving01:29

Problem-Solving

Effective problem-solving consists of two steps: 1. identifying the problem and 2. selecting the appropriate problem-solving strategy (i.e., a plan of action used to find a solution). Humans use four problem-solving strategies:

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal
06:45

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal

Published on: April 18, 2017

Choosing goals, not rules: deciding among rule-based action plans.

Christian Klaes1, Stephanie Westendorff, Shubhodeep Chakrabarti

  • 1Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Göttingen, Germany.

Neuron
|May 11, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Primates simultaneously represent multiple movement goals when facing rule uncertainty. They weigh these potential goals to select a behavior, demonstrating complex decision-making in movement planning.

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Combining Computer Game-Based Behavioural Experiments With High-Density EEG and Infrared Gaze Tracking
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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal
06:45

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal

Published on: April 18, 2017

Combining Computer Game-Based Behavioural Experiments With High-Density EEG and Infrared Gaze Tracking
13:40

Combining Computer Game-Based Behavioural Experiments With High-Density EEG and Infrared Gaze Tracking

Published on: December 16, 2010

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Primate Behavior

Background:

  • Movement planning often requires inferring goals from sensory cues based on learned rules.
  • Uncertainty about which rule applies complicates movement planning, involving both rule selection and goal computation.
  • It remains unclear if primates compute multiple goals concurrently or sequentially select a rule before goal representation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how primates represent movement goals when multiple rules are possible.
  • To determine if primates compute multiple potential movement goals simultaneously under rule uncertainty.

Main Methods:

  • Electrophysiological recordings from frontoparietal reach areas in monkeys.
  • Behavioral tasks involving sensory cues and rule-based movement choices.
  • Analysis of neural activity patterns during decision-making.

Main Results:

  • Neurons in frontoparietal areas simultaneously represent two distinct rule-based movement goals.
  • These concurrently represented goals are influenced by the monkeys' choice preferences.
  • Evidence suggests primates weigh competing movement goals before selecting an action.

Conclusions:

  • Primates appear to compute multiple movement goals in parallel when faced with rule uncertainty.
  • The selection of a behavioral option involves a process of weighing these competing goals.
  • This finding sheds light on the neural mechanisms underlying complex decision-making and movement planning in primates.