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Changing value through cued approach: an automatic mechanism of behavior change
Tom Schonberg1, Akram Bakkour1, Ashleigh M Hover2
11] Imaging Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA. [2].
Nature Neuroscience
|March 11, 2014
Summary
This study demonstrates that associating an irrelevant sound with food items can alter their perceived value and influence choices long-term. This method changes how the brain processes preferences, impacting decision-making.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Decision Science
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Choice behavior is thought to reflect underlying item values.
- Subjective values can be altered by reward learning or problem description, but direct perturbation of intrinsic values remains underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if intrinsic values of food items can be manipulated through associative learning.
- To determine the longevity and neural basis of such value modulation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized cue-approach training, pairing an irrelevant auditory cue with specific food items.
- Employed eye-tracking during choice tasks to measure attention.
- Conducted neuroimaging (fMRI) to observe brain activity during value-based decision-making.
Main Results:
- Cue-approach training significantly modulated the value of food items, influencing subsequent choices.
- These effects persisted for at least two months post-training.
- Eye-tracking revealed increased attention towards cued items.
- Neuroimaging showed amplified preference-related activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex.
Conclusions:
- Intrinsic item values can be effectively perturbed using associative learning with irrelevant cues.
- This value modulation has lasting effects on choice behavior and is associated with specific neural changes in value-processing brain regions.
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