Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2025
07:07
Errors as a Means of Reducing Impulsive Food Choice
Published on: June 5, 2016
8.7K
Evidence for entropy maximisation in human free choice behaviour
Natalie Rens1, Gian Luca Lancia2, Mattia Eluchans2
1Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia.
Cognition
|December 4, 2022
Summary
Individuals prefer more choices, not just higher rewards. This study shows an inference-based model explains decision-making by optimizing both utility and entropy (option availability), enhancing the feeling of free will.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Neuroscience
- Decision-Making Theory
Background:
- The preference for choice over utilitarian value is well-documented.
- Existing decision-making frameworks often fail to integrate choice preference with utility maximization.
- A unified framework is needed to explain free choice behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test an inference-based decision-making model incorporating both utility and entropy.
- To investigate how the availability of options (entropy) influences choice behavior and perceived free will.
- To determine if this model better predicts behavior than traditional expected utility theory.
Main Methods:
- Participants navigated a virtual environment with sequential choices.
- Choice architecture manipulated the number of available options (entropy) and potential rewards (utility).
- Choice behavior, motion dynamics, and self-reported freedom of choice were recorded.
Main Results:
- Choice behavior was better predicted by the inference-based model (optimizing utility and entropy) than by expected utility alone.
- Increased option availability (entropy) and contextual value positively correlated with perceived freedom of choice.
- Behavioral patterns, including navigation dynamics, reflected the optimization of both utility and entropy.
Conclusions:
- Free choice behavior is explained by an inference-based framework optimizing both utility and entropy.
- The feeling of free will is strongly associated with the availability of options.
- This research provides a novel framework for understanding decision-making under conditions of choice.
More Related Videos
08:24The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
Published on: August 25, 2023
785
05:48The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients
Published on: June 12, 2020
5.8K
Related Concept Videos
01:14The Second Law of Thermodynamics
5.4K
In the quest to identify a property that may reliably predict the spontaneity of a process, a promising candidate has been identified: entropy. Scientists refer to the measure of randomness or disorder within a system as entropy. High entropy means high disorder and low energy. To better understand entropy, think of a student’s bedroom. If no energy or work were put into it, the room would quickly become messy. It would exist in a very disordered state, one of high entropy. Energy must be...
5.4K
02:49Second Law of Thermodynamics
24.2K
In the quest to identify a property that may reliably predict the spontaneity of a process, a promising candidate has been identified: entropy. Processes that involve an increase in entropy of the system (ΔS > 0) are very often spontaneous; however, examples to the contrary are plentiful. By expanding consideration of entropy changes to include the surroundings, a significant conclusion regarding the relation between this property and spontaneity may be reached. In thermodynamic...
24.2K
01:20Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics
3.0K
The second law of thermodynamics can be stated quantitatively using the concept of entropy. Entropy is the measure of disorder of the system.
The relation between entropy and disorder can be illustrated with the example of the phase change of ice to water. In ice, the molecules are located at specific sites giving a solid state, whereas, in a liquid form, these molecules are much freer to move. The molecular arrangement has therefore become more randomized. Although the change in average...
The relation between entropy and disorder can be illustrated with the example of the phase change of ice to water. In ice, the molecules are located at specific sites giving a solid state, whereas, in a liquid form, these molecules are much freer to move. The molecular arrangement has therefore become more randomized. Although the change in average...
3.0K
01:22Entropy within the Cell
10.9K
A living cell's primary tasks of obtaining, transforming, and using energy to do work may seem simple. However, the second law of thermodynamics explains why these tasks are harder than they appear. None of the energy transfers in the universe are completely efficient. In every energy transfer, some amount of energy is lost in a form that is unusable. In most cases, this form is heat energy. Thermodynamically, heat energy is defined as the energy transferred from one system to another that...
10.9K
01:10Entropy Change in Reversible Processes
2.7K
In the Carnot engine, which achieves the maximum efficiency between two reservoirs of fixed temperatures, the total change in entropy is zero. The observation can be generalized by considering any reversible cyclic process consisting of many Carnot cycles. Thus, it can be stated that the total entropy change of any ideal reversible cycle is zero.
The statement can be further generalized to prove that entropy is a state function. Take a cyclic process between any two points on a p-V diagram.
The statement can be further generalized to prove that entropy is a state function. Take a cyclic process between any two points on a p-V diagram.
2.7K
01:37Reason and Intuition
6.5K
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...
6.5K