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Predicting free choices for abstract intentions
- Source :
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 110:6217-6222
- Publication Year :
- 2013
- Publisher :
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013.
-
Abstract
- Unconscious neural activity has been repeatedly shown to precede and potentially even influence subsequent free decisions. However, to date, such findings have been mostly restricted to simple motor choices, and despite considerable debate, there is no evidence that the outcome of more complex free decisions can be predicted from prior brain signals. Here, we show that the outcome of a free decision to either add or subtract numbers can already be decoded from neural activity in medial prefrontal and parietal cortex 4 s before the participant reports they are consciously making their choice. These choice-predictive signals co-occurred with the so-called default mode brain activity pattern that was still dominant at the time when the choice-predictive signals occurred. Our results suggest that unconscious preparation of free choices is not restricted to motor preparation. Instead, decisions at multiple scales of abstraction evolve from the dynamics of preceding brain activity.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Male
Time Factors
Unconscious mind
Brain activity and meditation
Decision Making
Posterior parietal cortex
Intention
Choice Behavior
Brain mapping
Developmental psychology
Young Adult
Prospective memory
Reaction Time
Humans
Default mode network
Motor skill
Brain Mapping
Multidisciplinary
Hemodynamics
Brain
Biological Sciences
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Frontal Lobe
Frontal lobe
Motor Skills
Linear Models
Female
Psychology
Cognitive psychology
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 10916490 and 00278424
- Volume :
- 110
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....e7dfc58c24f14d7b8cb610c94d6c2ced