Sources of rationality: arousal and the use of rational and heuristic decision strategies
Funded in the years 2018-2020 by the European Commision with the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship at Leiden University. This project aimes to advance a theoretical model of the impact of emotional arousal on decision strategy use, and to test this model in experiments with the use of neuroscience methods: fMRI, EEG and eyetracking.
Research in psychology and neuroscience has provided a rich amount of data on the ways in which humans make decisions. Behavioral studies show that for various kinds of problems, people often use simple decision heuristics in order to overcome limitations in time, knowledge and cognitive abilities. Neurophysiological studies show that the use of decision strategies is associated with activation of various brain structures, including novel parts of the cortex and old, subcortical structures. Research by the author of this proposal suggests that the neural systems governing arousal may shape predecisional information processing and decision strategy use. Advanced studies by the supervisor of this project show in detail how arousal systems impact cognitive functions, with a special focus on attention. The knowledge of the dynamics of attention can be applied to advance our understanding of decision-making and the use of rational and heuristic strategies.
The general aim of this project is to explore the neural underpinnings of decision-making. Specifically, this project aims to advance a theoretical model of the impact of arousal on decision strategy use, and to test this model in experiments with the use of various neuroscience methods: fMRI, EEG and eye-tracking. The applicant will receive intensive training focused on acquiring advanced skills of fMRI, EEG and eye-tracking data acquisition and analysis. The training will take place at the Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, which hosts several groups that work on topics of close relevance for the current proposal. In turn, the applicant will contribute knowledge of value-based decision making, including the knowledge of computational models of decision-making, the impact of stress on cognition and the role of hormones in decision making. This will allow for a mutual exchange of skills and ideas between the host and the applicant, which should result in novel insights into the mechanisms of decision making.
Sources of rationality 2: the role of inhibition and its neural substrate in decision strategy use
Sources of rationality 2 project (funded by National Science Center of Poland) investigates how our ability to inhibit actions shapes the way we make complex decisions. It explores the relationship between rational and heuristic decision strategies and the functioning of the brain’s inhibition network, which includes regions in the prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia. Using fMRI, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and deep brain stimulation (DBS), the project examines how disrupting or enhancing this network influences both cognitive control and decision-making.
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One part of the project explores behavioral and neural representations of the urgency effect on strategy use and decision making
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Second part look for clinical importance of inhibition network in simulation studies of healthy participants and patients with Parkinson’s desease
Decision-making is a process in which thoughts turn into actions, and this process impacts our lives and shapes the world we live in. Some decisions are made in an impulsive manner, with only one reason in mind and other reasons ignored. This is in sharp contrast to the notion of perfect rationality – that one should carefully consider all available information before making a choice. For such a rational process to happen it is important that we withhold the decision, in order to process more information before committing to the final choice. How does the ability to put a brake on our actions impact the choices we make? Are some people better at it than others? How do their brains do it? Philosophers and economists often postulate that when making complex decisions, humans should process all available information, carefully weighing the choice options, their attributes and combining this in a complex manner to arrive at options’ overall evaluations which then can be compared. This is the “gold standard” of rationality with which human decision making is compared. However, people, rather than being perfectly rational, often use heuristics (mental shortcuts) to simplify decision problems and make choices faster. This happens, for example, under time pressure or stress. Also, some people use these shortcuts more often than others. Is it because their brains cannot withhold the decision a little longer?
How to find it out? Research has showed that a ‘braking network’ exists in the human brain, in the surface cortex areas and also deeper, in the basal ganglia - a tightly packed structure important for thought, motivation and action. We propose that our ability to make rational decisions rests on the brain’s ability to brake. We think that efficient functioning of the braking network is essential here, if it does not function well, there is a greater chance that we will use shortcuts to make choices. We will study the functioning of this braking network with three different methods: functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and deep brain stimulation (DBS). fMRI is a brain imaging technique that allows us to measure brain activity during thinking. We will use fMRI to map the surface and deep brain structures of the braking network and see how their work when we make choices. TMS is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique using magnetic pulses, tested in many previous studies. Stimulating the brain’s cortex (from outside the head) results in short inhibition of neural processing in the stimulated area. We will study healthy adult volunteers to see if inhibiting their braking network results in using mental shortcuts to make choices. DBS is an electrical stimulation technique used to treat Parkinson’s disease patients. The stimulation is delivered to a brain part important in the braking network. We will study Parkinson’s disease patients treated with DBS, to see how they make decisions when the stimulation is working and when it is switched off.
Why is it important and what will we learn? With this project, we will find out how our ability to withhold actions translates to making complex decisions with multiple criteria. We will be able to precisely see the brain activations that underlie the use of rational decision rules, both in the surface areas of the brain, and deep inside. We will be also able to see if stimulation of this braking mechanism results in making fast decisions with heuristics. The studies will bring important knowledge on the brain mechanisms of decision making. This knowledge can help us minimize the negative impact of impulsive decisions, which are often associated with problems like gambling or substance abuse. As part of the brain stimulation studies, the project involves Parkinson’s disease patients. Studying brain processes in Parkinson’s disease might help us find early signs of this devastating disease, and use them to predict its onset and course.
Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Politics of Adolescence & Democracy (IP-PAD)
IP-PAD addresses a timely and pressing societal question: how the developing cognition and brain of young adolescents influences how they process political information and their political behaviour. Across Europe, trust in democratic institutions is under pressure. Political polarization, disinformation, and declining voter turnout are eroding democratic resilience. At the same time, youth disengagement from politics is rising, and satisfaction with democracy is particularly low among younger generations.
Its importance: Youth engagement with politics has always been crucial for the future of democracy as the adolescents of today become the voting citizens of tomorrow. Globally as well as in Europe, youth satisfaction with democracy is declining, both in absolute terms but also relative to how older generations felt at the same stages in life. This dissatisfaction may push youngsters towards apathy and abstention or towards radicalized attitudes, populism, identification with fringe groups, and deep engagement with disinformation. Both scenarios raise concerns about the future of liberal democracies in Europe.
The problem: Adolescence is a critical developmental period, the onset of which is defined biologically but the end of which is defined culturally. Political science has described in-depth youth political (dis)engagement but it lacks an understanding of the underlying mechanisms which produce it. Developmental psychology and neuroscience can address this problem because it has the tools and theories to understand how adolescents process social information, exert cognitive and self-control, regulate their emotions and engage in prospective cognition. However, developmental psychology and neuroscience have largely ignored the question of how the developing brain processes political information. While prolific in their own respect, these two perspectives have till now been kept separate. IP-PAD argues that a rigorous understanding of how adolescents process political information requires the integration of these two strands.
Our approach: IP-PAD will integrate for the first time, in systematic, rigorous and mutually beneficial ways, two areas of research: the rich literature on youth political engagement from the perspective of political and social sciences and the insights we have obtained from the emerging field of developmental neuroscience on the wide-ranging changes that occur in the adolescent brain. IP-PAD aims to study and understand how the developing adolescent brain in the different sociopolitical contexts of five European countries underpins the emergence of the social, and eventually, political self of Generation Alpha.
How flexible are people in ignoring information while making decisions? Impact of the task dynamic, strategy preferences and individual differences
Despite limited knowledge and resources people perform adaptive decisions by focusing on the most important information and ignoring less informative information. However, in recent years some studies have shown that people struggle to ignore irrelevant cues. Little is still known about the impact of individual differences and task dynamic on this effect. The aim of this project is to investigate how flexible people are in ignoring information during complex decision-making. The impact of the task dynamic and individual differences will be studied at the behavioral and psychophysiological levels.
Uncertainty, Trust and Decision-Making in AI-Assisted Brain Tumour Segmentation for Radiotherapy
Deep learning methods are increasingly used in radiotherapy, yet their impact on clinicians’ decision-making is still not well understood. This project focuses on one of the most established applications: automatic segmentation of brain tumours for radiotherapy planning. Although these models can accelerate contouring and reduce variability between clinicians, their outputs continue to require careful review and correction.
The project examines how information about model uncertainty – indicating where the algorithm is more or less confident – shapes clinicians’ trust, decision-making, and cognitive load. Using a mixed-methods approach (including interviews, experimental tasks, and behavioural measures), it investigates whether uncertainty visualisations can reduce inter- and intra-rater variability, support faster yet safe decisions, and promote more transparent use of AI-based tools in clinical practice.