A brain imaging study of the choice procedure

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Rustichini, A; Dickhaut, J; Ghirardato, P; Smith, K; Pardo, JV
• 署名单位: University of Turin; University of Turin; University of Minnesota System; University of Minnesota Twin Cities; University of Minnesota System; University of Minnesota Twin Cities; Kansas State University; University of Minnesota System; University of Minnesota Twin Cities; US Department of Veterans Affairs; Veterans Health Administration (VHA); Minneapolis VA Health Care System
• 刊物名称: GAMES AND ECONOMIC BEHAVIOR
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0899-8256
• DOI: 10.1016/j.geb.2004.08.005
• 发表日期: 2005
• 页码: 257-282
• 关键词: brain imaging; decision theory; ambiguity; procedural choice

摘要

We study the behavior of subjects facing choices between certain, risky, and ambiguous lotteries. Subjects' choices are consistent with the economic theories modeling ambiguity aversion. Our results support the conjecture that subjects face choice tasks as an estimation of the value of the lotteries, and that the difficulty of the choice is an important explanatory variable (in addition to risk and ambiguity aversion). The brain imaging data suggest that such estimation is of an approximate nature when the choices involve ambiguous and risky lotteries, as the regions in the brain that are activated are typically located in parietal lobes. Thus such choices require mental faculties that are shared by all mammals, and in particular are independent of language. In contrast, choices involving partial ambiguous lotteries additionally produce an activation of the frontal region, which indicates a different, more sophisticated cognitive process. (c) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.