Major+Objections+in+Decision+Making+Findings

//"Emotions and feelings are not a luxury, they are a means of communicating our states of mind to others. But they are also a way of guiding our own judgments and decisions. Emotions bring the body into the loop of reason."// //- Antonio Damasio//

The brain's prefrontal cortex is greatly responsible for decision-making along with cognitive behaviors, expression of personality, and moderation for correct social behavior.The prefrontal cortex also plays a role in orchestrating thoughts and actions with internal goals. People who suffer from damage to the prefrontal cortex have been reported to take a different approach, than others, when it comes to decision making.

Damasio, Bechara and associates preformed a gambling study involving patients with damage to the prefrontal cortex along with controlled patients. In their study they allowed patients to choose from 4 decks of cards, A, B, C, D. Deck A and B had a gain of 100 points while decks C and D had a gain of 50. All decks had an unpredictable penalties or loss. A and B had higher losses than C and D so overall, decks C and D where a better choice. B had a higher yet less of a frequent punishment the deck A. Decks C and D had differences in probability and amount of losses. Controlled patients where first attracted to Decks A and B but after a great loss, they began to choose C and D. The controlled patients recognized that decks C and D where better choices in the long run. The Patients with prefrontal lobe damage however, where still attracted to A and B and continued to choose these decks despite there great looses.

Patients suffering from prefrontal cortex damage show emotional deficits. Bechara, Damasio and associates suggest that anticipatory emotional responses are necessary for successful decision-making. They argued that damage to the prefrontal cortex leads to a focus on immediate consequences because patients with prefrontal brain damage are insensitive to future consequences. Damage to the prefrontal cortex is known to cause a decrease in emotional reactions along with a lack of emotional regulation.

media type="youtube" key="1wup_K2WN0I" height="349" width="560" align="center"



Antonio Damasio formulated the somatic-marker hypothesis. Somatic markers are processed in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex with in the brain. This hypothesis states how our emotions can guide behavior, and decision-making. Having too little emotion or absence of emotion, when making a decision, is just as bad as having too much emotion. Damasio argues that our emotions guide and influence us through out our decisions making process. When we encounter a tough decision, in some cases, we are unable to come to a decision by only using our cognitive mind.

There are objections and differing opinions on almost all the aspect of decision making, even defining it has proven to be difficult. One of the major objections is over the role of emotion in decisions. The book states the example of a man angry that his neighbor lets his dog wander about the neighborhood leaving messes behind. The man threatens to take his neighbor to court. Rational thinking would lead the neighbor to believe that the cost of a legal remedy would involve too much time and money for the man to pursue, however, if the man was very angry, he could be angry enough to ignore personal co st in order to punish his neighbor.



The rational choice theory is being criticized as. Critics say that it is not an accurate description of what people do. In some studies they show that people tend to veer away from what is expected in favor of decisions perceived to be fairer. In both the study on the allocation of monetary resources being divided as well as the study on the (tragedy in commons) study by Garrett Hardin, 1968.

In the Tragedy in Commons study, they found that when resources needed to be conserved by medievil cow hearders in order for them all to prosper, even though being selfish would have benefitted the individual, the herders worked cooperatively in order for them all to benefit, In these studies, People tended to not choose the outcome that would personally be in their best interest, but instead make decisions based on what was fair for all. Meaning the people tended to be “better than rational”

Damasio A.R. (1994) //Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason and the Human Brain////,// Putnam: __New York__.
 * //References//**

Oxfamblogs.com. //Rational Choice// [Photograph]. Retrieved from []

CartoonStock.com. //Human Error.// [Photograph]. Retrieved from []

Images.wikia.com. //Lowadecks// [Photograph]. Retrieved from []

Medin, DL, Ross, BH, Markman, AB (2005) Cognitive Psychology (Fourth Edition) New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons

FORAtv. //When Emotions make better decisions-Antonio Demasion// [Web]. Available from []