A Push For Examining Subjective Experience in Value-Based Decision-Making
Drew C. Schreiner, Ege A. Yalcinbas, C. Gremel
Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences April 15, 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.03.020 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that neurobiological investigations of decision-making have generally ignored continuous subjective experience by focusing on discrete averaged behaviors and task parameters, and proposes that integrating the continuous, experiential nature of behavior into research would improve understanding of neural mechanisms, with particular relevance for disorders like addiction. |
Abstract
Subjective experience is a powerful contributor to value-based decision-making. Not every decision is the same, nor made in isolation. Rather, decision-making relies on historical information and internal states for adaptive control. Hence, it is inherently continuous with respect to time - one decision or action evolves into the next. However, forays into the neurobiological underpinnings of decision-making have too frequently ignored the contribution of such continuous subjective experience, instead tying circuit activity and brain area involvement to discrete averaged behaviors and task parameters. While much information has been gained through these investigations, recent works have demonstrated the potential for a greater understanding of neural mechanisms when the continuous, experiential nature of behavior is integrated into the investigation. Such integration has important implications for disease states with disordered decision-making such as addiction, where subjective experience is a large contributor to the disorder.