decisions tagged posts

In an unprecedented new study, researchers have shown neurotransmitters in the human brain are released during the processing of the emotional content of language, providing new insights into how people interpret the significance of words.

The work, conducted by an international team led by Virginia Tech scientists, offers deeper understanding into how language influences human choices and mental health.

Spearheaded by computational neuroscientist Read Montague, a professor of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and director of the institute’s Center for Human Neuroscience Resear...

The hippocampus is particularly active when a person solves conflicts quickly and successfully. Credit: © RUB, Grafik: Bierstedt

In everyday life, people are confronted with decision conflicts, especially if they need to suppress an action that would have made sense under normal circumstances. eg when the pedestrian lights go green, a pedestrian would normally start walking. If, however, a car comes speeding along at the same time, the pedestrian should stay where he is.

METHOD: Study participants heard the words “high” or “low” spoken in a high or low tone, and they had to state – regardless of the meaning of the word – at what pitch the speaker said them...