Brain can make logical moves against biases
Washington, Aug. 18: We all make decisions influenced by existing biases or beliefs, these decisions at times seem to be irrational. But a recent study suggests that our brain is capable of making logical decisions by setting aside these previously held notions.
The research has highlighted the importance that the brain places on the accumulation of evidence during decisionmaking, as well as how prior knowledge is assessed and updated as the brain incorporates new evidence over time.
According to the study's senior author Michael Shadlen ( MD, PhD), we interact with the world every day and our brains constantly form opinions and beliefs about our surroundings. Sometimes the knowledge is gained through education or through a feedback we receive. But in many cases, we learn not from a teacher, but from the accumulation of our own experiences.
For example, consider an oncologist who has to determine the best course of treatment for a patient diagnosed with cancer. Based on the doctor's prior knowledge and her previous experiences with cancer patients, she may already have an opinion about what treatment combination can be recommended, even before examining the new patent's complete medical history.
But each new patient brings new information, or evidence, that must be weighed against the doctor's prior knowledge and experiences. The central question, the researchers of today's study asked, was whether, or to what extent, that prior knowledge would be modified if someone is presented with new or conflicting evidence.
The researchers asked human participants to watch a group of dots as they moved across a computer screen, like grains of sand blowing in the wind. Over a series of trials, participants judged whether each new group of dots tended to move to the left or right, a tough decision.
As new groups of dots were shown again across several trials, the participants were given a task to judge whether the computer program generating the dots.
Without telling the participants, the researchers had indeed programmed a bias into the computer. — ANI
The research has highlighted the importance that the brain places on the accumulation of evidence during decision- making, as well as how prior knowledge is assessed