William Atkins
Monday, 30 March 2009 20:43
Science -
Biology
Page 2 of 3
The participants rated the various vacation locations as to how much they liked the spots (how happy it would make them to go there) while being scanned.
The researchers then chose the locations that were rated the same by the participants.
They people were then asked to choose between pairs, which one they liked the better.
The researchers already saw through the fMRI scans which ones of the vacation spots showed more activity in the caudate nucleus region of the brain. This brain region, within the basal ganglia of the brain, is involved with the control of voluntary movements, a part of the brain's learning and memory system, and associated with the anticipation of future rewards.
The vacation spots that showed the more activity in the caudate nucleus when the participants were first scanned (and initially rated the vacation locations) predicted which vacation spot would be rated higher by the volunteers when a pair was later rated.
Specifically, the authors stated,
“Our functional magnetic resonance imaging findings reveal that postchoice changes in preference are tracked in caudate nucleus activity. Specifically, the difference in blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal associated with the selected and rejected stimuli was enhanced after a decision was taken, reflecting the choice that had just been made.” [Abstract]
Page three discusses their conclusion. You can choose if you believe them or not, but it may change your future decisions on this topic.
