Thursday Computational Psychiatry seminar series - Nikki Sullivan

Title: Using the temporal dynamics of the decision process to improve choice

Speaker: Dr Nicolette Sullivan (London School of Economics)

Thursday 23 January 14:00

Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research

Russell Square House, 10-12 Russell Square, second floor

Abstract:

Despite decades of research, effective interventions to increase self-control are few and far between. Most research on perceived self-control failure centers around the relative weight placed on immediate and long-term rewards, and how to change these weights. This neglects one fundamental element of the decision process: the brain’s ability to quickly and efficiently estimate and integrate different types of information into the option comparison process. Here, across three studies and domains (dietary, intertemporal, and risky choice), process tracing and cognitive modeling provide converging evidence that the time at which different types of value information enter the decision process can have a profound influence on choice. For example, earlier processing of health (relative to taste) in dietary choice is related to more healthy choices. In a final forth study, a causal manipulation demonstrates that displaying patient, future rewards first – and therefore forcing their processing to be earlier – significantly shifts individuals toward more patient decisions in intertemporal choice. Together, these results suggest an additional avenue through which to nudge behavior that does not rely on the difficult task of improving self-control.