Work

The Neurobiology of Decision-Making and Responsibility: Reconciling Mechanism and Mindedness

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: This essay reviews recent developments in neurobiology which are beginning to expose the mechanisms that underlie some elements of decision-making that bear on attributions of responsibility. These "elements" have been mainly studied in simple perceptual decision tasks, which are performed similarly by humans and non-human primates. Here we consider the role of neural noise, and suggest that thinking about the role of noise can shift the focus of discussions of randomness in decision-making away from its role in enabling alternate possibilities and toward a potential grounding role for responsibility.

Source: Frontiers in Neuroscience

DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2012.00056

Authors: Michael N. Shadlen, Adina L. Roskies

Institutions: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Dartmouth College

Language: English

Topic: Free Will and Agency

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,801