Book contents
- Cognitive Neuroscience of Decision-Making
- Cognitive Neuroscience of Decision-Making
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Glossary
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Executive Function and Cognitive Control
- 3 The Prefrontal Cortex
- 4 Prefrontal Cortex Structure and Organisation
- 5 Neurotransmitters and Neurophysiology
- 6 Memory
- 7 Decision Networks
- 8 Decision-Making Styles and Models of Decision-Making
- 9 Development
- 10 The Role of Childhood Experiences in Decision-Making
- 11 Decision-Making Deficits
- 12 Implications of Decision-Making
- Index
- References
12 - Implications of Decision-Making
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 November 2025
Book contents
- Cognitive Neuroscience of Decision-Making
- Cognitive Neuroscience of Decision-Making
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Glossary
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Executive Function and Cognitive Control
- 3 The Prefrontal Cortex
- 4 Prefrontal Cortex Structure and Organisation
- 5 Neurotransmitters and Neurophysiology
- 6 Memory
- 7 Decision Networks
- 8 Decision-Making Styles and Models of Decision-Making
- 9 Development
- 10 The Role of Childhood Experiences in Decision-Making
- 11 Decision-Making Deficits
- 12 Implications of Decision-Making
- Index
- References
Summary
The complexities of human decision-making have been utilised in the advertising and marketing industry. One such way is through cognitive bias; a systematic pattern in thought processes often based on error or unconscious judgement. Advertisers often research the general views and beliefs of their target population, and tailor their advertising to confirm these viewpoints. From a biological perspective, it is not clear why humans possess this ability in cognitive bias; some suggest it may be beneficial in social advancement. The existence of cognitive bias may lead us to question if we have free will – whether we have complete conscious control over our actions. It is established that many decisions are unconscious, but we do also have the capacity to stop automatic behaviours, so we may argue this means we do have free will.
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Cognitive Neuroscience of Decision-Making , pp. 144 - 151Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
References
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Norman, D. A., & Shallice, T. (1980). Attention to action: Willed and automatic control of behavior. CHIP Report 99, University of California, San Diego.Google Scholar
Norman, D. A., & Shallice, T. (1986). Attention to action: Willed and automatic control of behavior. In Davidson, R., Schwartz, G., & Shapiro, D. (Eds.), Consciousness and self-regulation: Advances in research and theory (Vol. 4, pp. 1–18). Plenum.Google Scholar
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Revell, T. (2013, 18 October). Why free will doesn’t exist, according to Robert Sapolsky. New Scientist. https://tinyurl.com/jhxf8xu5Google Scholar
Rollwage, M., & Fleming, S. M. (2021). Confirmation bias is adaptive when coupled with efficient metacognition. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 376, 20200131. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2020.0131CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shallice, T. (1988). From neuropsychology to mental structure. Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van der Meer, T. G. L. A., Hameleers, M., & Kroon, A. C. (2020). Crafting our own biased media diets: The effects of confirmation, source, and negativity bias on selective attendance to online news. Mass Communication and Society, 23(6), 937–967. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2020.1782432CrossRefGoogle Scholar
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