Info request: Decision Making – Brain Activity

[Vexer]

I’m interested in experiments that allege to show that ‘decisions’ are made before people are ‘consciously’ aware they’ve made them. I vaguely recall Californian experiments in the 70’s that showed this, and more recently in London.

 

If anyone has links? (Specific to the above).

 

 

But also, any criticisms of these results or methods. Because the implications are profound.

 

Should I believe that ‘consciousness’ plays no role in our day to day lives? That it’s a back-seat driver to ‘intelligence’. Our consciousness retro-justifies our actions, after they’ve been made?

 

What do these experiments really show?

 

Data first.

[thedarkshade]

There is a dose of autonomy in brain, but I think that unconscious decisions sound to much familiar with instincts.

[Mr Skeptic]

Why would you expect to be conscious of a decision the instant that your subconscious makes it? It would be impossible for you to be conscious of all your thought processes, as that would require an infinite recursion. So the vast majority of your thought is unconscious. Since it takes time for information to travel along the brain, it is possible to figure out the choice you made before you are aware of making it (because electric signals travel faster than brain signals). However, interpreting the data from your brain is complicated so they typically need to have some sample data to match your brain waves with your answer.

[Glider]

I’m interested in experiments that allege to show that ‘decisions’ are made before people are ‘consciously’ aware they’ve made them. I vaguely recall Californian experiments in the 70’s that showed this, and more recently in London.

 

If anyone has links? (Specific to the above).

Here are a few relating to the Bereitschaftspotential (readiness potential), which is probably the most commonly cited example of motor cortex activity associated with a voluntary motor action preceding the conscious decision to perform that action:

 

From Interscience.

From Wikipedia.

And one from a Philosophical standpoint (ASSC publications).

 

But also, any criticisms of these results or methods. Because the implications are profound.

 

Should I believe that ‘consciousness’ plays no role in our day to day lives? That it’s a back-seat driver to ‘intelligence’. Our consciousness retro-justifies our actions, after they’ve been made?

You should believe what you decide is the best explanation of the phenomenon after evaluating the evidence.

 

What do these experiments really show?

That neurological preparation for a voluntary motor action precedes the conscious decision to perform that action by about 0.5 seconds.

[dichotomy]

 

From Interscience.

 

I got a "Session Cookie Error" wuth this one?

[Glider]

Hmmm, me too. It was fine yesterday.

 

Just google 'Bereitschaftspotential' or 'readiness potential'. Plenty will come up.

[arthur]

I’m interested in experiments that allege to show that ‘decisions’ are made before people are ‘consciously’ aware they’ve made them.

 

.Hi Vexer and all, I am a new member.

 

Simplistically; The answer is yes. Consciousness is the brains only portal to the outside world via the senses. There are basically three levels, Un, Sub and Full.

Sub consciousness is the state of everyday normal monitoring of ones environment without awareness. Full consciousness is used by the brain in conjunction with the state of awareness, not only to monitor the effects of any actions it might have promoted but to facilitate the act of concentration for the purpose of gaining more knowledge of that which it is concentrating on with the view of understanding.

 

The brain cannot concentrate on more than one thing at any one time The brain can only do two things (1) promote physical activity and (2) correlate, interrelate, evaluate and store the results of stimuli it receives from the senses.

 

Because the implications are profound.

 

Yes, when and if this obviousness becomes general knowledge, if it is understood, it will certainly put a cat amongst a great number of "research" pigeons not least, for the individual, in self analysis but for most of what to day is termed as "science" etc. etc. It could indeed be Pandora's box.

 

Should I believe that ‘consciousness’ plays no role in our day to day lives? That it’s a back-seat driver to ‘intelligence’. Our consciousness retro-justifies our actions, after they’ve been made?

 

No, Although one cannot concentrate on more that one 'thing' at any one time it is a fundamental facet of life per se.

 

Unless one can maintain objectivity this kind of abstract study can be pretty dangerous and I recommend that you and anyone else change your interests to something more tangible and important, maybe horticulture. But if you do persist the key to greater intellectual understanding is to define and so understand the key words, most of which the meanings of are pretty ambiguous.

 

For example *What is intelligence ?

 

Any information received via the senses should be considered as experience.

Human beings have the wherewithal to experience as well as to hold memory of experience, it is this which facilitates learning, anything learned becomes knowledge. The skill and success with which this learning is used is indicative of intelligence.

Knowledge is no more than the result of experience.

 

All creatures have, to a greater or lesser degree, the wherewithal to experience as well as to hold memory of experience, it is this which facilitates learning, anything learned becomes knowledge. The skill and success with which this learning is used is indicative of intelligence. This applies to all creatures from microbes, fruit flies and elephants.

Given that such creatures as maggots, crabs and apes have intelligence what is it that makes them different from you and I?

* What is the difference?

 

 

arthur...

[Vexer]

(I'm googling.... will get back).

 

I was only hoping for the specific info I requested.