title: The neural basis of decision making.
abstract: The study of decision making spans such varied fields as neuroscience, psychology, economics, statistics, political science, and computer science. Despite this diversity of applications, most decisions share common elements including deliberation and commitment. Here we evaluate recent progress in understanding how these basic elements of decision formation are implemented in the brain. We focus on simple decisions that can be studied in the laboratory but emphasize general principles likely to extend to other settings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6074, USA. jigold@mail.med.upenn.edu
authors.forename: Joshua I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Gold
authors.forename: Michael N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Shadlen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D010465:Perception / Q000502:physiology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011601:Psychophysics; D014836:Volition / Q000502:physiology