title: The child brain computes and utilizes internalized maternal choices.
abstract: As children grow, they gradually learn how to make decisions independently. However, decisions like choosing healthy but less-tasty foods can be challenging for children whose self-regulation and executive cognitive functions are still maturing. We propose a computational decision-making process in which children estimate their mother's choices for them as well as their individual food preferences. By employing functional magnetic resonance imaging during real food choices, we find that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) encodes children's own preferences and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) encodes the projected mom's choices for them at the time of children's choice. Also, the left dlPFC region shows an inhibitory functional connectivity with the vmPFC at the time of children's own choice. Our study suggests that in part, children utilize their perceived caregiver's choices when making choices for themselves, which may serve as an external regulator of decision-making, leading to optimal healthy decisions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 5030 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, USA.
authors.forename: Seung-Lark
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, Kanas 66160, USA.
authors.forename: J Bradley C
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Cherry
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, Kanas 66160, USA.|Center for Children's Healthy Lifestyles &Nutrition, 610 East 2nd Street, Kansas City, Missouri 66108, USA.
authors.forename: Ann M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology, 194 Toomey Hall, Rolla, Missouri 65409, USA.|School of Engineering and Computer Science, Shiv Nadar University, NH91, Tehsil Dadri, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh 201314.
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Balakrishnan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 5030 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, USA.|Department of Pediatrics, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, Kanas 66160, USA.
authors.forename: Oh-Ryeong
authors.initials: OR
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 5030 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, USA.
authors.forename: Jared M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, Kanas 66160, USA.|Center for Children's Healthy Lifestyles &Nutrition, 610 East 2nd Street, Kansas City, Missouri 66108, USA.
authors.forename: Amanda S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Bruce
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*