Center for Neural Decision Making Angelika Dimoka, PhD Director, Center for Neural Decision Making Department of Marketing Fox School of Business Temple University Guest Speaker: Paul A. Pavlou, PhD Associate Professor Department of Management Information Systems Fox School of Business Temple University How Do You Really Decide? Looking “Under the Hood” and into the Brain

Center for Neural Decision Making

Center for Neural Decision Making

Center for Neural Decision Making

Center for Neural Decision Making Photo courtesy Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

Center for Neural Decision Making

Center for Neural Decision Making DLPFC  processing information

Center for Neural Decision Making MRI scanners use RF signals to produce cross-sectional anatomical images fMRI captures brain activity by measuring changes in blood flow functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) MRI Brain Activity + = fMRI

Center for Neural Decision Making functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) MRI Activation + = fMRI Increased localized neuronal activity Increased metabolism Oxygen consumption increased 5% Local Vasodilation Increased blood flow 50% Decreased deoxy- Hb/voxel Less spin dephasing from magnetic field inhomogeneity Increased fMRI signal Task Source: Manbir Singh, USC

Center for Neural Decision Making A ACC NA CN IC PCC Limbic System OBF Prefrontal Cortex DLPFC MPFC iPC VM PFC H Figure 2. The Major Areas of the Brain DLPFC: Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex - VMPFC: Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex - OBF: Orbitofrontal Cortex - MPFC: Medial Prefrontal Cortex - ACC/PCC: Anterior/ Posterior Cingulate Cortex - NA: Nucleus Accumbens - A: Amygdala - H: Hippocampus - CN: Caudate Nucleus - IC: Insular Cortex Motor Cortex Visual Cortex Cerebellum Brain Stem

Center for Neural Decision Making Neutral Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree This system is easy to use

Center for Neural Decision Making Decision Neuroscience The use of neuroscience knowledge and functional brain imaging tools to inform decision making  Identify the brain functionality that underlie human processes (thoughts, beliefs, emotions, behaviors, decisions)  Understanding decision-making by “looking under the hood”  Open the black box of the brain

Center for Neural Decision Making

Center’s Objectives  Foster the advancement of decision neuroscience by enabling inter-disciplinary collaboration and knowledge sharing  Better understand decision making by building models that correspond to how the brain works  Design tools to enhance decision making, such as decision aids and advice-giving systems

Center for Neural Decision Making I can’t think

Center for Neural Decision Making Reducing Information Overload of Air Traffic Controllers

Center for Neural Decision Making Problem: Information Overload due to Complex Decision Environment

Center for Neural Decision Making Solution: Interfaces that facilitate decision-making by reducing information overload  Advances in computational technologies enable interfaces that facilitate decision-making by:  Highlighting or emphasizing primary information  Downplaying or filtering out redundant information  Automating complex calculations and simple decisions  Streamlining routine tasks and straightforward decisions  Substituting difficult/complex tasks with easier/simpler ones  Moving decision-making to more appropriate times (down-time)

Center for Neural Decision Making Rationale for fMRI Study  fMRI data objectively capture level of information overload (i.e., DLPFC) and other emotional processes (e.g., stress)  fMRI data can capture the brain’s functionality in real-time to measure degree of information overload and other (unwanted) adverse emotional processes at all times  Design of interfaces can be guided, tested, and refined by fMRI data that directly measure brain activity Air Traffic Controllers would engage in experimental scenarios of increasing level of complexity equipped with computer interfaces within an fMRI scanner:

Center for Neural Decision Making Experimental Setup  Simulated Interfaces (DESIREE & TGF)  Basic En Route Automation Modernization system  Advanced Automation Support  Conflict probe & Traffic management advisory tools  Scenarios  Volume of traffic  Vertically transitioning aircrafts  Aircraft constrained by Miles-In-Trail restrictions  Traffic on separate but crossing trajectories  Traffic on conflicting crossing trajectories

Center for Neural Decision Making Level of brain activity Task difficulty DLPFC: dorsolateral prefrontal cortex Pilot fMRI Results AmygdalaInsular Cortex

Center for Neural Decision Making  Information Overload  DLPFC activation with increased task difficulty  Sudden drops in DLPFC activation during difficult tasks coupled with amygdala and insular cortex activation  Reduction in Information Overload with enhanced computational interfaces  Healthy levels of DLPFC activation throughout study  Prevent spikes and drops in DPLFC activation  Prevent unwanted adverse emotional reactions Pilot fMRI Results (“Real-time” measurement of brain activity with fMRI)

Center for Neural Decision Making Design Implications  Design of computational interfaces that reduce information overload and facilitate decision-making based on real-time brain activity (through fMRI data)  Guiding design of specific decision-making interventions that prevent information overload at specific difficult tasks  Refinement of context-specific computational interfaces that are guided by brain’s underlying activity

Center for Neural Decision Making  Decision Neuroscience can provide foundations for a deeper and richer understanding of decision making  Build models based on how the brain works  Design tools to enhance human decision-making Opening the ultimate “black box”: Measuring the brain at work How Do We Really Decide?

Center for Neural Decision Making Annual Interdisciplinary Symposium on Decision Neuroscience fox.temple.edu/neural

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