The Role of Consciousness and Emotion in Decision-making: A NeuroPhilosophical Perspective by Akanksha Nambiar
The paper ‘The Role of Consciousness and Emotion in Decision-making: A Neuro-Philosophical Perspective’ highlights the cognitive architecture of human decision-making with a blend of consciousness and emotional domains in socio-economic factors. Humans are engaged in an array of metacognitive activities that surface the elements of reasoning, planning, and executing actions in society. Additionally, they involve being aware consciously or unconsciously while deciding on a particular action, which is fundamental to human existence.
The paper primarily focuses on determining the role of consciousness in decision making and investigating the influence of emotion in our actions. Age is a crucial factor in emotional and financial decision-making. Research indicates that individuals over the age of 50 often exhibit different decision-making styles compared to younger adults. For example, older adults tend to make financial choices that are more optimal, influenced by age-related cognitive changes, selection processes, and generational effects. This emphasizes the critical connection between age, financial decision-making, and the role of intuitive thinking in shaping those choices. Understanding this relationship can provide valuable insights for improving our financial strategies across different life stages. It is essential to acknowledge themes in decision-making that develop a link to behavioural change, thereby bridging the gap in understanding socio-economic and emotional decision-making.
Both these contexts are approached with an agenda to gather a cumulative perspective related to the varied forms and models of consciousness and decision-making theories that support the aim. Further, the paper involves an exciting inclusion of neuroscientific experiments presented by Antonio Damasio, Michael Shadlen, and Stanislas Dehaene, who approach their model of research with empirical investigation, thus encouraging a visionary platform for Neuro-Philosophy. They have operationalized the definition of consciousness and curated the pathways, tools, and empirical implications. This shows their growing interest in innovative fMRI and EEG techniques that effectively localize brain activity in individuals. These advancements have the potential to uncover pathways to both conscious and non-conscious access, contributing significantly to our understanding of brain function.
The field of decision-making science greatly appreciates Daniel Kahneman's innovative approach to system analysis. His contributions have significantly enhanced our understanding of the decision-making process, paving the way for further advancements in the discipline. Further, its gradual advancement and interaction with consciousness have made the field of cognitive science more interesting. In the end, the paper focuses on fostering interest in behavioural science by incorporating theoretical concepts and highlighting its potential to be transformed into empirical evidence.
