The cognitive and neural basis of option generation and subsequent choice

Abstract

Decision-making research has thoroughly investigated how people choose from a set of externally provided options. However, in ill-structured real-world environments, possible options for action are not defined by the situation but have to be generated by the agent. Here, we apply behavioral analysis (Study 1) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (Study 2) to investigate option generation and subsequent choice. For this purpose, we employ a new experimental task that requires participants to generate options for simple real-world scenarios and to subsequently decide among the generated options. Correlational analysis with a cognitive test battery suggests that retrieval of options from long-term memory is a relevant process during option generation. The results of the fMRI study demonstrate that option generation in simple real-world scenarios recruits the anterior prefrontal cortex. Furthermore, we show that choice behavior and its neural correlates differ between self-generated and externally provided options. Specifically, choice between self-generated options is associated with stronger recruitment of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. This impact of option generation on subsequent choice underlines the need for an expanded model of decision making to accommodate choice between self-generated options.

The Cognitive Underpinnings of Option Generation in Everyday Life Decision‐Making: A Latent Variable Analysis

“…Specifically, we tested the idea that option generation is distinct from both long‐term memory and divergent thinking. Our study extends previous work (Del Missier et al., ; Hartmann et al., ; Kaiser et al., ; Schweizer et al., ) by increasing the specificity of the cognitive model underlying option generation. From a methodological point of view, using structural equation modeling allowed us to assess the differential contribution of various cognitive processes to option generation across different scenarios.…”

“…In the pilot study, we asked N = 22 persons to rate the 50 scenarios used by Kaiser et al. (). Participants were asked, “How clear is what the outcome should be in the present situation?…”

“…While the results of Kaiser et al. () clearly support a link of long‐term memory recall and option generation, other studies replicated this finding only for one of the three scenarios used (Del Missier et al., ) or not at all (Hartmann et al., ). Possible explanations for these inconsistent results could be in differences in sample size and, hence, in test power, and the lack of importance of memory recall in tasks that present novel problem–solving situations (as in the study by Del Missier et al., ).…”

“…In this study, we used the scenario set developed by Kaiser et al. (). These everyday life decision‐making scenarios were particularly suitable for our study since they ranged from specific problem situations to very open situations and, therefore, allowed us to examine the robustness of the cognitive underpinnings of option generation across different situations.…”

Apathy in schizophrenia as a deficit in the generation of options for action.

“…A second line of research has been motivated by expert decision-making, such as in chess or sport situations (Klein, Wolf, Militello, & Zsambok, 1995;Raab & Johnson, 2007). However, only very few studies have used ill-structured everyday scenarios to study option generation (e.g., Hausser, Schlemmer, Kaiser, Kalis, & Mojzisch, 2014;Kaiser et al, 2013). To our knowledge, no study APATHY AS A DEFICIT IN OPTION GENERATION 5 has used this approach to investigate potential links between psychopathology and option generation.…”