Demystifying "free will": The role of contextual information and evidence accumulation for predictive brain activity

S Bode; C Murawski; CS Soon; P Bode; J Stahl; PL Smith

Journal article

Demystifying "free will": The role of contextual information and evidence accumulation for predictive brain activity

S Bode, C Murawski, CS Soon, P Bode, J Stahl, PL Smith

Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews | PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD | Published : 2014

DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.10.017

Abstract

Novel multivariate pattern classification analyses have enabled the prediction of decision outcomes from brain activity prior to decision-makers' reported awareness. These findings are often discussed in relation to the philosophical concept of "free will". We argue that these studies demonstrate the role of unconscious processes in simple free choices, but they do not inform the philosophical debate. Moreover, these findings are difficult to relate to cognitive decision-making models, due to misleading assumptions about random choices. We review evidence suggesting that sequential-sampling models, which assume accumulation of evidence towards a decision threshold, can also be applied to fre..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Carsten Murawski Author

Philip L. Smith Author

Related Projects (1)

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Grants

Awarded by Australian Research Council

Funding Acknowledgements

The authors thank John Armstrong, Olivia Carter, Damien Crone, Daniel Bennett, Daniel Rosenblatt, Bowen Fung, Hayley McFadyen, Maia Tarrell, Christina Van Heer, Katharina Voigt, Kathleen Charles-Walsh and Carmen Morawetz for support and comments on earlier versions of the manuscript. The authors declare no conflict of interests. This work was supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DE 140100350) to S.B., a Department of Finance Initiative Project Grant from the University of Melbourne to C.M. and S.B., and an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant (DP 110103406) to P.S.