scholarly journals Modeling the Role of the Striatum in Non-Stationary Bandit Tasks

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabyasachi Shivkumar ◽  
V. Srinivasa Chakravarthy ◽  
Nicolas P. Rougier
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Ideal Observer ◽  
Optimal Decision ◽  
Maze Task ◽  
History Of ◽  
Current Context ◽  
Animal Performances ◽  
Micro Anatomy

AbstractDecision making in non-stationary and stochastic environments can be interpreted as a variant of non-stationary multi armed bandit task where the optimal decision requires identification of the current context. We formalize the problem using a Bayesian approach taking biological constraints into account (limited memory) that allow us to define a sub-optimal theoretical model. From this theoretical model, we derive a biological model of the striatum based on its micro-anatomy that is able to learn state and action representations. We show that this model matches the theoretical model for low stochasticity in the environment and could be considered as a neural implementation of the theoretical model. Both models are tested on non-stationary multi-armed bandit task and compared to animal performances.Author SummaryDecision making in changing environments requires knowledge of the current context in order to adapt the response to the environment. Such context identification is based on the recent history of actions and their outcome: when some action used to be rewarded but is not anymore, it might be a sign of a context change. An ideal observer with infinite memory could optimally estimate the current context and act accordingly. Taking biological constraint into account, we show that a model of the striatum, which is the largest nucleus of the basal ganglia, can solve the task in a sub-optimal way as it has been shown to be the case in rats in a T-maze task.

Elaborating the role of reflection and individual differences in the study of folk-economic beliefs

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Arceneaux
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
History Of ◽  
Economic Beliefs

AbstractIntuitions guide decision-making, and looking to the evolutionary history of humans illuminates why some behavioral responses are more intuitive than others. Yet a place remains for cognitive processes to second-guess intuitive responses – that is, to be reflective – and individual differences abound in automatic, intuitive processing as well.

The Role of the Representative: Some Empirical Observations on the Theory of Edmund Burke

1959 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 742-756 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heinz Eulau ◽  
John C. Wahlke ◽  
William Buchanan ◽  
Leroy C. Ferguson
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Political Theory ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Body Politic ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Edmund Burke ◽  
Political Systems ◽  
General Consensus ◽  
History Of

The problem of representation is central to all discussions of the functions of legislatures or the behavior of legislators. For it is commonly taken for granted that, in democratic political systems, legislatures are both legitimate and authoritative decision-making institutions, and that it is their representative character which makes them authoritative and legitimate. Through the process of representation, presumably, legislatures are empowered to act for the whole body politic and are legitimized. And because, by virtue of representation, they participate in legislation, the represented accept legislative decisions as authoritative. But agreement about the meaning of the term “representation” hardly goes beyond a general consensus regarding the context within which it is appropriately used. The history of political theory is studded with definitions of representation, usually embedded in ideological assumptions and postulates which cannot serve the uses of empirical research without conceptual clarification.

Valvular heart disease: state of the art and treatment perspectives

2017 ◽  
pp. 827-836
Author(s):  
Alain Cribier ◽  
Helene Eltchaninoff
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Therapeutic Option ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Industrial Countries ◽  
Team Working ◽  
Working Together ◽  
History Of ◽  
Surgical Options ◽  
Surgical Valve Replacement

Decision-making for the management of valvular disease (VHD) is rapidly evolving with advances in surgical and interventional techniques. The main causes of VHD has moved from rheumatic to degenerative, more particularly in industrial countries. In this chapter will be briefly discuss the aetiologies, presentation, and natural history of VHD in adults. The medical and surgical options available to date and the threshold for intervention will be then described. The role of a multidisciplinary Heart Valve Team working together with a geriatrician has become crucial to determine the optimal therapeutic option for VHD in older adults. Surgical valve replacement has been for decades the only possible option for the three leading VHDs in developed countries: aortic stenosis (AS), aortic regurgitation (AR) and mitral regurgitation (MR). Mitral stenosis (MS) has almost disappeared in Western countries while its prevalence remains high in the developing world.

scholarly journals Under Familiar Fire: Making Decisions during the “Kivu Crisis” 2008 in Goma, DR Congo

2010 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 61-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silke Oldenburg
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Violent Conflict ◽  
State Of Exception ◽  
Short History ◽  
Dr Congo ◽  
The People ◽  
History Of ◽  
Decision Making Processes

This paper explores the decision-making processes used by the inhabitants of Goma during the Kivu Crisis in October 2008. The paper's aim is twofold: After providing a short history of the October 2008 events, it seeks in the empirical part to distinguish and clarify the role of rumours and narratives in the setting of violent conflict as well as to analyse their impact on decision-making processes. As the epistemological interest lies more on the people who stay rather than those who flee, in the second part the paper argues that the practice of routinization indicates a conscious tactic whose purpose is to counter the non-declared state of exception in Goma. Routinization is defined as a means of establishing order in everyday life by referring to narratives based on lived experiences.

scholarly journals Unwanted Conflict? The Analysis of the Impact of Misperception, Beliefs and Psychology of President Nasser at the Outbreak of the Six Day War

2019 ◽  
Vol 01 (02) ◽  
pp. 1950003
Author(s):  
Janko Šćepanović
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Structural Explanation ◽  
Defining Moments ◽  
The Us ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Six Day War ◽  
The Impact

The Six Day War was one of the most defining moments in the history of the Modern Middle East. This paper seeks to add to the existing scholarship on the subject by going beyond the structural explanation. It gives special attention to the role of unit-level variables like perception, personality, and political psychology of decision-makers. As one scholar noted, threats are not perceived in a vacuum, and are, instead, products of complex synthesis of subjective appraisal of events by the decision-makers. The focus will be on the beliefs and perceptions of the most impactful actor in this crisis: Egyptian President Nasser. As will be argued, his decision-making was shaped by his experience with foreign imperialism, a general misconception of super power intentions, an incorrect analogy between two crucial crisis situations with Israel: the February 1960 Rotem Crisis, and the build-up to the June War in 1967, and especially his complicated relations with the US leaders.

Our Columnists on the A-Bomb

1950 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-87
Author(s):  
Janet Besse ◽  
Harold D. Lasswell
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
General Theory ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
The United States ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject

Opinion differs about the role of syndicated columnists in the forming of national opinion and in the decision-making process in the United States. Our columnists have been the subject of pioneering studies, but we have a long way to go before the picture can be called historically complete, scientifically precise, or fully satisfactory for policy-making purposes. What the columnists say is an important chapter in the history of the American public, and history is most useful for critical purposes when written close to the event. The general theory of communication and politics can be refined as the details of the opinion process are more fully known.

scholarly journals History of Building the Complex for Cosmonaut Preflight Training at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Pioneers’ time (Part 2)

2020 ◽  
pp. 114-128
Author(s):  
S.N. Savin
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Space Program ◽  
Second Stage ◽  
Space Industry ◽  
The Sixties ◽  
History Of ◽  
Time Part ◽  
Manned Space ◽  
The Subject

The paper presents historical facts about the building and development of cosmonaut preflight training complex at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the sixties of the last century. The role of some leaders of the space industry and the Ministry of Defense in substantiating and decision-making on the subject of creation and development of the training facilities is shown. The need to develop the training complex in order to tackle growing tasks of the Russian manned space program is briefly substantiated. The second stage of building individual elements of the complex, their role in providing cosmonaut preflight training is described.

scholarly journals Parliamentary Assembly as a factor for development and consolidation of the Union State

2020 ◽  
pp. 76-87
Author(s):  
Marina Khasanova
Keyword(s):  
Legal Information ◽  
Scientific Problem ◽  
History Of ◽  
Current Context ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Key Aspects ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Government Institution

This article is dedicated to examination of the role of Parliamentary Assembly in development of the Union State. The goal is to trace the parliamentary activity in the Union State throughout the entire time of its existence, the objectives that were pursued, their transformation, and change of conditions for their accomplishment. This topic is especially relevant in the current context. A new milestone has passed in the history of Union State: December 2019 marked twenty years since its creation. Agreement on the formation of Parliamentary Assembly of the Community of Belarus-Russia Union State was signed earlier, in 1996. The novelty of this works consists in comprehensive and detailed analysis of different stages in formation of Parliamentary Assembly, which allows describing their role in further consolidation of the Union State. The scientific problem of this article can be articulated as follows: Parliamentary Assembly is not just a legislative institution that formulates the agenda for development of the Union State; it is also a platform for a continuous dialogue between Russia and Belarus. Therefore, examination of this government institution in an urgent scientific problem that allows revealing the key aspects of evolution of the Union State. As the resources for this article, the author explored the legislative acts of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation, legal information from official portals of the Union State and the Parliamentary Assembly. This underline the need for further development of parliamentarism in Russia-Belarus Union State for the purpose of improvement and strengthening of relations between the countries in the current conditions of international transformation. The article is based on most relevant documents pertaining to Russia-Belarus relations for the period from 1991 to the present.

The Role of Analogies in Crisis Decision Making

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Patrick Houghton
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Analogical Reasoning ◽  
Optimal Decision ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Current Case ◽  
Processing Information ◽  
Optimal Decision Making ◽  
Heuristic Devices ◽  
A Current

Analogical reasoning is a mode of thinking in which a current situation, person, or event is compared with something encountered in the past that appears “similar” to the analogizer. The 2020 Coronavirus crisis was often compared with the 1918 flu epidemic, for instance. In addition to reasoning across time, we can also reason across space, comparing a current case with something that has been encountered within a different geographical space. Sticking with the Coronavirus example, the management of the disease in one country was often compared with that in another, with favorable or unfavorable lessons being drawn. Analogical reasoning plays a major role in crisis decision-making, in large part because decisions made under such circumstances have to be taken in rapid (and, indeed, almost immediate) fashion. When this is the case, it is often tempting to conclude that “this time will resemble last time” or “this problem will resemble a situation confronted elsewhere.” But these analogies are drawn, and decisions are made, by individuals who must confront their own very human cognitive psychological limitations. Since analogies are essentially heuristic devices that cut short the process of informational search, they are usually seen as good enough but do not ensure optimal decision-making. Analogies are at a premium during crisis-like events, but their “bounded” nature means that their use will sometimes lead to errors in processing information. In particular, the drawing of an analogy often leads to an underestimation of ways in which the current crisis is “different” from the baseline event.

Limits—The Role of the Law in Bioethical Decision Making, by Roger B. Dworkin. Bloomington (IN): Indiana University Press, 1996. 205 pp.

1998 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-111
Author(s):  
Ben A. Rich
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Medical Practice ◽  
Clinical Judgment ◽  
Medical Decision ◽  
Columbia University ◽  
Indiana University ◽  
History Of ◽  
Bioethical Issues ◽  
The Law

Anyone with so much as a passing familiarity with bioethics knows how significantly and persistently (at least since mid-century) the law has insinuated itself into healthcare and the process of bioethical decisionmaking. Viewed from the insular perspective of traditional medical practice and medical ethics, it is not surprising that the “legalization” of the patient–physician relationship and clinical judgment has been characterized by some as pernicious. What is much more surprising, however, is when a book by a professor of law evinces the same jaundiced view of the role of law in this area. Nonetheless, the “limits” that Professor Dworkin considers to be inherent in the capacity of the law to resolve bioethical issues are significant, and hence in his opinion the role of the law should be severely circumscribed. This gloomy portrait of the “havoc” wreaked by law upon the landscape of medical practice, painted by a lawyer, stands in stark contrast to an earlier and much more sympathetic account offered by Columbia University historian and medical humanities professor David J. Rothman in his 1991 book Strangers at the Bedside, the informative subtitle of which is A History of How Law and Bioethics Transformed Medical Decision Making.

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