scholarly journals Differential replay for reward and punishment paths predicts approach and avoidance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica McFadyen ◽  
Yunzhe Liu ◽  
Raymond J Dolan
Keyword(s):  
Rational Choice ◽  
State Transitions ◽  
Choice Behaviour ◽  
Approach And Avoidance ◽  
Uncertain Environment ◽  
Task Goal ◽  
Reward And Punishment

Planning is thought to involve neural replay, where states relevant to a task goal are rapidly reactivated in sequence. It remains unclear if, during planning, replay of a path relates to an actual prospective choice. Here, using magnetoencephalography (MEG), we studied participants while they planned to either approach or avoid an uncertain environment that contained paths leading to reward and to punishment. We show significant planning-related forward sequential replay with state-to-state transitions in the range of 20 to 90 ms. Replay of rewarding paths was boosted prior to a decision to avoid, and attenuated prior to a decision to approach. Crucially, a trial-by-trial bias in replaying punishing paths predicted an irrational choice to approach when a prospective environment was more risky, an effect that was particularly marked in more anxious participants. The findings reveal a coupling between the content of forwards replay and rational choice behaviour, such that replay prioritises an online representation of potential reward.

scholarly journals The workings of the single member plurality electoral system in India and the need for reform

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-161
Author(s):  
Rekha Diwakar
Keyword(s):  
Rational Choice ◽  
Party System ◽  
Electoral System ◽  
Heterogeneous Population ◽  
Set Covering ◽  
Choice Behaviour ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Lower House ◽  
Expected Benefits ◽  
Effective Representation

India uses the single member plurality system (SMPS) to elect members of the lower house of its national (federal) parliament and the state assemblies. The electoral system has remained stable despite its inherent disproportionality, India’s highly heterogeneous population and, more recently, a fragmented party system. Using a comprehensive data set covering all national and some state assembly elections during the period 1952–2017, this article evaluates how SMPS has performed in India in comparison to its expected benefits, and whether there is a case for reform of the electoral system. The article finds that SMPS neither provides effective representation nor is likely to lead to stable single party governments in India – a situation that could be termed ‘the worst of both worlds’. It also highlights that a combination of rational-choice behaviour on the part of key actors as well as historical and institutional reasons has ensured the continuation of SMPS in India. The article concludes that it is time for India to seriously consider reforming its electoral system.

Recent insights into decision-making and their implications for informed consent

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (11) ◽  
pp. 734-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene M L Vos ◽  
Maartje H N Schermer ◽  
Ineke L L E Bolt
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Informed Consent ◽  
Rational Choice ◽  
Medical Practice ◽  
Real World ◽  
Ethical Principle ◽  
Traditional Theory ◽  
Choice Behaviour ◽  
Autonomous Decision ◽  
Behavioural Sciences

Research from behavioural sciences shows that people reach decisions in a much less rational and well-considered way than was often assumed. The doctrine of informed consent, which is an important ethical principle and legal requirement in medical practice, is being challenged by these insights into decision-making and real-world choice behaviour. This article discusses the implications of recent insights of research on decision-making behaviour for the informed consent doctrine. It concludes that there is a significant tension between the often non-rational choice behaviour and the traditional theory of informed consent. Responsible ways of dealing with or solving these problems are considered. To this end, patient decisions aids (PDAs) are discussed as suitable interventions to support autonomous decision-making. However, current PDAs demand certain improvements in order to protect and promote autonomous decision-making. Based on a conception of autonomy, we will argue which type of improvements are needed.

Bounded rational choice behaviour: applications in transport

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 680-681
Author(s):  
Anders Fjendbo Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Rational Choice ◽  
Choice Behaviour

Macroorganisation and flexibility of thylakoid membranes

2019 ◽  
Vol 476 (20) ◽  
pp. 2981-3018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petar H. Lambrev ◽  
Parveen Akhtar
Keyword(s):  
Light Harvesting ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Photosynthetic Apparatus ◽  
Dynamic Responses ◽  
State Transitions ◽  
Photochemical Quenching ◽  
Light Harvesting Complex ◽  
Complex Ii ◽  
Light Harvesting Complex Ii

Abstract The light reactions of photosynthesis are hosted and regulated by the chloroplast thylakoid membrane (TM) — the central structural component of the photosynthetic apparatus of plants and algae. The two-dimensional and three-dimensional arrangement of the lipid–protein assemblies, aka macroorganisation, and its dynamic responses to the fluctuating physiological environment, aka flexibility, are the subject of this review. An emphasis is given on the information obtainable by spectroscopic approaches, especially circular dichroism (CD). We briefly summarise the current knowledge of the composition and three-dimensional architecture of the granal TMs in plants and the supramolecular organisation of Photosystem II and light-harvesting complex II therein. We next acquaint the non-specialist reader with the fundamentals of CD spectroscopy, recent advances such as anisotropic CD, and applications for studying the structure and macroorganisation of photosynthetic complexes and membranes. Special attention is given to the structural and functional flexibility of light-harvesting complex II in vitro as revealed by CD and fluorescence spectroscopy. We give an account of the dynamic changes in membrane macroorganisation associated with the light-adaptation of the photosynthetic apparatus and the regulation of the excitation energy flow by state transitions and non-photochemical quenching.

I Want to Be Like You

2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Matschke ◽  
Kai Sassenberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Social Identification ◽  
Social Self ◽  
Approach And Avoidance ◽  
Internal Motivation ◽  
Avoidance Strategies ◽  
Social Identity Development

Entering a new group provides the potential of forming a new social identity. Starting from self-regulation models, we propose that goals (e.g., internal motivation to enter the group), strategies (e.g., approach and avoidance strategies), and events (e.g., the group’s response) affect the development of the social self. In two studies we manipulated the group’s response (acceptance vs. rejection) and assessed internal motivation as well as approach and avoidance strategies. It was expected, and we found, that when newcomers are accepted, their use of approach strategies (but not avoidance strategies) facilitates social identification. In line with self-completion theory, for highly internally motivated individuals approach strategies facilitated social identification even upon rejection. The results underline the active role of newcomers in their social identity development.

Instruction-Based Approach-Avoidance Effects

2015 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 161-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pieter Van Dessel ◽  
Jan De Houwer ◽  
Anne Gast ◽  
Colin Tucker Smith
Keyword(s):  
Implicit Association Test ◽  
Avoidance Training ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Implicit Association ◽  
Approach And Avoidance ◽  
Evaluative Priming ◽  
Blacks And Whites ◽  
Approach Avoidance ◽  
Implicit And Explicit ◽  
Explicit Measures

Prior research suggests that repeatedly approaching or avoiding a certain stimulus changes the liking of this stimulus. We investigated whether these effects of approach and avoidance training occur also when participants do not perform these actions but are merely instructed about the stimulus-action contingencies. Stimulus evaluations were registered using both implicit (Implicit Association Test and evaluative priming) and explicit measures (valence ratings). Instruction-based approach-avoidance effects were observed for relatively neutral fictitious social groups (i.e., Niffites and Luupites), but not for clearly valenced well-known social groups (i.e., Blacks and Whites). We conclude that instructions to approach or avoid stimuli can provide sufficient bases for establishing both implicit and explicit evaluations of novel stimuli and discuss several possible reasons for why similar instruction-based approach-avoidance effects were not found for valenced well-known stimuli.

A Little beyond Reward and Punishment

1973 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 489-490
Author(s):  
STANLEY C. RATNER
Keyword(s):  
Reward And Punishment
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