Researchers combine decision-making models with memory models. By
Story at a glance
A group of researchers were interested in how memory affects decision making.
In experiments, people had higher activity in memory retrieval when given open-ended questions compared to multiple-choice questions.
What’s your process for deciding what to eat for dinner? Is it different when you are offered a list to choose from? Experts are curious about how your memory could affect what you end up choosing. In a new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team in California examines a model that tries to understand how memory could affect decision making.
Quick: Pick your three favorite fast-food restaurants.
If you re like many people, McDonald s, Wendy s, and Burger King may come to mind even if you much prefer In-N-Out or Chick-fil-A.
A new study from UC Berkeley s Haas School of Business and UC San Francisco s Department of Neurology found that when it comes to making choices, we surprisingly often forget about the things we like best and are swayed by what we remember. The paper, publishing this week in the journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, combines insights from economics and psychology with decision-making experiments and fMRI brain scans to examine how our imperfect memories affect our decision making.