The influence of urgency on decision time
Abstract
A fruitful quantitative approach to understanding how the brain makes decisions has been to look at the time needed to make a decision, and how it is affected by factors such as the supply of information, or an individual's expectations. This approach has led to a model of decision-making, consistent with recent neurophysiological data, that explains the observed variability of reaction times and correctly predicts the effects of altered expectations. Can it also predict what happens when the urgency of making the response changes? We asked subjects to make eye movements to low-visibility targets either as fast or as accurately as possible, and found that the model does indeed predict the timing of their responses: the degree of urgency seems to influence the criterion level at which a decision signal triggers a response.
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The time-dependent rise reflects the cost associated with the passage of time, corresponding to the psychological sense of urgency, u(t).
“We interpret this rise as a reflection of the cost associated with the passage of time, corresponding to the psychological sense of urgency, u(t) 17,18.”
From Decision-making with multiple alternatives (2008) · cites this paper as [17]
In the framework of bounded accumulation, the time-dependent rise causes decisions to terminate as time elapses, regardless of the evidence.
“in the framework of bounded accumulation 17, it causes decisions to terminate as time elapses, regardless of the evidence.”
From Decision-making with multiple alternatives (2008) · cites this paper as [17]
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References 13 · Cited by 411
- Authors
- Reddi, B. A. J., & Carpenter, R. H. S.
- Affiliations
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Carpenter, R. H. S.
- Venue
- Nature Neuroscience
- Published
- 2000-08
- Volume
- 3
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 827-830
- ISSN
- 1097-6256 (ISSN-L)
- 1546-1726
- OpenAlex
- W1488451997
- Cited by
- 411
- References
- 13
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 19 · 2014: 21 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 30
- FWCI
- 5.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
- Keywords
- urgency, decision time, decision models, reaction time variability, response criteria, eye movements, expectancy effects
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Brain, Color Perception, Decision Making, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Models, Neurological, Photic Stimulation, Psychomotor Performance, Reaction Time, Saccades, Time Factors
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