Cited by 1,741Free Will and AgencyNeural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesDecision-Making and Behavioral Economics

Unconscious determinants of free decisions in the human brain

Soon, Chun Siong, Brass, Marcel, Heinze, Hans-Jochen, Haynes, John-Dylan·2008·Nature Neuroscience

Abstract

There has been a long controversy as to whether subjectively 'free' decisions are determined by brain activity ahead of time. We found that the outcome of a decision can be encoded in brain activity of prefrontal and parietal cortex up to 10 s before it enters awareness. This delay presumably reflects the operation of a network of high-level control areas that begin to prepare an upcoming decision long before it enters awareness.

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Crossref · 10.1038/nn.2112

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  • A free motor decision could be decoded from BOLD signals in the frontal and parietal cortex long (seconds) before it entered awareness.

    “Moreover, a recent study showed that a free motor decision could be decoded from BOLD signals in the frontal and parietal cortex long (seconds) before it entered awareness (Soon et al., 2008).”

    From Decision Making in Recurrent Neuronal Circuits (2008) · cites this paper as Soon et al., 2008

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Authors
Soon, C. S., Brass, M., Heinze, H.-J., & Haynes, J.-D.
Affiliations
  • Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (DE)
  • Ghent University (BE)
  • Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg (DE)
Corresponding author
Haynes, John-Dylan
Venue
Nature Neuroscience
Published
2008-04-13
Volume
11
Issue
5
Pages
543-545
ISSN
  • 1097-6256 (ISSN-L)
  • 1546-1726
OpenAlex
W2025271685
Cited by
1,741
References
41
Citations by year
2026: 63 · 2025: 64 · 2024: 72 · 2023: 141 · 2022: 117 · 2021: 103 · 2020: 66 · 2019: 115 · 2018: 91 · 2017: 100 · 2016: 87 · 2015: 82 · 2014: 122 · 2013: 106 · 2012: 140
FWCI
46.68
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Nature Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University) (submittedVersion)
  • Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (submittedVersion)
  • Max Planck Digital Library (submittedVersion)
  • MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Free Will and Agency
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
Keywords
free will, unconscious decision-making, prefrontal cortex, parietal cortex, awareness, decision preparation, free will debate
MeSH terms
Brain, Brain Mapping, Choice Behavior, Cognition, Consciousness, Decision Making, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Nerve Net, Neural Pathways, Neuropsychological Tests, Parietal Lobe, Photic Stimulation, Psychomotor Performance, Reaction Time, Time Factors, Unconscious, Psychology, Prefrontal Cortex

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