Reaction Time And Subjective Value-Based Decision-Making

Abstract

The study’s objective is to investigate factors influencing subjective value-based decision-making tasks and mathematical modelling for prediction of reaction time in subjective value-based decision -making. This thesis consists of an empirical study that was conducted and a proposed hypothetical follow-up experiment that can be carried out as an empirical study in the future. In the empirical study, reaction times of human subjects were measured under varying conditions of volitional freedom (number of options) in subjective value-based decision-making tasks. Reaction times were found to depend on both the level of difficulty and the number of options available in a given subjective value-based decision-making task. These empirical findings motivated revision of the original Leaky Competing Accumulator model, which is only applicable to correct and incorrect binary objective decision-making tasks, so that it may be tested in subjective multiple-choice decision-making situations. Then, I offer a hypothetical follow-up experiment providing the framework by which one could test my revisions to the Leaky Competing Accumulator model for subjective value-based decision-making.