Neuroscience
Laboratory
COGNITIVE NEUROIMAGING
"Researchers at the Donders study the many mysteries of mind and brain, and of the behavior they produce.
They do so at all levels of scale: from molecule to man."
Every man prefers belief to the exercise of judgment." ~Seneca (early dual-process theoretician)
Our lives consist of a constant stream of decisions and choices, from the mundane ("Will I answer this email?") to the highly consequential ("Will I have a child?"). Decision neuroscience offers a novel approach to the study of both individual and interactive decision-making by combining the methods of behavioral experiments, functional neuroimaging, and formal economic models. Examining sophisticated high-level behavior at a neural level, such as deciding on how much risk to take with an investment or when to cooperate with a colleague, can provide important clues as to the fundamental mechanisms by which decision-making operates.
"My research is focused on the cognitive and neural basis of judgment and decision-making, more easily termed Decision Neuroscience."
Professor Sanfey currently heads the Decision Neuroscience group at the Donders Institute, and his research utilizes a novel approach to the study of both individual and interactive decision-making by combining the methods of behavioral experiments, functional neuroimaging, and formal economic models. Examining sophisticated high-level behavior at a neural level, such as deciding on how much risk to take with an investment or deciding on a strategy when playing a competitive game with an opponent, can provide important clues as to the fundamental mechanisms by which decision-making operates.
Key publications
- Stallen, M., Smidts, A., De Dreu C.K.W., Shalvi, S. & Sanfey A.G. (2012). The herding hormone: Oxytocin stimulates in-group conformity. Psychological Science, 23, 1288-1292.
- Chang, L.J., Smith, A., Dufwenberg, M. & Sanfey, A.G. (2011). Triangulating the neural, psychological, and economic bases of moral sentiments. Neuron, 70, 560-572.
- Rilling, J.K & Sanfey, A.G. (2011). The neuroscience of social decision-making. Annual Reviews of Psychology, 62, 23-48.
- Sanfey, A.G. (2007). Social decision-making: Insights from Game Theory and Neuroscience. Science, 318, 598-602.
At its most fundamental, the study of decision-making attempts to understand and explain our ability to process multiple alternatives and choose an optimal course of action, and the ultimate goal of this enterprise is to construct accurate theoretical and practical models of how we decide and choose. This goal has occupied thinkers for many centuries, with multiple disciplines making efforts to build models of decision-making that both describe and prescribe this important behavior.
Despite these laudable efforts however, these fields have approached the question of how we decide with quite different assumptions and different methods. As a result, there are divergent approaches which, while undoubtedly important in and of themselves, often fail to capture the full range of decision-making.
The emergence of an interdisciplinary field in the past decade, popularly known as Decision Neuroscience, offers a highly promising avenue to examine decision-making at different levels of analysis.
We seek to investigate decision-making by taking into account theories of choice that have emerged from Psychology and Neuroscience, as well as constraints imposed by the workings of the brain, while in addition utilizing the formal mathematical models of decision-making that have been developed in Economics.
This new research direction has spurred recent studies of human decision- making, and offers exceptional promise for a more fundamental understanding of the process by which we choose options. Additionally, innovative new technologies, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and computational modeling can be used in the context of a Decision Neuroscience approach to make real progress in gaining insight into the processes that underlie decisions and choices.
Psychophysics/Framing /Visual decision-making
Color-comparison task: Are the two color-fields identical?
Image source: Palacios, Adrian & Escobar, Maria-Jose & Céspedes, Esteban. (2017). Missing Colors: The Enactivist Approach to Perception. Constructivist Foundations. 13. 117-125.
URL: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Left-Visual-illusion-showing-that-even-if-two-regions-of-the-visual-scene-emit-similar_fig1_321423311
T: (+31)6 46662166
E: sanfeylab@gmail.com
Twitter: @sanfeylab
Donders Institute brochure (PDF/2,4 MB)
Neuroscience
Laboratory
COGNITIVE NEUROIMAGING
"Researchers at the Donders study the many mysteries of mind and brain, and of the behavior they produce.
They do so at all levels of scale: from molecule to man."
Every man prefers belief to the exercise of judgment." ~Seneca (early dual-process theoretician)
Our lives consist of a constant stream of decisions and choices, from the mundane ("Will I answer this email?") to the highly consequential ("Will I have a child?"). Decision neuroscience offers a novel approach to the study of both individual and interactive decision-making by combining the methods of behavioral experiments, functional neuroimaging, and formal economic models. Examining sophisticated high-level behavior at a neural level, such as deciding on how much risk to take with an investment or when to cooperate with a colleague, can provide important clues as to the fundamental mechanisms by which decision-making operates.
"My research is focused on the cognitive and neural basis of judgment and decision-making, more easily termed Decision Neuroscience."
Professor Sanfey currently heads the Decision Neuroscience group at the Donders Institute, and his research utilizes a novel approach to the study of both individual and interactive decision-making by combining the methods of behavioral experiments, functional neuroimaging, and formal economic models. Examining sophisticated high-level behavior at a neural level, such as deciding on how much risk to take with an investment or deciding on a strategy when playing a competitive game with an opponent, can provide important clues as to the fundamental mechanisms by which decision-making operates.
Key publications
- Stallen, M., Smidts, A., De Dreu C.K.W., Shalvi, S. & Sanfey A.G. (2012). The herding hormone: Oxytocin stimulates in-group conformity. Psychological Science, 23, 1288-1292.
- Chang, L.J., Smith, A., Dufwenberg, M. & Sanfey, A.G. (2011). Triangulating the neural, psychological, and economic bases of moral sentiments. Neuron, 70, 560-572.
- Rilling, J.K & Sanfey, A.G. (2011). The neuroscience of social decision-making. Annual Reviews of Psychology, 62, 23-48.
- Sanfey, A.G. (2007). Social decision-making: Insights from Game Theory and Neuroscience. Science, 318, 598-602.
At its most fundamental, the study of decision-making attempts to understand and explain our ability to process multiple alternatives and choose an optimal course of action, and the ultimate goal of this enterprise is to construct accurate theoretical and practical models of how we decide and choose. This goal has occupied thinkers for many centuries, with multiple disciplines making efforts to build models of decision-making that both describe and prescribe this important behavior.
Despite these laudable efforts however, these fields have approached the question of how we decide with quite different assumptions and different methods. As a result, there are divergent approaches which, while undoubtedly important in and of themselves, often fail to capture the full range of decision-making.
The emergence of an interdisciplinary field in the past decade, popularly known as Decision Neuroscience, offers a highly promising avenue to examine decision-making at different levels of analysis.
We seek to investigate decision-making by taking into account theories of choice that have emerged from Psychology and Neuroscience, as well as constraints imposed by the workings of the brain, while in addition utilizing the formal mathematical models of decision-making that have been developed in Economics.
This new research direction has spurred recent studies of human decision- making, and offers exceptional promise for a more fundamental understanding of the process by which we choose options. Additionally, innovative new technologies, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and computational modeling can be used in the context of a Decision Neuroscience approach to make real progress in gaining insight into the processes that underlie decisions and choices.
Psychophysics/Framing /Visual decision-making
Color-comparison task: Are the two color-fields identical?
Image source: Palacios, Adrian & Escobar, Maria-Jose & Céspedes, Esteban. (2017). Missing Colors: The Enactivist Approach to Perception. Constructivist Foundations. 13. 117-125.
URL: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Left-Visual-illusion-showing-that-even-if-two-regions-of-the-visual-scene-emit-similar_fig1_321423311
T: (+31)6 46662166
E: sanfeylab@gmail.com
Twitter: @sanfeylab
Donders Institute brochure (PDF/2,4 MB)
Neuroscience
Laboratory
COGNITIVE NEUROIMAGING
"Researchers at the Donders study the many mysteries of mind and brain, and of the behavior they produce.
They do so at all levels of scale: from molecule to man."
Every man prefers belief to the exercise of judgment." ~Seneca (early dual-process theoretician)
Our lives consist of a constant stream of decisions and choices, from the mundane ("Will I answer this email?") to the highly consequential ("Will I have a child?"). Decision neuroscience offers a novel approach to the study of both individual and interactive decision-making by combining the methods of behavioral experiments, functional neuroimaging, and formal economic models. Examining sophisticated high-level behavior at a neural level, such as deciding on how much risk to take with an investment or when to cooperate with a colleague, can provide important clues as to the fundamental mechanisms by which decision-making operates.
"My research is focused on the cognitive and neural basis of judgment and decision-making, more easily termed Decision Neuroscience."
Professor Sanfey currently heads the Decision Neuroscience group at the Donders Institute, and his research utilizes a novel approach to the study of both individual and interactive decision-making by combining the methods of behavioral experiments, functional neuroimaging, and formal economic models. Examining sophisticated high-level behavior at a neural level, such as deciding on how much risk to take with an investment or deciding on a strategy when playing a competitive game with an opponent, can provide important clues as to the fundamental mechanisms by which decision-making operates.
Key publications
- Stallen, M., Smidts, A., De Dreu C.K.W., Shalvi, S. & Sanfey A.G. (2012). The herding hormone: Oxytocin stimulates in-group conformity. Psychological Science, 23, 1288-1292.
- Chang, L.J., Smith, A., Dufwenberg, M. & Sanfey, A.G. (2011). Triangulating the neural, psychological, and economic bases of moral sentiments. Neuron, 70, 560-572.
- Rilling, J.K & Sanfey, A.G. (2011). The neuroscience of social decision-making. Annual Reviews of Psychology, 62, 23-48.
- Sanfey, A.G. (2007). Social decision-making: Insights from Game Theory and Neuroscience. Science, 318, 598-602.
At its most fundamental, the study of decision-making attempts to understand and explain our ability to process multiple alternatives and choose an optimal course of action, and the ultimate goal of this enterprise is to construct accurate theoretical and practical models of how we decide and choose. This goal has occupied thinkers for many centuries, with multiple disciplines making efforts to build models of decision-making that both describe and prescribe this important behavior.
Despite these laudable efforts however, these fields have approached the question of how we decide with quite different assumptions and different methods. As a result, there are divergent approaches which, while undoubtedly important in and of themselves, often fail to capture the full range of decision-making.
The emergence of an interdisciplinary field in the past decade, popularly known as Decision Neuroscience, offers a highly promising avenue to examine decision-making at different levels of analysis.
We seek to investigate decision-making by taking into account theories of choice that have emerged from Psychology and Neuroscience, as well as constraints imposed by the workings of the brain, while in addition utilizing the formal mathematical models of decision-making that have been developed in Economics.
This new research direction has spurred recent studies of human decision- making, and offers exceptional promise for a more fundamental understanding of the process by which we choose options. Additionally, innovative new technologies, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and computational modeling can be used in the context of a Decision Neuroscience approach to make real progress in gaining insight into the processes that underlie decisions and choices.
Psychophysics/Framing /Visual decision-making
Color-comparison task: Are the two color-fields identical?
Image source: Palacios, Adrian & Escobar, Maria-Jose & Céspedes, Esteban. (2017). Missing Colors: The Enactivist Approach to Perception. Constructivist Foundations. 13. 117-125.
URL: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Left-Visual-illusion-showing-that-even-if-two-regions-of-the-visual-scene-emit-similar_fig1_321423311
T: (+31)6 46662166
E: sanfeylab@gmail.com
Twitter: @sanfeylab
Donders Institute brochure (PDF/2,4 MB)
Neuroscience
Laboratory
COGNITIVE NEUROIMAGING
"Researchers at the Donders study the many mysteries of mind and brain, and of the behavior they produce.
They do so at all levels of scale: from molecule to man."
Every man prefers belief to the exercise of judgment." ~Seneca (early dual-process theoretician)
Our lives consist of a constant stream of decisions and choices, from the mundane ("Will I answer this email?") to the highly consequential ("Will I have a child?"). Decision neuroscience offers a novel approach to the study of both individual and interactive decision-making by combining the methods of behavioral experiments, functional neuroimaging, and formal economic models. Examining sophisticated high-level behavior at a neural level, such as deciding on how much risk to take with an investment or when to cooperate with a colleague, can provide important clues as to the fundamental mechanisms by which decision-making operates.
"My research is focused on the cognitive and neural basis of judgment and decision-making, more easily termed Decision Neuroscience."
Professor Sanfey currently heads the Decision Neuroscience group at the Donders Institute, and his research utilizes a novel approach to the study of both individual and interactive decision-making by combining the methods of behavioral experiments, functional neuroimaging, and formal economic models. Examining sophisticated high-level behavior at a neural level, such as deciding on how much risk to take with an investment or deciding on a strategy when playing a competitive game with an opponent, can provide important clues as to the fundamental mechanisms by which decision-making operates.
Key publications
- Stallen, M., Smidts, A., De Dreu C.K.W., Shalvi, S. & Sanfey A.G. (2012). The herding hormone: Oxytocin stimulates in-group conformity. Psychological Science, 23, 1288-1292.
- Chang, L.J., Smith, A., Dufwenberg, M. & Sanfey, A.G. (2011). Triangulating the neural, psychological, and economic bases of moral sentiments. Neuron, 70, 560-572.
- Rilling, J.K & Sanfey, A.G. (2011). The neuroscience of social decision-making. Annual Reviews of Psychology, 62, 23-48.
- Sanfey, A.G. (2007). Social decision-making: Insights from Game Theory and Neuroscience. Science, 318, 598-602.
At its most fundamental, the study of decision-making attempts to understand and explain our ability to process multiple alternatives and choose an optimal course of action, and the ultimate goal of this enterprise is to construct accurate theoretical and practical models of how we decide and choose. This goal has occupied thinkers for many centuries, with multiple disciplines making efforts to build models of decision-making that both describe and prescribe this important behavior.
Despite these laudable efforts however, these fields have approached the question of how we decide with quite different assumptions and different methods. As a result, there are divergent approaches which, while undoubtedly important in and of themselves, often fail to capture the full range of decision-making.
The emergence of an interdisciplinary field in the past decade, popularly known as Decision Neuroscience, offers a highly promising avenue to examine decision-making at different levels of analysis.
We seek to investigate decision-making by taking into account theories of choice that have emerged from Psychology and Neuroscience, as well as constraints imposed by the workings of the brain, while in addition utilizing the formal mathematical models of decision-making that have been developed in Economics.
This new research direction has spurred recent studies of human decision- making, and offers exceptional promise for a more fundamental understanding of the process by which we choose options. Additionally, innovative new technologies, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and computational modeling can be used in the context of a Decision Neuroscience approach to make real progress in gaining insight into the processes that underlie decisions and choices.
Psychophysics/Framing /Visual decision-making
Color-comparison task: Are the two color-fields identical?
Image source: Palacios, Adrian & Escobar, Maria-Jose & Céspedes, Esteban. (2017). Missing Colors: The Enactivist Approach to Perception. Constructivist Foundations. 13. 117-125.
URL: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Left-Visual-illusion-showing-that-even-if-two-regions-of-the-visual-scene-emit-similar_fig1_321423311
T: (+31)6 46662166
E: sanfeylab@gmail.com
Twitter: @sanfeylab
Donders Institute brochure (PDF/2,4 MB)
