Scientists have for the first time watched the human brain making a purely voluntary decision to act.
Unlike in brain imaging studies where researchers watch as people respond to cues or commands, Johns Hopkins researchers found a way to observe people’s brain activity as they made choices entirely on their own.
The findings, which pinpoint parts of the brain involved in decision-making and action, were recently published in the journal Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics.
“How do we peek into people’s brains and find out how we make choices entirely on our own?” asks Susan Courtney, a professor of psychological and brain sciences and senior author of the study. “What parts of the brain are involved in free choice?”
The team devised a novel experiment tracking a person’s focus of attention without using intrusive cues or commands. Participants, positioned in MRI scanners, were left alone to watch a split screen as rapid streams of colorful numbers and letters scrolled past on each side.
