How Your Brain Makes Quick Decisions

The brain uses different methods to make decisions. One way is by using a model-based approach. This method is accurate but takes more effort. The other way is model-free. It is quicker but can be less accurate. Most people think that the brain uses model-based methods for careful decisions. They believe that model-free methods are for quick, automatic decisions. This idea has been studied in many areas. These include habits, social learning, moral choices, and how children learn. However, new research challenges this view. It shows that model-based methods are not just for careful decisions. They also play a role in quick, automatic decisions. Three experiments were done with 2, 572 adult participants. The first experiment confirmed past findings. It showed that careful decisions use model-based methods. However, it also found problems that made the results unclear.The next two experiments fixed these problems. They showed that model-based methods also affect quick, automatic decisions. This was true for two different measures of automatic decisions. The results were supported by a complex statistical model. These findings suggest that model-based methods are more common than thought. They also show that automatic decisions may be more complex than believed. This challenges the idea that automatic decisions are always simple and error-prone. The brain is amazing. It can make quick decisions using complex methods. This is important to know. It helps understand how the brain works. It also shows that automatic decisions are not always as simple as they seem. This is a big deal. It changes how we think about decision-making.