How We Predict Each Other's Choices. Humans may not be mind readers, but our brains are able to predict other people's decisions pretty well.
New research on this phenomenon shows that two spots in the brain weigh the risk and reward of the choice someone else is making. "Perhaps we may one day better understand how and why humans have the ability to predict others' behavior, even those with different characteristics," Hiroyuki Nakahara, of the RIKEN Brain Science Institute, in Japan, said in a statement. "Ultimately, this knowledge could help improve political, educational and social systems in human societies. " To study this, 39 participants watched another person play a game (on a computer screen) and predicted what choices that person would make based on the person's prior moves.
Meanwhile, the researchers scanned the players' brains using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a technique that can detect brain activity.
Bionics. Robotics. AI.