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Probability Distortions in Risk Judgment
Decision Making

Probability Distortions in Risk Judgment

Why we systematically misjudge rare and common events, and what mathematics reveals about the mechanisms

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ChoiceTheory
6 min read
Neural Representations of Uncertainty
Decision Making

Neural Representations of Uncertainty

How the brain distinguishes known unknowns from unknown unknowns—and adjusts learning accordingly

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ChoiceTheory
6 min read
Reinforcement Learning Models of Human Choice
Decision Making

Reinforcement Learning Models of Human Choice

How dopamine, prediction errors, and dual learning systems explain both the flexibility and the failures of human decision-making.

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ChoiceTheory
7 min read
The Computation of Regret in Decision Making
Decision Making

The Computation of Regret in Decision Making

How the brain simulates parallel worlds to compute what we should have done—and uses these phantom outcomes to choose better next time.

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ChoiceTheory
6 min read
Why Framing Effects Resist Debiasing
Decision Making

Why Framing Effects Resist Debiasing

Training, warnings, and expertise fail to eliminate framing effects—the neural and computational reasons explain why.

person's left hand wrapped by tape measure
ChoiceTheory
6 min read
Game Theory Meets Neuroscience: Strategic Decision Making
Decision Making

Game Theory Meets Neuroscience: Strategic Decision Making

How neural architecture constrains and enables the computations underlying strategic choice and social reasoning

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ChoiceTheory
6 min read
Multi-Attribute Choice: Integration or Elimination?
Decision Making

Multi-Attribute Choice: Integration or Elimination?

How your brain chooses between computing everything and eliminating ruthlessly—and why it switches strategies depending on the stakes.

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ChoiceTheory
6 min read
The Neuroscience of Loss Aversion
Decision Making

The Neuroscience of Loss Aversion

Neural evidence reveals loss aversion emerges from distributed brain networks rather than a single valuation mechanism, explaining both its robustness and surprising flexibility

person's left hand wrapped by tape measure
ChoiceTheory
6 min read
How Drift-Diffusion Models Explain Response Time
Decision Making

How Drift-Diffusion Models Explain Response Time

Discover how a simple stochastic equation predicts your choices, response times, and confidence simultaneously through evidence accumulation mathematics.

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ChoiceTheory
6 min read
Prospect Theory's Mathematical Architecture
Decision Making

Prospect Theory's Mathematical Architecture

How three mathematical innovations—curved value functions, warped probability weights, and shifting reference points—explain why humans systematically deviate from rational choice theory.

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ChoiceTheory
7 min read
The Neural Currency Problem in Value-Based Choice
Decision Making

The Neural Currency Problem in Value-Based Choice

How does your brain compare incomparable rewards? The search for neural common currency reveals a system far more dynamic and context-dependent than rational choice theory assumed.

person's left hand wrapped by tape measure
ChoiceTheory
7 min read
Why Expected Utility Theory Fails in the Brain
Decision Making

Why Expected Utility Theory Fails in the Brain

The elegant mathematics of rational choice meets the messy reality of neural computation—and the brain's solutions reveal why perfect rationality was never biologically possible.

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ChoiceTheory
6 min read
The Computational Cost of Optimal Choice
Decision Making

The Computational Cost of Optimal Choice

Why perfect decisions are mathematically impossible—and why that makes your quick judgments smarter than you thought.

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ChoiceTheory
7 min read
Temporal Discounting: Hyperbolic vs. Exponential Models
Decision Making

Temporal Discounting: Hyperbolic vs. Exponential Models

Why your brain values the future inconsistently, and what competing mathematical models reveal about the architecture of choice across time.

person's left hand wrapped by tape measure
ChoiceTheory
8 min read
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