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Emotional Decisions

Barnes, Allison and Thagard, Paul (1996) Emotional Decisions. [Conference Paper]

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Abstract

Recent research has yielded an explosion of literature that establishes a strong connection between emotional and cognitive processes. Most notably, Antonio Damasio draws an intimate connection between emotion and cognition in practical decision making. Damasio presents a "somatic marker" hypothesis which explains how emotions are biologically indispensable to decisions. His research on patients with frontal lobe damage indicates that feelings normally accompany response options and operate as a biasing device to dictate choice. What Damasio's hypothesis lacks is a theoretical model of decision making which can advance the conceptual connection between emotional and cognitive decision making processes. In this paper we combine Damasio's somatic marker hypothesis with the coherence theory of decision put forward by Thagard and Millgram. The juxtaposition of Damasio's hypothesis with a cognitive theory of decision making leads to a new and better theory of emotional decisions.

Item Type:Conference Paper
Subjects:Psychology > Cognitive Psychology
Philosophy > Epistemology
ID Code:619
Deposited By: Thagard, Paul
Deposited On:26 Mar 1998
Last Modified:11 Mar 2011 08:54

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