CL-3DE · Choice and learning in a 3-dimensional environment: an investigation of brain and behaviour

Choice and learning in a 3-dimensional environment: an investigation of brain and behaviour

Impulsivity, the tendency to act prematurely without foresight, is associated with most forms of drug-taking and risky forms of behaviour. In humans, impulsivity research is almost always performed with participants who make choices or actions in response to images on a 2D screen. However, the scenarios that participants experience in such experiments are unlike those we encounter the objects in the real world. As a consequence, it is still unclear how impulsivity is influenced by real-world factors. Moreover, we do not know how these factors are processed in the brain. By replacing 2D cues with 3D objects using virtual reality technology, we were able to explore whether proximity to rewarding cues influences impulsive choice and impulsive action (Figure 1). We then adapted our concept for use with a functional MRI scanner to examine the neural correlates of proximity-driven impulsivity. The British Dietetic Association’s (BTA) campaign for “junk free checkouts” in supermarkets came about because impulsive checkout purchases are thought to be contributing to the growing problem of obesity, especially among children. Our findings should be used to increase awareness among the public about the relationship between proximity and impulsivity in their consumer choices. We had two core research objectives. First, using an immersive virtual reality technique, we aimed to examine how proximity to rewarding cues impacts impulsivity in both our choices and actions. Second, by adapting this technique for use in a MRI brain scanner, we aimed to understand how brain networks related to impulsivity are impacted by proximity. For our first objective, we found that impulsive action, but not impulsive choice, was impacted by proximity. Although, the frequency of impulsive choices was the same when objects were near compared to when they were far, we found that participants were less able to withhold responses when rewarding objects were near compared to when they were far. For our second objective, we conducted an fMRI study aiming to explore the neural mechanisms involved in our behavioural finding. Data were collected for 28 human participants and analysis is still underway.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз