---
title: "The evolutionary roots of human decision making"
url: https://stacklist.com/card/614c52ab-f657-4a00-9830-de1f3e6026bc
source_url: "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25559115/"
stack: https://stacklist.com/stack/19ec02fe-5b61-479f-9790-83b6bfd287ef
summary: "Human decision-making biases are examined through comparative studies with nonhuman primates to understand the evolutionary origins and psychological mechanisms underlying choice biases. This research addresses four major questions about whether similar biases exist across species and what they reveal about the biological rationality of economically irrational preferences."
tags: "decision-making, cognitive-bias, primate-behavior, comparative-psychology, economic-choice, evolution, behavioral-economics"
key_entities: "choice-induced preference changes (concept), decision-making bias (concept), cognitive evolution (concept), capuchin monkeys (organism), Egan (person), Brehm (person), NIH (organization), NIMH (organization)"
classification: "reference"
content_hash: "sha256:221879e0d1d742bc79c54e3aea0babd6295e009d42ccc53f7c229419ca2caf6c"
acp_version: "0.2"
token_counts_approximate: 976
visibility: public
agent_accessible: true
status: "final"
---

# The evolutionary roots of human decision making

Full text links Cite Display options Display options Format Abstract PubMed PMID Abstract Humans exhibit a suite of biases when making economic decisions. We review recent research on the origins of human decision making by examining whether similar choice biases are seen in nonhuman primates, our closest phylogenetic relatives. We propose that comparative studies can provide insight into four major questions about the nature of human choice biases that cannot be addressed by studies of our species alone. First, research with other primates can address the evolution of human choice biases and identify shared versus human-unique tendencies in decision making. Second, primate studies can constrain hypotheses about the psychological mechanisms underlying such biases. Third, comparisons of closely related species can identify when distinct mechanisms underlie related biases by examining evolutionary dissociations in choice strategies. Finally, comparative work can provide insight into the biological rationality of economically irrational preferences. Keywords: bias; cognitive evolution; preference; primates; rationality. PubMed Disclaimer Figures Figure 1 Choice-induced preference changes in capuchins.… Figure 1 Choice-induced preference changes in capuchins. In the Egan et al. (2007) study, ( … Figure 1 Choice-induced preference changes in capuchins. In the Egan et al. (2007) study, ( a ) monkeys are given a choice between two differently colored chocolate candies: blue and green. ( b ) The monkey makes her choice, in this case blue. ( c ) Later, she is given a second choice between the unchosen option (green) and a novel but equivalent color (red). Egan and colleagues found that monkeys consistently avoided the unchosen option in the second choice, which suggests that capuchins may derogate unchosen options just as humans do (e.g., Brehm 1956). See this image and copyright information in PMC References Abe H, Lee D. Distributed coding of actual and hypothetical outcomes in the orbital and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Neuron. 2011;70:731–41. - PMC - PubMed Addessi E, Bellagamba F, Delfino A, De Petrillo F, Focaroli V, et al. Waiting by mistake: Symbolic representation of rewards modulated intertemporal choice in capuchin monkeys, preschool children, and adult humans. Cognition. 2014;130:428–41. - PubMed Addessi E, Crescimbene L, Visalberghi E. Do capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) use tokens as symbols? Proc R Soc B. 2007;274:2579–85. Shows that monkeys can learn that tokens are symbols of quantity and can flexibly compare the value of different tokens. - PMC - PubMed Addessi E, Paglieri F, Beran M, Evans T, Macchitella L, et al. Delay choice versus delay maintenance: different measures of delayed gratification in capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) J Comp Psychol. 2013;127:392–98. - PMC - PubMed Addessi E, Paglieri F, Focaroli V. The ecological rationality of delay tolerance: insights from capuchin monkeys. Cognition. 2011;119:142–47. - PubMed Show all 205 references Publication types Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Actions Search in PubMed Search in MeSH Add to Search Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Actions Search in PubMed Search in MeSH Add to Search Review Actions Search in PubMed Search in MeSH Add to Search MeSH terms Animals Actions Search in PubMed Search in MeSH Add to Search Biological Evolution* Actions Search in PubMed Search in MeSH Add to Search Decision Making / physiology* Actions Search in PubMed Search in MeSH Add to Search Humans Actions Search in PubMed Search in MeSH Add to Search Primates / physiology* Actions Search in PubMed Search in MeSH Add to Search Grants and funding R01 MH096875/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States R01MH096875/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States LinkOut - more resources Full Text Sources Europe PMC Ingenta plc Ovid Technologies, Inc. PubMed Central Other Literature Sources scite Smart Citations