Interdisciplinary studies of decision-making and motor planning

大脑是如何对行动做出决定的？经典理论认为，我们首先处理感觉信息，以建立世界的内部表征，然后决定做什么，最后计划和执行选定的行动。然而，最近的神经和行为数据表明了一种不同的假设。他们提出，当我们观察世界时，我们大脑的某些部分会自动处理感觉信息，以同时指定目前可能采取的几种行动。然后，这些动作的神经表示相互竞争，直到出现赢家并被执行。这种竞争被来自较高认知区域的信息所偏向，但它发生在感觉运动系统本身。换句话说，行为是世界提供给我们的行动要求和机会之间的一场持续的战斗。

How does the brain make decisions about actions? Classical theories suggest that we first process sensory information to build an internal representation of the world, then decide on what to do, and finally plan and execute the selected action. However, recent neural and behavioral data suggest a different hypothesis. They suggest that as we look at the world, parts of our brain automatically process the sensory information to specify, in parallel, several actions that are currently possible. Neural representations of these actions then compete against each other until a winner emerges and is executed. This competition is biased by information from higher cognitive regions, but it takes place within the sensorimotor system itself. In other words, behavior is a constant battle between the demands and opportunities for action which the world presents to us.