From simple choice to social decisions : on the neuro-biological and evolutionary roots of decision making

The research of this thesis revolves around human decision making and tries to understand a range of choice situations from simple choice, like deciding between an apple and an orange to complex social decisions, like helping a stranger in need or the decision to cooperate with a group of people. Two methods from human neuroscience are used, functional brain imaging and transcranial magnetic stimulation, to link choice behavior to the underlying brain mechanisms. With these techniques we explore how our brain compares choice options from very different domains and how selfishness and fairness motives affect decisions in social contexts.