Why Rehabilitation Efforts Sometimes Fail Summary

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NEUROECONOMICS:

BRAIN ON MONEY

HOW YOUR BRAIN DECIDES TO TELL YOU THAT IT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT AND IMPRESSIVE ORGAN

GLIMCHER’S TAKE ON NEUROECONOMICS

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JING TING’S TAKE ON ITS RELATION TO ADDICTION

Toh Jing Ting

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The Basis of Addiction and Why Rehabilitation Efforts Sometimes Fail

1. Glimcher Book Review

1.1 Summary of Arguments

In this book, Paul W. Glimcher argues for the case of neuroeconomics, and emphasizes on the relevance of neuroeconomics in helping to improve on existing theories of choice prediction.

As an ontological opposition to complete reductionism, Glimcher argues that although complete reduction of a branch of science to a lower level is not possible, partial reduction is possible. In fact, the partial reductionist approach led to reductively driven redefinitions of high-level sciences and emergence of new fields such as biochemistry, which serves to strengthen the predictive powers of both discipline. For instance, biochemistry makes use of concepts in both biology and chemistry to explain processes such as replication of DNA. Similarly, economics,

Cardinal data such as neural firing rates can be obtained from brain scans during decision-making tasks, which allows us to understand the subjective valuation of the choice made by the subject. Comparing the neuron firing rates in different subjects will allow us to compare the valuations in different subjects as well. Thus, what we get is more than how useful the choice is to the subject, but rather, how much the subject values that choice. In other words, it shows how much welfare the subject gets from making that choice. (This is more than just happiness, as a valuation will also include utility and other factors as well. Thus, the subject will still choose the same option if given another