Brains recognizing risk: Brain-imaging analysis of ratio bias phenomenon and communicative applications

• Project/Area Number: 25380978
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Experimental psychology
• Research Institution: Tokyo Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Yamagishi Kimihiko 東京工業大学, 社会理工学研究科, 准教授 (70286136)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): Kuriyama Naoko 東京工業大学, 大学院社会理工学研究科, 助教 (90361782)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2015)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,940,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,140,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥1,950,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥450,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥1,950,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥450,000)
• Keywords: 意思決定 / リスク知覚 / 認知心理学 / リスクコミュニケーション / 脳画像解析 / 割合錯誤 / 能画像解析

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research program has achieved the supposed goals in the application, namely, data collection through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as well as the development of risk communication technique based on the fMRI experimental results. Publicized research as well as public presentation such as Yamagishi (2015) and Yamagishi and Yang (2015) represent the academic achievements. Future goals include applications of risk communication technologies upon realistic practical settings. For instance, in May 2016, Japan's Prime Minister Abe settled a deal with opposition parties to approve supplementary budgets and submit it to the Diet on to help support the recovery of earthquake-hit Kumamoto and surrounding prefectures. In such settings, this research offers prescriptions for establishing unbiased assessment of risk severity for both camps of political oppositions.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] In search of logical bases beneath the superficially irrational (2015)
  • Author(s): Kimihiko Yamagishi
  • Journal Title: Scientia Volume: 12 Pages: 80-84
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] In Search of Logical Bases beneath the Superficially Irrational (2015)
  • Author(s): Kimihiko Yamagishi
  • Journal Title: Scientia Volume: in press
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] Risk perception and risk attitudes in Tokyo: A report of the first administration of DOSPERT+M in Japan. (2013)
  • Author(s): Schwartz, A., Yamagishi, K., Hirahara, N., Onishi, H., Barnes, J., Rosman, A., Garcia, M., Lee. ,S., & Butler, S.
  • Journal Title: Judgment and Decision Making Volume: 8 Pages: 691-699
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] Risk attitudes pertaining to verbal probabilities in Chinese and Japanese speakers. (2015)
  • Author(s): Kimihiko Yamagishi, Yang Mo
  • Organizer: The 56th Annual meeting of the Psychonomic Society
  • Place of Presentation: Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
  • Year and Date: 2015-11-20
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Satisfied for different reasons: Disappearance of "Paradox of Choice" among Satisficers and Maximizers. (2013)
  • Author(s): Yamagishi, K. Ikawa, N.
  • Organizer: The 23rd Biennial Conference on Subjective Probability, Utility and Decision Making, Barcelona
  • Place of Presentation: Barcelona, Spain
• [Presentation] I'll take it because…": No Paradox of Choice among satisficers and maximizers. (2013)
  • Author(s): Yamagishi, K. Ikawa, N.
  • Organizer: The 34th Annual meeting of the Society for Judgment and Decision Making.
  • Place of Presentation: Toronto, Canada
• [Presentation] 消費税問題に対する確証バイアスの影響と批判的思考との関連 (2013)
  • Author(s): 中村國則・脇村玲衣・山岸侯彦
  • Organizer: 日本認知科学会第30回大会
  • Place of Presentation: 東京都