Decision-making and planning
Both humans and macaque monkeys have the ability to make use of their working memory, or the ability to perform mental operations, for their individual benefits. Unlike humans, however, the macaque monkeys are not sufficiently skilled to make decisions and plan ahead based on the pieces of information that are being provided by their working memory. They are also not aware of their intentions nor do they have the capability to reflect on the said intentions. Given that decision-making and planning are among the many attributes that differentiates humans from other animals, this chapter discusses the brain mechanisms that underlie the capacity of humans to make decisions and plan for the future as a result of the mental trial and error that humans continuously go through.
Keywords: decision-making, planning, working memory, mental operations, brain mechanisms, trial and error, macaques, humans
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