Making Economic Sense of Brain Models

Neuroeconomics draws attention to motive forces that have no room in the standard framework of economic theory. The present paper develops a conceptual approach that tackles the issues at the systemic level of the brain, i.e. by analyzing and modeling the brain processes that decide on behavior. It takes as the basic unit of analysis potential stimulus-response actions which - when selected - become actual behavior. These potential stimulus-response actions have intentionality and emotional strength. At any moment of time several of these potential actions compete with each other for the privilege of becoming actual behavior, where this competition can be modeled on the basis of economic principles. The behavior that materializes may cover the range from the rational to the foolish depending on which of the potential responses gathers the greatest emotional strength, which in turn is determined by the individual's past experience and capacity for rational action. Therefore, while it can normally be expected that the rational dominates the foolish, this need not always be the case. Which potential actions become behavior in a concrete instance is decided by a mechanism implemented by the basal ganglia, a real structure in the brain. The insights provided by this approach afford coherent explanations of behaviors at the level of the individual that are not readily explicable by the standard approach. The paper is organized as follows: 1 Introduction, 2 Background from the cognitive sciences, 3 View from economics: a model, 4 Using the model for economic analysis, 5 Summary and concluding observations.