Week 3 Research Analysis Part 1: Identification of Variables & Part 2: Analysis of Ethical Considerations and Identification of Research Participants

Research Analysis on Consciousness and Decision-Making Student Name Institution Course Professor Date Research Analysis on Consciousness and Decision-Making This study aims to understand the extent to which consciousness influences the decision-making process and if there is more to our actions than just the brain. Libet’s research suggests that will is an illusion; therefore, a computational model is developed to analyze the amygdala orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and lateral prefrontal cortex. The study shows that decisions are more likely to be based on sentiments than cognitive processes because rational processes take longer. Scientific knowledge of consciousness and free will and future paths are examined. It shows how consciousness, brain function, and statistics affect psychological research decisions. Identification of Variables This study needs operational definitions to define and measure its variables. The amygdala, OFC, and LPFC are brain regions that affect decision-making. The amygdala controls emotions, the OFC short-term vending, and the LPFC long-term planning and reasoning (Liljenström, 2021). Brain imaging methods like fMRI and EEG provide reliable data, ensuring validity. These methods are widely used in neuroscientific studies and provide excellent temporal and spatial resolution to reveal brain activity patterns. Several components are examined to comprehend consciousness, decision-making, and volition. This group includes independent and dependent variables. Current analysis focuses on brain components and decision-making mechanisms. The particular brain areas responsible for decision-making, including the amygdala, OFC, and LPFC, are characterized as brain structures. These variables can be easily quantified using brain mapping techniques like fMRI or EEG, which provide real-time data on brain function (Liljenström, 2022). Emotions pertain to the aspect of decision-making as a process. In the case of concrete variables such as decision outcomes, the information is obtained directly from subjects’ actions in the tasks; however, in the case of abstract variables like the dominance of emotions or rationality, the data is based on models that mimic human decision-making given specific inputs and conditions (Liljenström, 2022). The main topics of interest are the consequences of decisions and the share of rational factors. Decision outcomes are concrete variables because they are operationally defined as subjects’ choices during tasks. Often, such decisions are documented based on conditions and can be either observation-based or based on the subject’s report (Liljenström, 2022). When comparing the two variables, emotions versus dominance in decision-making, the activity of the brain and the time taken to make decisions are considered. Emotions are faster than thinking, while rationality takes time to be put into action (Liljenström, 2022). Therefore, It is impe...