In uncertain situations, our choices become messy

We are constantly making decisions in our lives, from picking an entrance gate at the station to choosing a place to live. Our expectations about the outcome drive these choices. But what if we become uncertain about a situation or are surprised by an outcome and our expectations are no longer correct? Thomas Meindertsma examined how the brain deals with uncertainty and surprise when making decisions. 'In uncertain situations, we get messier in our choices', he concludes. 'But this also leads to exploration, which helps us to adapt to a new environment.' He will defend his PhD thesis at the University of Amsterdam on Thursday, 7 April. 'We always have expectations about how the world works and about the possible outcome of our decisions', says cognitive neuroscience researcher Thomas Meindertsma. 'We base these expectations on previous experiences and our knowledge of the world, such as natural laws and regularity. If something big falls out of the window, for example, it always goes straight down, so you decide to step aside.' According to Meindertsma, this is how we build expectations that guide our choices. Uncertainty and surprise are closely linked to these expectations. 'If we have strong expectations about the outcome of a decision, we will experience little uncertainty. But if we become uncertain about a situation or are surprised by an outcome, we will start to question our expectations. They might no longer be correct.' He investigated how the brain processes information in the event of uncertainty and surprise and how this influences decisions. How do you measure what uncertainty and surprise do to the brain?