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free will

·May 14, 2025·4 min read

Does AI Have Free Will? New Study Says We’re Getting Close

A new study argues that some generative AI agents meet all three philosophical criteria for free will: agency, choice, and control. Drawing from theories by Dennett and List, researchers examined AI agents like Minecraft’s Voyager and fictional autonomous drones, concluding that they exhibit functional free will.

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Featured Neuroscience

·August 24, 2023·5 min read

Is Our Free Will Shaping What We Truly See?

A new study delves into the enigma of human voluntary attention. While both individuals might observe the same scenario, their attention could differ based on personal choices influenced by free will.

Featured Neuroscience Neuroscience Videos

·August 6, 2023·3 min read

Probing Pathways of Perception: This Week’s Top 5 Advances from Neuroscience News, August 6, 2023

This week's top neuroscience news includes breakthroughs such as a promising Alzheimer's vaccine, the unveiling of a key inflammation pathway impacting aging, and the identification of sensory neurons in the colon.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 4, 2023·6 min read

A Fresh Look at Free Will: Challenging the Libet Paradigm

A recent study challenges the long-standing Libet paradigm about free will. The team discovered that the EEG activity, dubbed readiness potential, registered before decision-making in Libet's original experiment has no direct correlation to the actual decision.

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Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 20, 2023·5 min read

Moral Conundrums: The Conflict Underlying Obedience to Authority

Researchers explored the conflict experience of individuals when instructed to act against their beliefs. Using the "bug destruction task," participants were ordered to grind live bugs, causing a moral conflict despite no bugs actually being harmed.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·January 5, 2023·5 min read

Free Will: Why People Believe In It Even When They Think They’re Being Manipulated

Researchers question how much free will we really have when we are constantly subjected to manipulative subliminal and direct messages designed to say everything from purchase power to political candidates.

Featured Neuroscience Neuroscience Videos Psychology

·June 5, 2021·4 min read

Is It Time to Give Up on Consciousness as ‘the Ghost in the Machine’?

Giving up the theory that consciousness is like a "ghost in the machine" to focus on the neurobiology of brain mechanisms behind conscious awareness is an essential step to better understand the human mind, researchers argue.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 3, 2021·4 min read

Neuroscience Doesn’t Undermine Free Will After All

A new study brings into question conventional theories of the neuroscience of free will. Researchers found readiness potential reflects neural activity that underlies the formation of a decision to move, rather than the outcome to move.

This shows a shady man with his finger at his lips

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 17, 2021·4 min read

‘Deprogramming’ Qanon Followers Ignores Free Will and Why They Adopted the Beliefs in the First Place

Researchers warn that "deprogramming" beliefs of those who believe in outlandish conspiracy theories may be detrimentally harmful. Instead, they suggest a more cautious approach, such as listening to their concerns and problems, may prove to be a better option.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·October 20, 2020·3 min read

Researcher Proposes New Theory of Consciousness

A new theory suggests electromagnetic energy in the brain enables neurons and brain regions to create consciousness and our ability to critically think.

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Featured Neuroscience Neuroscience Videos Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·February 6, 2020·7 min read

Breathing may change your mind about free will

Voluntary actions are linked to the body's inner state, specifically breathing and expiration, but not heartbeat.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 28, 2019·3 min read

People think marketing and political campaigns use psychology to influence their behaviors

While people believe advertising and political campaigns exploit psychological research to control their unconscious behavior, many still feel the choices they make are their own.

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free will

Does AI Have Free Will? New Study Says We’re Getting Close

Is Our Free Will Shaping What We Truly See?

Probing Pathways of Perception: This Week’s Top 5 Advances from Neuroscience News, August 6, 2023

A Fresh Look at Free Will: Challenging the Libet Paradigm

Moral Conundrums: The Conflict Underlying Obedience to Authority

Free Will: Why People Believe In It Even When They Think They’re Being Manipulated

Is It Time to Give Up on Consciousness as ‘the Ghost in the Machine’?

Neuroscience Doesn’t Undermine Free Will After All

‘Deprogramming’ Qanon Followers Ignores Free Will and Why They Adopted the Beliefs in the First Place

Researcher Proposes New Theory of Consciousness

Breathing may change your mind about free will

People think marketing and political campaigns use psychology to influence their behaviors

Blurry Beginnings Shape Brain’s Visual Pathways

Human Brains Keep Making Memory Neurons in Adulthood

Gene Therapy Restores Hearing in Those with Deafness

Forever Chemicals May Disrupt Brain Development

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