Accelerated Neurocomputation in Human Decision-Making Under Time Pressure

It is common to make risky decisions under time pressure. However, there are ongoing debates regarding the interpretation of the intrinsic mechanisms through which time pressure influences risky decision-making. The current study, combining a sequential risk-taking task, behavioral modeling, and time-resolved multivariate pattern analysis on electroencephalography signals, explored the intrinsic mechanisms underlying the influence of time pressure on risky decision-making. Results from both the behavioral and neural levels indicated that under time pressure, decision-makers enhanced their computation of the value of different options, with this computation primarily based on the potential benefits of options, and made more conservative decision. Additionally, under time pressure, decision-makers' emotion experience was related to the indicator of valuation stage (i.e., decoding accuracy) of decision-making and they spent less time on the subsequent selection stage. The current study highlights that, during risky decision-making under time pressure, the brain does not suppress a particular information processing process; instead, it operates in an accelerated manner.