Neuroscientist challenges the notion of a central decision-making system

Indiana University professor Tom James argues that the brain does not contain a distinct neural mechanism that makes decisions, contrary to the common 'sandwich model' of perception, cognition, and action. Instead, he proposes that behavior emerges from continuous interactions among sensory, sensorimotor, and motor processes, along with the body and environment. This perspective does not deny the reality of decisions but reframes them as emergent rather than centrally generated.

James's argument, published in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, rests on a "physicalist" framework linked to philosopher Daniel Dennett. This view holds that physical phenomena can cause both physical and nonphysical effects, but nonphysical phenomena cannot cause physical events. Since decisions are classified as nonphysical, they cannot literally trigger physical actions, according to this reasoning.

To illustrate, James compares decisions to a center of mass—a useful mathematical abstraction that cannot independently exert force. He contends that behavior emerges from simultaneous, interacting sensory, sensorimotor, and motor processes rather than a sequential "sandwich" of perception, cognition, and action. He affirms decisions are real as descriptive language, just not as distinct neural mechanisms.