Both Phineas Gage and Elliot had damage to the prefrontal region of the brain. The prefrontal region is important to rational decision making, and people tend to think that good decision making takes "cold" cognition-that is, rational thinking unaffected by emotion. After Damasio took into account the specific prefrontal area damaged in each man, the two cases indicated that:
A) rational decision making could be regained by Gage and Elliot.
B) normal emotional processing is needed for rational decision making.
C) the connection between decision making and emotion cannot be determined by only two unique cases.
D) damage to brain areas related to language impairs the ability to make rational decisions.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Damasio's study suggested that the prefrontal region plays a crucial role in connecting emotion to decision making, and that normal emotional processing is needed for rational decision making. Therefore, the damage to this region affected the ability of Gage and Elliot to make rational decisions despite having intact cognitive abilities.

Both Phineas Gage and Elliot Had Damage to the Prefrontal