When I watched the BBC Horizon video I came in thinking there was no way the fMRI could tell which decision Marcus was going to make. The part I found most interesting was the very end when Marcus would as randomly as he could pick which hand to squeeze the button. The fMRI could tell six seconds before Marcus squeezed the button which hand he would squeeze. Marcus was just as surprised to find this information out as I was because he seemed very confident he was in charge of his decision making and movements.
I thought about this and was wondering what is really under our control is what we do just effected by stimulus or do we make the decisions before we know we have and is really still freewill? This video was very helpful in explaining what the fMRI exactly can measure. Can the fMRI be used in new ways to help us better understand the brain and how exactly stimulus and action can be related. Also would you be willing to donate your brain after you die to research? In summary the brain is still so unknown to us that we are still figuring out what its capabilities are and how to account for situations that we consider common sense but have no exact link to the brain.
47:53 - end
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Biv_8xjj8E&feature=player_embedded#t=2845s
We are not actually consciously in charge of our self?
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I found this test quite interesting as well. My hypothesis on this particular issue is that when we are told to come up with the sequence, we have thought about the sequence we are going to do even though they tell you to randomly do it. I think it will be interesting to see any further research in this area.
I really don't think that this finding implies that we don't have freewill, and that the environment dictates our decisions. I definitely believe that this machine is just showing that our brain has the answer before our body has time to show it and use the muscles to make the choice. The one thing I am surprised about is how long that delay is, 6 seconds is a lot of time, and I question how impassively he was making his decisions, and actually carrying them out.
Although I think this test is very interesting and it shows us a lot about our consciousness and control of our thoughts, I still cannot help but feel that I could trick this machine! :)