A Theory of Decision Making Based on Feynman's Path Integral Formulation of Quantum Mechanics

Abstract

Similarities between the non-deterministic nature of quantum theory and the unpredictable patterns of human cognition and decision making have been observed and commented on many times since the invention of Quantum Mechanics in the first part of the 20th century. Niels Bohr himself took note of the parallels.[3] In fact, an entire field of study, Quantum Cognition, has been borne from the study of this analogy. [3] However, many of the attempts to model human behavior with quantum mechanics conflate the identity of a particle with its own wavefunction, which is incorrect and invalidates the analogy. In this paper, we seek to make explicit this error, make necessary corrections, and then deepen the analogy. We do this by creating a Quantum Decision Theory that directly parallels Richard Feynman's novel formulation of quantum mechanics published in 1948 at Cornell University: Space-Time Approach to Non-Relativistic Quantum Mechanics".