Enter Platform
← Glossary
Psychology

Wetware

The trader's brain — the neurological hardware running the decisions. Used in contrast to the tools (software) and the platform (hardware). The audit target of the trading psychology series: every bias lives in the wetware, not in the chart.

See also
Psychology Reactor (Archetype) The trader archetype anchored to feelings and PnL. Identity collapses with the bag — a green day means 'I am a good trader,' a red day means 'I am a bad trader.' Time horizon compresses to the next five minutes. Re-learns the same lesson on a six-week loop indefinitely because there is no record. → Psychology Architect (Archetype) The trader archetype anchored to process and thesis rather than PnL. Identity is separable from any single outcome. The Architect records, reviews, and compounds learning. A bad outcome on a plan-followed trade is variance, not a verdict. → Psychology Reward Prediction Error Wolfram Schultz's dopamine mechanic (1997): midbrain dopamine neurons fire most strongly to unpredicted rewards. A vertical green candle triggers the same anticipatory signal as a slot machine paying out — the dopamine fires before rational analysis can engage. →
← Back to Glossary Search all content →