scholarly journals Urgency, Leakage, and the Relative Nature of Information Processing in Decision-making

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer S. Trueblood ◽  
Andrew Heathcote ◽  
Nathan J. Evans ◽  
William R. Holmes
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Decision Process ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Independent Manner ◽  
Evidence Accumulation ◽  
Gating Model ◽  
Simplifying Assumptions

AbstractOver the last decade, there has been a robust debate in decision neuroscience and psychology about what mechanism governs the time course of decision making. Historically, the most prominent hypothesis is that neural architectures accumulate information over time until some threshold is met, the so-called Evidence Accumulation hypothesis. However, most applications of this theory rely on simplifying assumptions, belying a number of potential complexities. Is changing stimulus information perceived and processed in an independent manner or is there a relative component? Does urgency play a role? What about evidence leakage? Although the latter questions have been the subject of recent investigations, most studies to date have been piecemeal in nature, addressing one aspect of the decision process or another. Here we develop a modeling framework, an extension of the Urgency Gating Model, in conjunction with a changing information experimental paradigm to simultaneously probe these aspects of the decision process. Using state-of-the-art Bayesian methods to perform parameter-based inference, we find that 1) information processing is relative with early information influencing the perception of late information, 2) time varying urgency and evidence accumulation are of roughly equal importance in the decision process, and 3) leakage is present with a time scale of ~200-250ms. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive study to utilize a changing information paradigm to jointly and quantitatively estimate the temporal dynamics of human decision-making.

scholarly journals An evidence accumulation model of perceptual discrimination with naturalistic stimuli

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hector Palada ◽  
Rachel A Searston ◽  
Annabel Persson ◽  
Timothy Ballard ◽  
Matthew B Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Decision Process ◽  
Dynamic Decision Making ◽  
Evidence Accumulation ◽  
Natural Stimuli ◽  
Perceptual Judgments ◽  
Linear Ballistic Accumulator ◽  
Decision Making Model ◽  
Speed Accuracy

Evidence accumulation models have been used to describe the cognitive processes underlying performance in tasks involving two-choice decisions about unidimensional stimuli, such as motion or orientation. Given the multidimensionality of natural stimuli, however, we might expect qualitatively different patterns of evidence accumulation in more applied perceptual tasks. One domain that relies heavily on human decisions about complex natural stimuli is fingerprint discrimination. We know little about the ability of evidence accumulation models to account for the dynamic decision process of a fingerprint examiner resolving if two different prints belong to the same finger or not. Here, we apply a dynamic decision-making model — the linear ballistic accumulator (LBA) — to fingerprint discrimination decisions in order to gain insight into the cognitive processes underlying these complex perceptual judgments. Across three experiments, we show that the LBA provides an accurate description of the fingerprint discrimination decision process with manipulations in visual noise, speed-accuracy emphasis, and training. Our results demonstrate that the LBA is a promising model for furthering our understanding of applied decision-making with naturally varying visual stimuli.

Modeling framework for analyzing midair encounters in hybrid airspace where manned and unmanned aircraft coexist

2019 ◽  
Vol 233 (15) ◽  
pp. 5492-5506
Author(s):  
Yang Hu ◽  
Wenhui Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Simulation Studies ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft System ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Safety Criterion ◽  
Safety Concerns ◽  
Aircraft System

The integration of unmanned aircraft system into nonsegregated airspace raises safety concerns of midair encounters in the hybrid airspace where manned and unmanned aircraft coexist. This paper aims at developing a new modeling framework with improved modeling capability and feasibility for analyzing the midair encounters in hybrid airspace. This modeling framework includes models of different components (airspace, human pilot, manned aircraft, unmanned aircraft, etc.) involved in midair encounters. As a key component, human pilot is modeled to contain different information processing stages which are perception, decision making and response. Meanwhile, the modeling framework is designed to provide quantitative measures of midair encounters in hybrid airspace, and further uses “Equal Level of Safety” criterion to evaluate the validity of the integration of the unmanned aircraft system. Finally, the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed modeling framework are demonstrated through simulation studies.

scholarly journals Making up your mind: Enhanced perceptual decision-making induced by stochastic resonance during non-invasive brain stimulation: Stochastic resonance in perceptual decision-making

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Onno van der Groen ◽  
Matthew F. Tang ◽  
Nicole Wenderoth ◽  
Jason B. Mattingley
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Stochastic Resonance ◽  
Decision Process ◽  
Random Noise ◽  
Perceptual Decision Making ◽  
Perceptual Decision ◽  
Evidence Accumulation ◽  
Neural Noise ◽  
Stimulation Of

Summary:Perceptual decision-making relies on the gradual accumulation of noisy sensory evidence until a specified boundary is reached and an appropriate response is made. It might be assumed that adding noise to a stimulus, or to the neural systems involved in its processing, would interfere with the decision process. But it has been suggested that adding an optimal amount of noise can, under appropriate conditions, enhance the quality of subthreshold signals in nonlinear systems, a phenomenon known as stochastic resonance. Here we asked whether perceptual decisions obey these stochastic resonance principles by adding noise directly to the visual cortex using transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) while participants judged the direction of motion in foveally presented random-dot motion arrays. Consistent with the stochastic resonance account, we found that adding tRNS bilaterally to visual cortex enhanced decision-making when stimuli were just below, but not well below or above, perceptual threshold. We modelled the data under a drift diffusion framework to isolate the specific components of the multi-stage decision process that were influenced by the addition of neural noise. This modelling showed that tRNS increased drift rate, which indexes the rate of evidence accumulation, but had no effect on bound separation or non-decision time. These results were specific to bilateral stimulation of visual cortex; control experiments involving unilateral stimulation of left and right visual areas showed no influence of random noise stimulation. Our study is the first to provide causal evidence that perceptual decision-making is susceptible to a stochastic resonance effect induced by tRNS, and that this effect arises from selective enhancement of the rate of evidence accumulation for sub-threshold sensory events.

scholarly journals The time-course of distractor-based activation modulates effects of speed-accuracy tradeoffs in conflict tasks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Mittelstädt ◽  
Jeff Miller ◽  
Hartmut Leuthold ◽  
Ian Grant Mackenzie ◽  
Rolf Ulrich
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Congruency Effect ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Time Pressure ◽  
Evidence Accumulation ◽  
Conflicting Information ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Time Courses ◽  
Decision Boundaries ◽  
Speed Accuracy

AbstractThe cognitive processes underlying the ability of human performers to trade speed for accuracy is often conceptualized within evidence accumulation models, but it is not yet clear whether and how these models can account for decision-making in the presence of various sources of conflicting information. In the present study, we provide evidence that speed-accuracy tradeoffs (SATs) can have opposing effects on performance across two different conflict tasks. Specifically, in a single preregistered experiment, the mean reaction time (RT) congruency effect in the Simon task increased, whereas the mean RT congruency effect in the Eriksen task decreased, when the focus was put on response speed versus accuracy. Critically, distributional RT analyses revealed distinct delta plot patterns across tasks, thus indicating that the unfolding of distractor-based response activation in time is sufficient to explain the opposing pattern of congruency effects. In addition, a recent evidence accumulation model with the notion of time-varying conflicting information was successfully fitted to the experimental data. These fits revealed task-specific time-courses of distractor-based activation and suggested that time pressure substantially decreases decision boundaries in addition to reducing the duration of non-decision processes and the rate of evidence accumulation. Overall, the present results suggest that time pressure can have multiple effects in decision-making under conflict, but that strategic adjustments of decision boundaries in conjunction with different time-courses of distractor-based activation can produce counteracting effects on task performance with different types of distracting sources of information.

Are negative and positive reviews regarding apparel fit influential?

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eonyou Shin ◽  
Telin Chung ◽  
Mary Lynn Damhorst
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Decision Process ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Purchase Decision ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Female Consumers ◽  
Online Purchase ◽  
Apparel Product

PurposeThe purpose of the current study is to explore how valenced fit reviews affect the consumer decision-making process during online apparel shopping.Design/methodology/approachA single factor (valence of fit review) within-subject experimental design was employed to examine how the valenced fit review (negative vs positive) affects the consumer online purchase decision process. A mock website was created to simulate the online shopping environment through four steps for developing a stimulus website for the main study. The data were analyzed using repeated multivariate analysis of variance and structural equation modeling.FindingsA total of 418 female consumers completed an online self-administrated survey. Results showed that positive fit review was more compelling than negative fit review for female consumers when they like the apparel product. Two aspects of information credibility (review and site credibility) and confidence in purchase decision evoked by both fit reviews and overall product information were significant determinants of the consumer purchase decision process in increasing consumers’ future purchase intentions through attitude to the online retailer.Originality/valueThe current study was an attempt to fill the gap in knowledge regarding the crucial role of fit reviews in apparel product purchase decisions in an online context. This study confirmed the type of fit reviews that would be influential on female consumers’ online purchase decision-making process for apparel products when they liked the apparel product, supporting positive confirmation bias from the information processing point of view. This study contributed to the importance of the two concepts (i.e. credibility and confidence in the purchase decision) in online information processing and purchase decision-making process.

scholarly journals Discriminating evidence accumulation from urgency signals in speeded decision making

2015 ◽  
Vol 114 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy E. Hawkins ◽  
Eric-Jan Wagenmakers ◽  
Roger Ratcliff ◽  
Scott D. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Positive Outcome ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Recent Theory ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Evidence Accumulation ◽  
Gating Model ◽  
Noisy Information

The dominant theoretical paradigm in explaining decision making throughout both neuroscience and cognitive science is known as “evidence accumulation”—the core idea being that decisions are reached by a gradual accumulation of noisy information. Although this notion has been supported by hundreds of experiments over decades of study, a recent theory proposes that the fundamental assumption of evidence accumulation requires revision. The “urgency gating” model assumes decisions are made without accumulating evidence, using only moment-by-moment information. Under this assumption, the successful history of evidence accumulation models is explained by asserting that the two models are mathematically identical in standard experimental procedures. We demonstrate that this proof of equivalence is incorrect, and that the models are not identical, even when both models are augmented with realistic extra assumptions. We also demonstrate that the two models can be perfectly distinguished in realistic simulated experimental designs, and in two real data sets; the evidence accumulation model provided the best account for one data set, and the urgency gating model for the other. A positive outcome is that the opposing modeling approaches can be fruitfully investigated without wholesale change to the standard experimental paradigms. We conclude that future research must establish whether the urgency gating model enjoys the same empirical support in the standard experimental paradigms that evidence accumulation models have gathered over decades of study.

scholarly journals Mouselab-MDP: A new paradigm for tracing how people plan

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick Callaway ◽  
Falk Lieder ◽  
Paul Krueger ◽  
Tom Griffiths
Keyword(s):  
Decision Process ◽  
Information Acquisition ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sequential Decision ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Sequential Decision Process ◽  
Markov Decision ◽  
Planning Strategies

Planning is a latent cognitive process that cannot be observed directly. This makes it difficult to study how people plan. To address this problem, we propose a new paradigm for studying planning that provides experimenters with a timecourse of participant attention to information in the task environment. This paradigm employs the information-acquisition mechanism of the Mouselab paradigm, in which participants click on options to reveal the outcome of choosing those options. However, in contrast to the original Mouselab paradigm, our paradigm is a sequential decision process, in which participants must plan multiple steps ahead to achieve high scores. We release Mouselab-MDP open-source as a plugin for the JsPsych online Psychology experiment library. The plugin displays a Markov decision process as a directed graph, which the participant navigates to maximize reward. To trace the the process of planning, the rewards associated with states or actions are initially occluded; the participant has to click on a transition to reveal its reward. This information gathering behavior makes explicit the states the participant considers. We illustrate the utility of the Mouselab-MDP paradigm with a proof-of-concept experiment in which we trace the temporal dynamics of planning in a simple environment. Our data shed new light on people’s approximate planning strategies and on how people prune decision trees. We hope that the release of Mouselab-MDP will facilitate future research on human planning strategies. In particular, we hope that the fine-grained time course data that the paradigm generates will be instrumental in specifying algorithms, tracking learning trajectories, and characterizing individual differences in human planning.

Information and Its Value

2020 ◽  
pp. 3-31
Author(s):  
J. Michael Dunn ◽  
Amos Golan
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Decision Process ◽  
Value Of Information ◽  
A Value ◽  
Concept Of Information

In this chapter, we are interested in understanding the nature of information and its value. We focus on information that is used for making decisions, including related activities such as constructing models, performing inferences, and making predictions. Our discussion is mostly qualitative, and it touches on certain aspects of information as related to the sender, receiver, and a possible observer. Although our emphasis is on shedding more light on the concept of information for making decisions, we are not concerned here with the exact details of the decision process, or information processing itself. In addition to discussing information, our expedition takes us through the traditional notions of utility, prices, and risk, all of which, under certain conditions, relate to the value of information. Our main conclusion is that the value of information (used in decision making) is relative and subjective. Since information is relative, it can have more than one value, say a value for the sender, a value for the receiver, or even different values for different senders and receivers, and various values for various “eavesdroppers.” Of course, the value might be zero for any of these. Importantly, that value is inversely related to risk when the information is used for decision making. Although this conclusion is likely expected, we did argue for it in a way that relies on some fundamentals about both value and information.

scholarly journals Confirmation bias is adaptive when coupled with efficient metacognition

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Rollwage ◽  
Stephen M. Fleming
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Confirmation Bias ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Evidence Accumulation ◽  
Contradictory Information ◽  
New Information ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
Selective Information Processing ◽  
Selective Information

AbstractBiases in the consideration of evidence can reduce the chances of consensus between people with different viewpoints. While such altered information processing typically leads to detrimental performance in laboratory tasks, the ubiquitous nature of confirmation bias makes it unlikely that selective information processing is universally harmful. Here we suggest that confirmation bias is adaptive to the extent that agents have good metacognition, allowing them to downweight contradictory information when correct but still able to seek new information when they realise they are wrong. Using simulation-based modelling, we explore how the adaptiveness of holding a confirmation bias depends on such metacognitive insight. We find that the behavioural consequences of selective information processing are systematically affected by agents’ introspective abilities. Strikingly, we find that selective information processing can even improve decision-making when compared to unbiased evidence accumulation, as long as it is accompanied by good metacognition. These results further suggest that interventions which boost people’s metacognition might be efficient in alleviating the negative effects of selective information processing on issues such as political polarisation.

scholarly journals Evidence and urgency related EEG signals during dynamic decision-making in humans

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Yau ◽  
T. Hinault ◽  
M. Taylor ◽  
P. Cisek ◽  
L.K. Fellows ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Dynamic Decision Making ◽  
Decision Variable ◽  
Decision Threshold ◽  
Neural Signals ◽  
Addictive Disorders ◽  
Evidence Accumulation ◽  
Gating Model ◽  
Decision Variables ◽  
Sensory Evidence

AbstractA successful class of models link decision-making to brain signals by assuming that evidence accumulates to a decision threshold. These evidence accumulation models have identified neuronal activity that appears to reflect sensory evidence and decision variables that drive behavior. More recently, an additional evidence-independent and time-variant signal, named urgency, has been hypothesized to accelerate decisions in the face of insufficient evidence. However, most decision-making paradigms tested with fMRI or EEG in humans have not been designed to disentangle evidence accumulation from urgency. Here we use a face-morphing decision-making task in combination with EEG and a hierarchical Bayesian model to identify neural signals related to sensory and decision variables, and to test the urgency-gating model. We find that an evoked potential time-locked to the decision, the centroparietal positivity, reflects the decision variable from the computational model. We further show that the unfolding of this signal throughout the decision process best reflects the product of sensory evidence and an evidence-independent urgency signal. Urgency varied across subjects, suggesting that it may represent an individual trait. Our results show that it is possible to use EEG to distinguish neural signals related to sensory evidence accumulation, decision variables, and urgency. These mechanisms expose principles of cognitive function in general and may have applications to the study of pathological decision-making as in impulse control and addictive disorders.Significance StatementPerceptual decisions are often described by a class of models that assumes sensory evidence accumulates gradually over time until a decision threshold is reached. In the present study, we demonstrate that an additional urgency signal impacts how decisions are formed. This endogenous signal encourages one to respond as time elapses. We found that neural decision signals measured by EEG reflect the product of sensory evidence and an evidence-independent urgency signal. A nuanced understanding of human decisions, and the neural mechanisms that support it, can improve decision-making in many situations and potentially ameliorate dysfunction when it has gone awry.

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