Environmental dynamics shape perceptual decision bias

Charlton JA, Mlynarski WF, Bai YH, Hermundstad AM, Goris RLT. 2023. Environmental dynamics shape perceptual decision bias. PLoS Computational Biology. 19(6), e1011104.

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Journal Article | Published | English

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Author
Charlton, Julie A.; Mlynarski, Wiktor FISTA; Bai, Yoon H.; Hermundstad, Ann M.; Goris, Robbe L.T.
Department
Abstract
To interpret the sensory environment, the brain combines ambiguous sensory measurements with knowledge that reflects context-specific prior experience. But environmental contexts can change abruptly and unpredictably, resulting in uncertainty about the current context. Here we address two questions: how should context-specific prior knowledge optimally guide the interpretation of sensory stimuli in changing environments, and do human decision-making strategies resemble this optimum? We probe these questions with a task in which subjects report the orientation of ambiguous visual stimuli that were drawn from three dynamically switching distributions, representing different environmental contexts. We derive predictions for an ideal Bayesian observer that leverages knowledge about the statistical structure of the task to maximize decision accuracy, including knowledge about the dynamics of the environment. We show that its decisions are biased by the dynamically changing task context. The magnitude of this decision bias depends on the observer’s continually evolving belief about the current context. The model therefore not only predicts that decision bias will grow as the context is indicated more reliably, but also as the stability of the environment increases, and as the number of trials since the last context switch grows. Analysis of human choice data validates all three predictions, suggesting that the brain leverages knowledge of the statistical structure of environmental change when interpreting ambiguous sensory signals.
Publishing Year
Date Published
2023-06-08
Journal Title
PLoS Computational Biology
Acknowledgement
The authors thank Corey Ziemba and Zoe Boundy-Singer for valuable discussion and feedback.
Volume
19
Issue
6
Article Number
e1011104
eISSN
IST-REx-ID

Cite this

Charlton JA, Mlynarski WF, Bai YH, Hermundstad AM, Goris RLT. Environmental dynamics shape perceptual decision bias. PLoS Computational Biology. 2023;19(6). doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011104
Charlton, J. A., Mlynarski, W. F., Bai, Y. H., Hermundstad, A. M., & Goris, R. L. T. (2023). Environmental dynamics shape perceptual decision bias. PLoS Computational Biology. Public Library of Science. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011104
Charlton, Julie A., Wiktor F Mlynarski, Yoon H. Bai, Ann M. Hermundstad, and Robbe L.T. Goris. “Environmental Dynamics Shape Perceptual Decision Bias.” PLoS Computational Biology. Public Library of Science, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011104.
J. A. Charlton, W. F. Mlynarski, Y. H. Bai, A. M. Hermundstad, and R. L. T. Goris, “Environmental dynamics shape perceptual decision bias,” PLoS Computational Biology, vol. 19, no. 6. Public Library of Science, 2023.
Charlton JA, Mlynarski WF, Bai YH, Hermundstad AM, Goris RLT. 2023. Environmental dynamics shape perceptual decision bias. PLoS Computational Biology. 19(6), e1011104.
Charlton, Julie A., et al. “Environmental Dynamics Shape Perceptual Decision Bias.” PLoS Computational Biology, vol. 19, no. 6, e1011104, Public Library of Science, 2023, doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011104.
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2023-07-18
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PMID: 37289753
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