Expectations about precision bias metacognition and awareness.

ABSTRACT: Bayesian models of the mind suggest that we estimate the reliability or "precision" of incoming sensory signals to guide perceptual inference and to construct feelings of confidence or uncertainty about what we are perceiving. However, accurately estimating precision is likely to be challenging for bounded systems like the brain. One way observers could overcome this challenge is to form expectations about the precision of their perceptions and use these to guide metacognition and awareness. Here we test this possibility. Participants made perceptual decisions about visual motion stimuli, while providing confidence ratings (Experiments 1 and 2) or ratings of subjective visibility (Experiment 3). In each experiment, participants acquired probabilistic expectations about the likely st

SUBMITTER: Olawole-Scott H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10399087 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature