Similarity effect and optimal control of multiple-choice decision making.

ABSTRACT: Decision making with several choice options is central to cognition. To elucidate the neural mechanisms of such decisions, we investigated a recurrent cortical circuit model in which fluctuating spiking neural dynamics underlie trial-by-trial stochastic decisions. The model encodes a continuous analog stimulus feature and is thus applicable to multiple-choice decisions. Importantly, the continuous network captures similarity between alternatives and possible overlaps in their neural representation. Model simulations accounted for behavioral as well as single-unit neurophysiological data from a recent monkey experiment and revealed testable predictions about the patterns of error rate as a function of the similarity between the correct and actual choices. We also found that the similarity a

SUBMITTER: Furman M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2633638 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature