Response repetition biases in human perceptual decisions are explained by activity decay in competitive attractor models.

ABSTRACT: Animals and humans have a tendency to repeat recent choices, a phenomenon known as choice hysteresis. The mechanism for this choice bias remains unclear. Using an established, biophysically informed model of a competitive attractor network for decision making, we found that decaying tail activity from the previous trial caused choice hysteresis, especially during difficult trials, and accurately predicted human perceptual choices. In the model, choice variability could be directionally altered through amplification or dampening of post-trial activity decay through simulated depolarizing or hyperpolarizing network stimulation. An analogous intervention using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) yielded a close match between model pr

SUBMITTER: Bonaiuto JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5243027 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature