Deviation from the matching law reflects an optimal strategy involving learning over multiple timescales.

ABSTRACT: Behavior deviating from our normative expectations often appears irrational. For example, even though behavior following the so-called matching law can maximize reward in a stationary foraging task, actual behavior commonly deviates from matching. Such behavioral deviations are interpreted as a failure of the subject; however, here we instead suggest that they reflect an adaptive strategy, suitable for uncertain, non-stationary environments. To prove it, we analyzed the behavior of primates that perform a dynamic foraging task. In such nonstationary environment, learning on both fast and slow timescales is beneficial: fast learning allows the animal to react to sudden changes, at the price of large fluctuations (variance) in the estimates of task relevant variables. Slow learning reduces t

SUBMITTER: Iigaya K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6443814 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature