RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Putting value in context: A role for context memory in decisions for reward JF bioRxiv FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory SP 033662 DO 10.1101/033662 A1 Aaron M. Bornstein A1 Kenneth A. Norman YR 2015 UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2015/12/07/033662.abstract AB How does experience inform decisions? In episode sampling, decisions are guided by a small number of episodic memories of past choices. This process can in some cases yield choice patterns similar to model-free Reinforcement Learning (RL); however, the episodes sampled can vary from trial to trial based on other factors, leading to changes in decision-making behavior. Here, we show that contextual information retrieved during episode sampling can lead to patterns of choice behavior that deviate sharply from the predictions of RL. Specifically, we show that, when a given memory is sampled, choice behavior (in the present) is influenced by the properties of other decisions that were made in the same context as the sampled event. This effect is mediated by fMRI measures of context retrieval on each trial, suggesting a mechanism whereby cues trigger retrieval of context, which then triggers retrieval of other decisions from that context. This result establishes a new avenue by which experience can guide choice, and as such has broad implications for the study of decisions.