Abstract
Classical models of perceptual decision-making assume that animals use a single, consistent strategy to form decisions, or that decision-making strategies evolve slowly over time. Here we present new analyses suggesting that this common view is incorrect. We analyzed data from two mouse decision-making experiments and found that choice behavior relies on an interplay between multiple interleaved strategies. These strategies, characterized by states in a hidden Markov model, persist for tens to hundreds of trials before switching, and may alternate multiple times within a session. The identified strategies were highly consistent across animals, consisting of a single “engaged” state, in which decisions relied heavily on the sensory stimulus, and several biased or disengaged states in which errors frequently occurred. These results provide a powerful alternate explanation for “lapses” often observed in psychophysical experiments, and suggest that standard measures of performance mask the presence of dramatic changes in strategy across trials.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
