RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Dissociable mechanisms govern when and how strongly reward attributes affect decisions
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 434860
DO 10.1101/434860
A1 Maier, Silvia U.
A1 Beharelle, Anjali Raja
A1 Polanía, Rafael
A1 Ruff, Christian C.
A1 Hare, Todd A.
YR 2020
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/04/21/434860.abstract
AB Theories and computational models of decision making usually focus on how strongly different attributes are weighted in choice, e.g., as a function of their importance or salience to the decision-maker. However, when different attributes impact on the decision process is a question that has received far less attention. Here, we investigated whether attribute consideration timing has a unique influence on decision making using a time-varying drift diffusion model and data from four separate experiments. Experimental manipulations of attention and neural activity demonstrated that we can dissociate the processes that determine the relative weighting strength and timing of attribute consideration. Thus, the processes determining either the weighting strengths or the timing of attributes in decision making can adapt independently to changes in the environment or goals. Quantifying these separate influences of timing and weighting on choice improves our understanding and predictions of individual differences in decision behaviour.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.