Risk-sensitivity in sensorimotor control

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Motor Control
• Decision Science

Background:

• Motor control is increasingly viewed as a decision-making process influenced by uncertainty.
• Risk-sensitivity, considering payoff variability, is known in psychology and economics but less studied in motor control.
• Current motor control theories often assume optimization of expected payoffs, neglecting variability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review evidence for risk-sensitivity in human motor behaviors.
• To demonstrate human sensitivity to the variability of motor costs.
• To discuss integrating risk-sensitivity into optimal feedback control models.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing theoretical neuroscience and empirical evidence.
• Analysis of decision-making processes in motor control.
• Conceptual integration of risk-sensitivity into control theory.

Main Results:

• Humans demonstrate risk-sensitive motor behaviors.
• Motor control is influenced by the variability of motor costs, not just average costs.
• Existing optimal feedback control models can be extended to include risk-sensitivity.

Conclusions:

• Risk-sensitivity is a crucial factor in understanding individual motor behavior under uncertainty.
• Incorporating risk-sensitivity enhances theoretical models of motor control.
• Future research should explore the implications of risk-sensitivity in diverse motor tasks.