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The Attentional Set Shifting Task: A Measure of Cognitive Flexibility in Mice
09:15

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Published on: February 4, 2015

Observers can voluntarily shift their psychometric functions without losing sensitivity.

Michael Morgan1, Barbara Dillenburger, Sabine Raphael

  • 1Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research, Köln, Germany. Michael.Morgan@nf.mpg.de

Attention, Perception & Psychophysics
|October 29, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Observers can intentionally introduce response bias in sensory discrimination tasks without reducing performance precision. This suggests artificial response criteria can be adopted without increasing variability, impacting studies on perceptual illusions.

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Area of Science:

  • Perceptual psychology
  • Psychophysics
  • Computational neuroscience

Background:

  • Psychometric sensory discrimination functions are typically modeled using cumulative Gaussian functions with parameters for central tendency (μ) and slope (1/σ).
  • These parameters represent Fechner's 'constant' and 'variable' errors, respectively, with the potential for constant error to fluctuate and mimic variable error.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether observers can deliberately introduce a constant error (response bias) into their performance without a loss of precision (increased variable error).
  • To explore the implications of this finding for studies measuring perceptual illusions through shifts in psychometric functions.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized three-dot vernier and bisection tasks employing the method of single stimuli.
  • Instructed participants to favor one of two responses when uncertain, deliberately introducing bias.
  • Administered altered feedback to further induce response bias in some conditions.

Main Results:

  • A significant change in the central tendency (μ) of the psychometric function was observed due to induced bias.
  • Crucially, the slope (1/σ), representing performance precision, remained statistically unchanged.
  • Similar results were obtained when bias was induced via altered feedback, confirming the robustness of the finding.

Conclusions:

  • Observers can adopt artificial response criteria (bias) without a significant increase in criterion fluctuation (variable error).
  • This demonstrates a dissociation between response bias and performance precision in sensory discrimination.
  • Findings challenge assumptions in studies measuring perceptual illusions that rely on shifts in psychometric functions.