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Breaking down hierarchies of decision-making in primates
Alexandre Hyafil1, Rubén Moreno-Bote1,2
1CBC, DTIC, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.
Elife
|June 27, 2017
Summary
We propose a simpler "flat" model for decision-making, suggesting that primates directly choose between options rather than using parallel subdecisions. This model better explains observed brain activity and behavior, highlighting experience
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Primate Behavior
- Decision-Making Models
Background:
- Decision-making often involves hierarchical structures with subdecisions.
- A recent study suggested primate perception mirrors this hierarchy, performing parallel subdecisions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and evaluate a parsimonious "flat" model for perceptual decision-making in primates.
- To challenge the hierarchical parallel subdecision model with behavioral and neural evidence.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of existing behavioral and neural data from primate decision-making studies.
- Comparison of predictions from hierarchical versus flat decision models.
Main Results:
- A flat model provides a more parsimonious explanation for observed data.
- Decision signals in a flat model integrate evidence across different levels, consistent with neural recordings.
- Neural populations show evidence integration, supporting the flat model.
Conclusions:
- Experience plays a crucial role in forming integrated perceptual categories.
- Sensory evidence is merged before the final decision, supporting a non-hierarchical integration process.
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