Valence, Not Utility, Underlies Reward-Driven Prioritization in Human Vision

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Decision Science

Background:

• Objects associated with reward capture attention and enhance visual cortex activity.
• It remains unclear if this effect is mediated by specific circuitry or a general mechanism prioritizing beneficial stimuli.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying visual prioritization of reward-associated stimuli.
• To test competing hypotheses regarding whether vision prioritizes reward or also the evasion of loss.

Main Methods:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and behavioral experiments were conducted.
• Participants detected naturalistic objects associated with monetary reward, evasion of loss, or neutral stimuli.

Main Results:

• Objects linked to reward were detected better and represented more strongly in the ventral visual cortex.
• Detection and representation of loss-evading stimuli were degraded, except in the parietal cortex.
• Parietal cortex showed enhanced encoding for both reward- and loss-associated stimuli.

Conclusions:

• Visual prioritization is not economically normative, favoring reward over loss-evasion.
• The visual system's prioritization is driven by valence (positive vs. negative) rather than objective utility.
• Experience-driven visual prioritization can be economically irrational.