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Updated: Feb 14, 2026
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Curtain Flow Column: Optimization of Efficiency and Sensitivity
Published on: June 12, 2016
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Sensitivity to the Sampling Process Emerges From the Principle of Efficiency
Julian Jara-Ettinger1, Felix Sun2, Laura Schulz2
1Department of Psychology, Yale University.
Cognitive Science
|February 17, 2018
Summary
People infer preferences by observing actions. A unified principle of efficiency, not dual systems, explains how spatial and statistical information guide this inference process in adults.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Psychology
- Computational Modeling
Background:
- Humans infer others' preferences from their actions.
- Existing theories propose separate spatial and statistical information processing for preference inference.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a unified computational model for preference inference.
- To test if a single principle of efficiency explains both spatial and statistical cues.
Main Methods:
- Developed a computational model based on the principle of efficiency.
- Compared the efficiency model against dual-system models using participant judgment data.
Main Results:
- People's sensitivity to spatial and statistical preference cues is best predicted by the efficiency model.
- The unified efficiency model outperformed dual-system models.
Conclusions:
- A single principle of efficiency underlies adult preference inference.
- This unified account explains the use of both spatial and statistical information.
Keywords:
Bayesian models of cognitionPrinciple of efficiencySensitivity to samplingSocial cognitionTheory of mindMore Related Videos
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