Rational inattention in neural coding for economic choice.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Behavioral Economics
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Economic decisions involve computationally expensive mental operations.
• Rational Inattention theories model the economics of attention in decision-making.
• Attentional effort is crucial for choice accuracy and reward, but incurs costs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying attentional effort in economic decisions.
• To extend Rational Inattention framework with foraging theory's concept of environmental richness.
• To predict and test if environmental richness influences attentional effort.

Main Methods:

• Examined choices and neural activity in six macaques performing risky choices.
• Incorporated local reward rate (environmental richness) into the rational inattention model.
• Measured pupil size as an indicator of attentional effort and analyzed neural population codes.

Main Results:

• Local reward rate positively correlated with choice accuracy.
• Richer contexts (higher reward rates) led to increased pupil size, indicating greater attentional effort.
• Ventral striatum and orbitofrontal cortex showed enhanced value decodability and altered population geometries under higher reward rates.
• Accelerated value code dynamics were observed in higher reward rate contexts.

Conclusions:

• Findings support the extension of Rational Inattention theory to static contexts.
• Attentional effort is modulated by environmental reward rate, influencing neural processes in value computation.
• A neural mechanism involving gain control and distinct population codes for value underlies attentional effort.