Misspecified models create the appearance of adaptive control during value-based choice.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Decision Science
• Computational Neuroscience

Background:

• Metacognitive factors influence decision-making by affecting evidence accumulation and response commitment.
• A recent theory proposed that option values modulate decision formation and response vigor, operationalized as lowered decision thresholds in drift-diffusion models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To reanalyze data supporting the novel theory of motivated control.
• To provide alternative explanations for observed adaptive control phenomena in decision-making.
• To critically evaluate the computational operationalization of controlled threshold adjustments.

Main Methods:

• Reanalysis of existing experimental data.
• Application of drift-diffusion modeling.
• Investigation of alternative evidence accumulation models.
• Examination of task confounds and time-dependent effects.

Main Results:

• Evidence for controlled threshold adjustments was explained by alternative factors.
• Task confounds, time-dependent threshold collapses, and stimulus-driven dynamics were identified as alternative explanations.
• The specific evidence for the novel theory of motivated control was challenged.

Conclusions:

• The findings question the necessity of invoking controlled threshold adjustments to explain adaptive decision control.
• Alternative computational models and careful consideration of task confounds are crucial for understanding decision-making control.
• This work highlights potential pitfalls in applying computational approaches to study control in decision processes.