Behavioral Signatures of Post-Decisional Attention in Preferential Choice

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Decision Science

Background:

• Attention directs cognitive resources, influencing decision-making.
• Models propose attention multiplicatively biases decisions by interacting with subjective value.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test predictions of causal multiplicative attention models in decision-making.
• To investigate the role of attention in choice formation and its relationship with value.

Main Methods:

• Reanalysis of existing food-choice task data.
• Comparison of empirical data with predictions from multiplicative attention models and normative Bayesian inference models.

Main Results:

• No evidence found supporting the predictions of causal multiplicative attention models.
• Normative models also showed discrepancies with the observed data.
• An alternative model where attention reflects post-decisional processes explained several key observations.

Conclusions:

• Gaze behavior during decision-making appears to reflect both pre-decisional and post-decisional processes.
• Current models do not fully capture the complex relationship between attention, value, and choice.
• Further research is needed to refine models of attention and decision-making.