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Goals Shape Dynamics of Attention and Selection for Value-Based Decision-Making
Romy Froemer1,2,3,4, Chih-Chung Ting5,6, Amitai Shenhav4,5,7,8
1School of Psychology, University of Birmingham.
Topics in Cognitive Science
|July 27, 2026
Summary
Humans flexibly adjust decision-making strategies based on goals. Cognitive control research reveals how goal-specific demands influence choice mechanisms and attention, impacting search dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Neuroscience
- Decision science
Background:
- Traditional decision-making theories often predict a single choice type.
- Flexible adjustments to varying goals and cognitive demands are crucial for human decision-making.
- Integrating decision-making and cognitive control research offers a more comprehensive understanding.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test a theory explaining flexible adjustments in choice mechanisms.
- To model how different features translate into goal-relevant evidence.
- To investigate the mapping of evidence onto different output structures.
Main Methods:
- An eye-tracking study was conducted with participants performing choice and appraisal tasks.
- Participants evaluated consumer products based on positive or negative values.
- Response times and eye movement patterns were analyzed to understand cognitive processes.
Main Results:
- Response times varied predictably with option value in choose-best and choose-worst trials.
- Appraisal tasks showed an inverted-U-shaped response time pattern, distinct from choice tasks.
- Attention allocation during search was goal-dependent, focusing on congruent options during choice and distributing uniformly during appraisal.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive control dynamically shapes choice and search dynamics.
- Attention and response strategies are flexibly adjusted to meet current goals and task demands.
- The findings support a biologically inspired model of flexible decision-making.
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