Breaking Deadlocks: Reward Probability and Spontaneous Preference Shape Voluntary Decisions and Electrophysiological Sig
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Breaking Deadlocks: Reward Probability and Spontaneous Preference Shape Voluntary Decisions and Electrophysiological Signals in Humans Wojciech Zajkowski1
´ 1 · Jacopo Barone1 · Lisa H. Evans1 · Jiaxiang Zhang1 · Dominik Krzeminski
Accepted: 3 November 2020 © The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Choosing between equally valued options is a common conundrum, for which classical decision theories predicted a prolonged response time (RT). This contrasts with the notion that an optimal decision maker in a stable environment should make fast and random choices, as the outcomes are indifferent. Here, we characterize the neurocognitive processes underlying such voluntary decisions by integrating cognitive modelling of behavioral responses and EEG recordings in a probabilistic reward task. Human participants performed binary choices between pairs of unambiguous cues associated with identical reward probabilities at different levels. Higher reward probability accelerated RT, and participants chose one cue faster and more frequent over the other at each probability level. The behavioral effects on RT persisted in simple reactions to single cues. By using hierarchical Bayesian parameter estimation for an accumulator model, we showed that the probability and preference effects were independently associated with changes in the speed of evidence accumulation, but not with visual encoding or motor execution latencies. Time-resolved MVPA of EEG-evoked responses identified significant representations of reward certainty and preference as early as 120 ms after stimulus onset, with spatial relevance patterns maximal in middle central and parietal electrodes. Furthermore, EEG-informed computational modelling showed that the rate of change between N100 and P300 event-related potentials modulated accumulation rates on a trial-by-trial basis. Our findings suggest that reward probability and spontaneous preference collectively shape voluntary decisions between equal options, providing a mechanism to prevent indecision or random behavior. Keywords Decision making · Reward probability · Preference · EEG · Cognitive modelling
Introduction Cognitive flexibility enables decision strategies to adapt to environmental and motivational needs (Schiebener and Brand 2015). One characteristic of this ability is that harder decisions often take longer. Evidence from neurophysiology (Gold and Shadlen 2001), neuroimaging (Heekeren et al.
Equal contributions: Wojciech Zajkowski, Dominik Krzemi´nski Wojciech Zajkowski
[email protected] Jiaxiang Zhang
[email protected] 1
Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
2008), and modelling (Ratcliff and Smith 2004) suggest an evidence accumulation process for decision-making: information is accumulated over time, and a decision is made when the accumulated evidence reached a threshold (Gold and Shadlen 2007). This process can accommodate paradigms consisting of noisy stimuli (perceptual choices), as well as a rich variety
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