Mice alternate between discrete strategies during perceptual decision-making
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Abstract
Classical models of perceptual decision-making assume that subjects use a single, consistent strategy to form decisions, or that decision-making strategies evolve slowly over time. Here we present new analyses suggesting that this common view is incorrect. We analyzed data from mouse and human decision-making experiments and found that choice behavior relies on an interplay among multiple interleaved strategies. These strategies, characterized by states in a hidden Markov model, persist for tens to hundreds of trials before switching, and often switch multiple times within a session. The identified decision-making strategies were highly consistent across mice and comprised a single 'engaged' state, in which decisions relied heavily on the sensory stimulus, and several biased states in which errors frequently occurred. These results provide a powerful alternate explanation for 'lapses' often observed in rodent behavioral experiments, and suggest that standard measures of performance mask the presence of major changes in strategy across trials.
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- Authors
- Ashwood, Z. C., Roy, N. A., Stone, I. R., Laboratory, T. I. B., Urai, A. E., Churchland, A. K., Pouget, A., & Pillow, J. W.
- Affiliations
- Princeton University (US)
- Leiden University (NL)
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- University of Geneva (CH)
- Corresponding author
- Ashwood, Zoe C.
- Pillow, Jonathan W.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Nature Neuroscience
- Published
- 2022-02
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 201-212
- ISSN
- 1097-6256 (ISSN-L)
- 1546-1726
- PMC
- PMC8890994
- OpenAlex
- W4221108904
- Cited by
- 229
- References
- 68
- Citations by year
- 2026: 38 · 2025: 67 · 2024: 63 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 2
- FWCI
- 23.20
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Nature Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Archive ouverte UNIGE (University of Geneva) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Leiden Repository (Leiden University) (submittedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Archive ouverte UNIGE (University of Geneva) (submittedVersion)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Simons Foundation (SCGB AWD543027)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
- Keywords
- perceptual decision making, decision strategies, strategy switching, hidden Markov models, mouse behavior, human decision-making, model-based analysis, cross-species comparison
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Choice Behavior, Decision Making, Humans, Mice
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