Efficient coding of subjective value

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• Xiaolu Wang
• Wednesday 10 January 2024, 14:00-15:00
• https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/92612577704?pwd=MUtqMjVQdXNmUTVIYjRkMG1NUW9GZz09.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Adam Triabhall.

This week we will discuss and debate a recent paper by Polanía and colleagues, published in Nature Neuroscience (2019).

Abstract: “Preference-based decisions are essential for survival, for instance, when deciding what we should (not) eat. Despite their importance, preference-based decisions are surprisingly variable and can appear irrational in ways that have defied mechanistic explanations. Here we propose that subjective valuation results from an inference process that accounts for the structure of values in the environment and that maximizes information in value representations in line with demands imposed by limited coding resources. A model of this inference process explains the variability in both subjective value reports and preference-based choices, and predicts a new preference illusion that we validate with empirical data. Interestingly, the same model explains the level of confidence associated with these reports. Our results imply that preference-based decisions reflect information-maximizing transmission and statistically optimal decoding of subjective values by a limited-capacity system. These findings provide a unified account of how humans perceive and valuate the environment to optimally guide behavior” (Polanía et al., 2019).

Reference: Polania, R., Woodford, M., & Ruff, C. C. (2019). Efficient coding of subjective value. Nature Neuroscience, 22(1), 134-142. https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-160002

This talk is part of the The Craik Journal Club series.

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• The Craik Journal Club
• https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/92612577704?pwd=MUtqMjVQdXNmUTVIYjRkMG1NUW9GZz09
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