Cargando…

Behavioral correlates of the decision process in a dynamic environment: post-choice latencies reflect relative value and choice evaluation

One characteristic of natural environments is that outcomes vary across time. Animals need to adapt to these environmental changes and adjust their choices accordingly. In this experiment, we investigated the sensitivity with which rats could detect, and adapt to, multiple changes in the environment...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Fam, Justine, Westbrook, Fred, Arabzadeh, Ehsan
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2015
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4586275/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26483649
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00261
_version_ 1782392339915866112
author Fam, Justine
Westbrook, Fred
Arabzadeh, Ehsan
author_facet Fam, Justine
Westbrook, Fred
Arabzadeh, Ehsan
author_sort Fam, Justine
collection PubMed
description One characteristic of natural environments is that outcomes vary across time. Animals need to adapt to these environmental changes and adjust their choices accordingly. In this experiment, we investigated the sensitivity with which rats could detect, and adapt to, multiple changes in the environment. Rats chose between two spouts which delivered 5% sucrose rewards with distinct probabilities. Across three phases, reward probabilities changed in size (large or small) and direction (increase or decrease). A discrete trial-structure was used, which allowed the choice process to be decomposed into three distinct response latency measures (choice execution latency, spout sampling duration, and trial-initiation latency). We found that a large decrease in reward probabilities rapidly produced the greatest change in choice proportions. The time taken to execute a choice reflected the differences in reward probabilities across the two spouts in some cases, but also reflected training history. By contrast, the amount of time rats spent responding at reward spouts in anticipation of reward consistently reflected the relative likelihood of reward across the two spouts and not the absolute probability of reward. The latency to initiate the subsequent trial reflected choice evaluation. These three response latencies thus indexed key behavioral correlates of the choice process as it unfolds in time. We discuss how this paradigm can be used to assess the corresponding neural correlates of decision-making.
format Online
Article
Text
id pubmed-4586275
institution National Center for Biotechnology Information
language English
publishDate 2015
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format MEDLINE/PubMed
spelling pubmed-45862752015-10-19 Behavioral correlates of the decision process in a dynamic environment: post-choice latencies reflect relative value and choice evaluation Fam, Justine Westbrook, Fred Arabzadeh, Ehsan Front Behav Neurosci Neuroscience One characteristic of natural environments is that outcomes vary across time. Animals need to adapt to these environmental changes and adjust their choices accordingly. In this experiment, we investigated the sensitivity with which rats could detect, and adapt to, multiple changes in the environment. Rats chose between two spouts which delivered 5% sucrose rewards with distinct probabilities. Across three phases, reward probabilities changed in size (large or small) and direction (increase or decrease). A discrete trial-structure was used, which allowed the choice process to be decomposed into three distinct response latency measures (choice execution latency, spout sampling duration, and trial-initiation latency). We found that a large decrease in reward probabilities rapidly produced the greatest change in choice proportions. The time taken to execute a choice reflected the differences in reward probabilities across the two spouts in some cases, but also reflected training history. By contrast, the amount of time rats spent responding at reward spouts in anticipation of reward consistently reflected the relative likelihood of reward across the two spouts and not the absolute probability of reward. The latency to initiate the subsequent trial reflected choice evaluation. These three response latencies thus indexed key behavioral correlates of the choice process as it unfolds in time. We discuss how this paradigm can be used to assess the corresponding neural correlates of decision-making. Frontiers Media S.A. 2015-09-29 /pmc/articles/PMC4586275/ /pubmed/26483649 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00261 Text en Copyright © 2015 Fam, Westbrook and Arabzadeh. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
spellingShingle Neuroscience
Fam, Justine
Westbrook, Fred
Arabzadeh, Ehsan
Behavioral correlates of the decision process in a dynamic environment: post-choice latencies reflect relative value and choice evaluation
title Behavioral correlates of the decision process in a dynamic environment: post-choice latencies reflect relative value and choice evaluation
title_full Behavioral correlates of the decision process in a dynamic environment: post-choice latencies reflect relative value and choice evaluation
title_fullStr Behavioral correlates of the decision process in a dynamic environment: post-choice latencies reflect relative value and choice evaluation
title_full_unstemmed Behavioral correlates of the decision process in a dynamic environment: post-choice latencies reflect relative value and choice evaluation
title_short Behavioral correlates of the decision process in a dynamic environment: post-choice latencies reflect relative value and choice evaluation
title_sort behavioral correlates of the decision process in a dynamic environment: post-choice latencies reflect relative value and choice evaluation
topic Neuroscience
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4586275/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26483649
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00261
work_keys_str_mv AT famjustine behavioralcorrelatesofthedecisionprocessinadynamicenvironmentpostchoicelatenciesreflectrelativevalueandchoiceevaluation
AT westbrookfred behavioralcorrelatesofthedecisionprocessinadynamicenvironmentpostchoicelatenciesreflectrelativevalueandchoiceevaluation
AT arabzadehehsan behavioralcorrelatesofthedecisionprocessinadynamicenvironmentpostchoicelatenciesreflectrelativevalueandchoiceevaluation