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Visual attention modulates the into ration of goal-relevant evidence and not value

Sepulveda, P; Usher, M; Davies, N; Benson, AA; Ortoleva, P; De Martino, B; (2020) Visual attention modulates the into ration of goal-relevant evidence and not value. eLife , 9 , Article e60. 10.7554/eLife.60705. Green open access

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Abstract

When choosing between options, such as food items presented in plain view, people tend to choose the option they spend longer looking at. The prevailing interpretation is that visual attention increases value. However, in previous studies, ‘value’ was coupled to a behavioural goal, since subjects had to choose the item they preferred. This makes it impossible to discern if visual attention has an effect on value, or, instead, if attention modulates the information most relevant for the goal of the decision-maker. Here, we present the results of two independent studies—a perceptual and a value-based task—that allow us to decouple value from goal-relevant information using specific task-framing. Combining psychophysics with computational modelling, we show that, contrary to the current interpretation, attention does not boost value, but instead it modulates goal-relevant information. This work provides a novel and more general mechanism by which attention interacts with choice.

Type: Article
Title: Visual attention modulates the into ration of goal-relevant evidence and not value
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.60705
Publisher version: https://dx.doi/10.7554/eLife.60705
Language: English
Additional information: © 2020, Sepulveda et al. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience
URI: https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10134085
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