Changes-of-mind in the absence of new post-decision evidence

PLoS Comput Biol. 2020 Feb 3;16(2):e1007149. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007149. eCollection 2020 Feb.

Abstract

Decisions are occasionally accompanied by changes-of-mind. While considered a hallmark of cognitive flexibility, the mechanisms underlying changes-of-mind remain elusive. Previous studies on perceptual decision making have focused on changes-of-mind that are primarily driven by the accumulation of additional noisy sensory evidence after the initial decision. In a motion discrimination task, we demonstrate that changes-of-mind can occur even in the absence of additional evidence after the initial decision. Unlike previous studies of changes-of-mind, the majority of changes-of-mind in our experiment occurred in trials with prolonged initial response times. This suggests a distinct mechanism underlying such changes. Using a neural circuit model of decision uncertainty and change-of-mind behaviour, we demonstrate that this phenomenon is associated with top-down signals mediated by an uncertainty-monitoring neural population. Such a mechanism is consistent with recent neurophysiological evidence showing a link between changes-of-mind and elevated top-down neural activity. Our model explains the long response times associated with changes-of-mind through high decision uncertainty levels in such trials, and accounts for the observed motor response trajectories. Overall, our work provides a computational framework that explains changes-of-mind in the absence of new post-decision evidence.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Computational Biology
  • Decision Making / physiology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Models, Neurological
  • Reaction Time / physiology
  • Uncertainty
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

N.A. was supported by Ulster University Vice-Chancellor’s Research Scholarship Award. A.Z. was supported by Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship GOIPD/2015/481. M.S. and S.S. were supported by the German Research Council DFG grant SFB 940/2. K.W.-L. was supported by the National University of Ireland Galway Moore Institute Research Visiting Fellowship Award, the Northern Ireland Functional Brain Mapping Project 1303/101154803 funded by InvestNI and the Ulster University, The Royal Society International Exchange Scheme under grant IE151293, and COST Action Open Multiscale Systems Medicine (OpenMultiMed) supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.