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Serial decision-making in monkeys during an oculomotor task

Publication ,  Journal Article
Abzug, ZM; Sommer, MA
Published in: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition
January 2018

Much of everyday behavior involves serial decision-making, in which the outcome of one choice affects another. An example is setting rules for oneself: choosing a behavioral rule guides appropriate choices in the future. How the brain links decisions across time is poorly understood. Neural mechanisms could be studied in monkeys, as it is known that they can select and use behavioral rules, but existing psychophysical paradigms are poorly suited for the constraints of neurophysiology. Therefore we designed a streamlined task that requires sequential, linked decisions, and trained two rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) to perform it. The task features trial-by-trial consistency, visual stimuli, and eye movement responses to optimize it for simultaneous electrophysiological inquiry. In the first stage of each trial, the monkeys selected a rule or a rule was provided to them. In the second stage, they used the rule to discriminate between two test stimuli. Our hypotheses were that they could use self-selected rules and could deliberately select rules based on reinforcement history. We found that the monkeys were as proficient at using self-selected rules as instructed rules. Their preferences for selecting rules correlated with their performance in using them, consistent with systematic, rather than random, strategies for accomplishing the task. The results confirm and extend prior findings on rule selection in monkeys and establish a viable, experimentally flexible paradigm for studying the neural basis of serial decision-making.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition

DOI

ISSN

2329-8456

Publication Date

January 2018

Volume

44

Issue

1

Start / End Page

95 / 102

Publisher

American Psychological Association

Related Subject Headings

  • Statistics, Nonparametric
  • Reinforcement, Psychology
  • Reaction Time
  • Psychomotor Performance
  • Photic Stimulation
  • Male
  • Macaca mulatta
  • Female
  • Eye Movements
  • Decision Making
 

Citation

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Abzug, Z. M., & Sommer, M. A. (2018). Serial decision-making in monkeys during an oculomotor task. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, 44(1), 95–102. https://doi.org/10.1037/xan0000154
Abzug, Z. M., and M. A. Sommer. “Serial decision-making in monkeys during an oculomotor task.” Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition 44, no. 1 (January 2018): 95–102. https://doi.org/10.1037/xan0000154.
Abzug ZM, Sommer MA. Serial decision-making in monkeys during an oculomotor task. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition. 2018 Jan;44(1):95–102.
Abzug, Z. M., and M. A. Sommer. “Serial decision-making in monkeys during an oculomotor task.” Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, vol. 44, no. 1, American Psychological Association, Jan. 2018, pp. 95–102. Manual, doi:10.1037/xan0000154.
Abzug ZM, Sommer MA. Serial decision-making in monkeys during an oculomotor task. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition. American Psychological Association; 2018 Jan;44(1):95–102.

Published In

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition

DOI

ISSN

2329-8456

Publication Date

January 2018

Volume

44

Issue

1

Start / End Page

95 / 102

Publisher

American Psychological Association

Related Subject Headings

  • Statistics, Nonparametric
  • Reinforcement, Psychology
  • Reaction Time
  • Psychomotor Performance
  • Photic Stimulation
  • Male
  • Macaca mulatta
  • Female
  • Eye Movements
  • Decision Making