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Implications of visual attention phenomena for models of preferential choice
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Mullett, Timothy L. and Stewart, Neil (2016) Implications of visual attention phenomena for models of preferential choice. Decision, 3 (4). pp. 231-253. doi:10.1037/dec0000049 ISSN 2325-9965.
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/dec0000049
Abstract
We use computational modelling to examine the ability of evidence accumulation models to produce the reaction time distributions and attentional biases found in behavioural and eye-tracking research. We focus upon simulating reaction times and attention in binary choice with particular emphasis upon whether different models can predict the late onset bias (LOB), commonly found in eye movements during choice (sometimes called the gaze cascade). The first finding is that this bias is predicted by models even when attention is entirely random and independent of the choice process. This shows that the LOB is not evidence of a feedback loop between evidence accumulation and attention. Second, we examine models with a relative evidence decision rule and an absolute evidence rule. In the relative models a decision is made once the difference in evidence accumulated for two items reaches a threshold. In the absolute models, a decision is made once one item accumulates a certain amount of evidence, independently of how much is accumulated for a competitor. Our core result is simple – the existence of the late onset gaze bias to the option ultimately chosen, together with a positively skewed reaction time distribution means that the stopping rule must be relative not absolute. A large scale grid search of parameter space shows that absolute threshold models struggle to predict these phenomena even when incorporating evidence decay and assumptions of either mutual inhibition or feed forward inhibition.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||
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Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA76 Electronic computers. Computer science. Computer software Q Science > QP Physiology |
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Divisions: | Faculty of Social Sciences > Warwick Business School > Behavioural Science Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Psychology Faculty of Social Sciences > Warwick Business School |
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Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Eye tracking , Reaction time | ||||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Decision | ||||||
Publisher: | American Psychological Association | ||||||
ISSN: | 2325-9965 | ||||||
Official Date: | October 2016 | ||||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | 3 | ||||||
Number: | 4 | ||||||
Page Range: | pp. 231-253 | ||||||
DOI: | 10.1037/dec0000049 | ||||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||||
Access rights to Published version: | Open Access (Creative Commons) | ||||||
Date of first compliant deposit: | 9 December 2015 | ||||||
Date of first compliant Open Access: | 23 August 2016 | ||||||
Funder: | Economic and Social Research Council (Great Britain) (ESRC), Leverhulme Trust (LT) | ||||||
Grant number: | ES/K002201/1, ES/K004948/1 (EPSRC), RP2012-V-022 (LT) |
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